Hammerheads

I always had quite a good impression of this restaurant — maybe from some amazing photos I saw a while back. Standing on the outside just made me realise how long it’s been operating next to Kelly Tarlton. Looking quite average from the outside, we stepped inside to find something semi-​high class, but then no pretentiousness.
I think rice, cous cous, and dishes like paella are perfect as entrees to open up the appetite for the amazing main. Likewise, the paella was done well — not so undercooked to get my teeth grinding and crunching. In addition with the spiciness from the chorizo just made me a bit more hungry. It’s a pity I felt like there wasn’t enough seafood in the dish; and I do wish the peas were more of a purée, but hey, it added to the colours!
This is one of the times when I have to use my knife to hack my way through the pork pelly. It was overcooked — dry textured meat and the skin so hard to cut through — you basically have to try and fit the whole thing in your mouth and see if you your teeth can do a better job. Very ladylike. Seeing that the pork belly was meant to be the spotlight of the dish, it was hard to rescue it, even though the rest of the dish wasn’t unoffensive. The combination was sweetly mellow and the raisins were a pop of surprise whenever I found one in my mouth.
Unimpressed by the entrée, surely the meal can only get better? And it did, though not exponentially. The lamb rump was beautiful and sliced through perfectly. The use of chickpeas as the starch of the dish was a good change from the usual lamb with potatoes. The tomato fondue gave it that zesty kick and a reminder for me to look outside at the gorgeous Mission Bay view.
I love snapper, but I rarely order it. Why? Because I always go fishing, and we all know the most popular fishes to catch in NZ: Snapper, trevally, and Kahawai. This snapper was just as fresh, and cooked nicely to go with the almond and tempura. What really impressed me was the risotto cake! Crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside — first time having risotto in this form with the subtle taste of the almonds, and watercress to keep refreshed so everything isn’t too heavy.
My first impression of this dessert was that it was huge! Even for two people. Now the next questions would be; which one was your favourite? Why? How were the other ones?
Favourite would be the Banana and toffee pudding topped by the sauce and powder. I found the pudding to be super sweet (which all banana or toffee flavoured things are), but didn’t find it to be too heavy.
The whole experience at Hammerheads wasn’t a wow — but it wasn’t bad. The food was up to par (or at least my dishes were), the seating was nice, no hiccups in service. But we were left with the feeling that something was missing. I’m guessing when you’re shelling out at restaurants that offer $ 35+ a main, we’re always expecting an experience than just a dine-​out meal. This touch can be brought about by passionate waiting staff that make you feel extra special– which was probably the secret ingredient missing. Even though staff was friendly, polite, and did what they were supposed to do — there was just that absence of vavoom!

Had the fish of the day… snapper or salmon. Went salmon. Best salmon ever had. Rest of family very happy with there choices. Beef

The sight of a man in his chef whites puffing away on a cigarette in the dingily-​lit back-​door nook of a restaurant generally does not fill me with anticipation for a delicious meal ahead. Rather, it is a pet hate of mine; I can’t understand why people who make their living tantalising people’s tastebuds would want to damage the quality of their own & risk their livelihood in this way. So, not an auspicious start as we pulled up to Hammerheads on a sodden Sunday evening.
Once inside though, the cavernous dining room was somewhat cosy. Busier than expected for a Sunday night, we were later informed that a lot of the diners were cashing in the same 3-​course menu discount voucher that we were using — only available Sunday through Thursday. A winning move by the management then.
So on to the food: we browsed the options while enjoying the freshly baked bread, olive oil & deliciously tangy labneh cheese. As always, the pork belly option was calling to me, but in the interests of a fair and honest review, I let the Scotsman have his first choice, and instead settled for the «Paella» of Black Tiger Prawn, Squid, Mussels, Clam, Chorizo with Israeli Couscous & Crushed Pea. It was nice. The seafood didn’t shine as I would have expected from a specialty seafood restaurant, and I think I spotted a skerrick of chorizo… maybe… In contrast, Ali’s pork was crackle-​tastic: Crispy Pork Belly with Kumara Fondant, Kale, Pine Nut & Golden Raisin Vierge. I can still taste one of the plump soaked raisins popping with flavour in my mouth along with the pork and kumara — a marriage made in heaven. That’s the last time I go against my instincts!
We swapped flavour profiles for the main: I opted for the Hawkes Bay Lamb Rump ‘sous vide’ with Date, Chickpea, Cumin, Aubergine, Tomato Fondue & Labneh Cheese, while Ali went for the snapper. Hawkes Bay wouldn’t be too happy to claim that rump — whether it was the cooking method or the meat supplier, the texture was chewy & unappetizing, although the flavour was good. The chickpea side was deliciously sweet, although there was enough on my plate for a vegetarian main course on it’s own! And again the labneh was a nice balance to the sweetness of the Moroccan-​flavoured dish.
The fish was paired with a Crab & Corn Risotto Cake, Tempura Caperberries, Salsa Verde, Petite Watercress & Almond. It was beautifully presented, and the caperberries were a revelation of crunchy saltiness. Again, the fish was slightly overcooked — disappointing for a restaurant that has built it’s reputation on seafood.
Dessert was a trio to share: Chocolate & Cointreau Tart with Orange, Frosted Macadamia, Roast White Chocolate Salad, Mandarin Vanilla Gel and «Maltesers» Icecream. Take a breath. And — Banana & Toffee Pudding with Banana Powder, Toffee Sauce & Banana Icecream. Another breath. AND — Blackberry Yoghurt Panna Cotta, Scorched Italian Meringue, Melon, Pistachio & Olive Oil Cake & Melon Sorbet. It could have had its own review. Suffice to say — yum.
Not bad Sunday night grub. More in the bistro category than fine dining I believe. I’m sure the table that was sat next to the toddler perched in his high chair, transfixed to the movie on his iPad, would probably agree with me. Hammerheads still has a great venue and a great view; whether you would make the effort to go there without a discount voucher is anyone’s guess.

It is a tad pricey with entrees at $ 20 and mains close to $ 40 but the food here is well worth the yummy rumbling tummy.
I would recommend the market fish, and the lamb rump is beautiful too with wild mushrooms and gnocchi, super filling! If you don’t feel like an exxy entrée you can order shoestring fries to share for $ 9 as well.
The desserts are all $ 15 and the restaurant exudes a bit of a romantic feel. Great little place to treat yourself.