Last Monday I finished work early and took a flight to Auckland. My mission: drive to Cazador in Balmoral for a Tasting Club dinner organised by the incredible girls from Gather and Hunt and the amazing family team at Cazador.
What a night!
At the door, Rebecca from Cazador welcomed me with a fab glass of our Nautilus Cuvee Brut NV, and I stepped through the door into an amazing fairytale woodland scene. The ambience and the group who gathered were really cool and interesting. And then there was the food! I have to say I’m a complete fan of wild game meat, so the menu was a real delight. We started with duck terrines, potted crab, salmon, and venison served with an amazing Tio Pepe sherry! I loved this match, it worked so well. The Mains were delicious, a carnival of meats like roasted suckling pig, roast duck , quail pie and jugged hare accompanied by our Nautilus Pinot Noir, I felt so proud to see how well the earthy complexity of Nautilus Pinot matched to this type of food! Beautiful flavours and textures were presented throughout the evening and the finishing touch came with beautiful desserts, all from the Cazador kitchen where Head Chef Dariush Lolaiy and his father share their love and passion for exceptional food.
Cazador is a restaurant that has stood the test of time and the Gather and Hunt tasting club event really showed why. I’d definitely recommend trying it out.
