Restaurant Rec: La Marée
I could be coy and leave you wondering exactly how good this place is, but I won’t. I’ll get straight to it: last night was the best meal I’ve had since moving to Auckland. La Marée is in the Sofitel by the viaduct and the creation of Marc de Passorio who owned the Michelin-starred L’Esprit de la Violette in Aix-en-Provence before coming to New Zealand a few years ago. As my husband said, “this place makes you remember how we used to eat in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco.” It has an upscale, small, but welcoming dining room that is smartly appointed and strives for chic.
We were out to celebrate our anniversary, so we got dressed up by Kiwi standards (for him: a jacket, no tie. For me: silk dress, strappy sandals, a little jewelry but nothing crazy). It was no surprise that at one table there was a man in jandals - Kiwi slang for flip flops - and we were all completely appropriately dressed for dinner.
The staff was an eclectic mix of twenty-somethings with a European background. Our server was Spanish. The host was Khazakstani by way of France who spoke with a North American accent, the person who may or may not have been a sommelier but nevertheless made excellent wine recommendations had a thick French accent made even more adorable when we looked very seriously at my husband who was asking for a wine pairing to go with his tuna and said, “Do uh you trost meh?” Was the service five star excellence? No. Was it outstanding by Kiwi standards? Yes. Menu knowledge wasn’t quite there, but it turned out not to matter because the food was outstanding.
Now on to the good part… The food. We started with a flavourful amuse bouche of scallops and brown butter. It was fresh and light and a good indication of what was to come from the primarily seafood menu. After eyeing the impressive, three-tiered seafood platter and signature bouillabaisse at nearby tables, we decided we wanted to try a lot of things on the menu and not limit ourselves to either of these incredible looking offerings that would’ve left us too full to try anything else.
Our first choice was some oysters. These were big, meaty oysters that had a light hint of brine. Our server said they were from Clevedon which I found surprising as I thought Clevedon was landlocked. After a little sleuthing, I think they must’ve come from Clevedon Coast Oysters, and I don’t actually know much beyond the Clevedon village center.
Next came our entrées, which is what starters are called in New Zealand. They are not the big dish of the meal. We chose what was not called a caprese salad - but it was a deconstructed caprese - and the lobster bisque. The tomatoes were slightly under ripe, but the buffalo mozzarella and pesto somehow made it all fresh and delicious. The lobster bisque was exquisite. The umami flavor in the broth worked perfectly with the four lobster-stuffed ravioli. My only complaint (and this is getting incredibly picky because I was on the verge of picking up the soup bowl and slurping the last remnants down) was I would’ve liked a thicker texture to the soup. I compare every lobster bisque to Parind Vora’s, and I’m completely spoiled by his creamier variation which he’ll serve in a sea urchin if you’re lucky. But I feel like this is being too harsh on La Marée’s lobster bisque. I don’t want it to be misunderstood: this dish was delicious and paired exquisitely with a Pouilly-Fumé.
And onto the mains - what we would call the entrées in the US. I’m a sucker (pun intended) for octopus and was thrilled to see it on the menu. Octopus is so hard to cook properly and get the right texture that very few places even attempt it. Jon decided to go with the bluefin tuna, a dish that went perfectly with a glass of Trinity Hill Marsanne/Viognier from Hawke’s Bay. The mains didn’t disappoint. my octopus was a sliver away from perfection. It wasn’t chewy at all and had a good amount of char from the grill that contrasted nicely with the watercress cream.
But the real standout was the tuna. My husband loves me, and generously shared a few precious bites of the marinated fish with me. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. The cromesqui was basically a crusted ball of the most mouth watering, gooey béarnaise sauce ever. I don’t know why it worked so well with the more-or-less raw fish, but it did, and it was the best dish of the night.
We finished the night with a tart tatin which took an unusually long time to bring out. The kitchen sent, with apologies, some raspberry petit fours to go with it. I’m glad they did as the tart itself was the least exciting dish of the evening and instead of leaving on a low note, we savoured the raspberry petit fours and forgot all about the other desert.
Overall, this place is perfect for a very adult night out. Maybe one day when the kids are older we’ll be able to pair a dinner with a night in the hotel because honestly I’ve forgotten what sleeping in feels like. I’ll close with a couple of tips. First, when I tried to make my initial reservation, every booking past 2:45 pm was grey for perpetuity. On any day I chose, all reservations after 2:45 looked booked. I emailed the restaurant and they got back to me quickly with a confirmed reservation the same day. I don’t know if their booking system is always like this, but a quick email or call should fix it. Secondly, don’t drive. Going through the CBD and parking is a nightmare, so take the rideshare of your choice so you can show up unruffled about traffic and enjoy your wine without worrying about getting home.
We will definitely return to La Marée soon. Its a standout fine(r) dining experience in Auckland.
