“Pepper Potts”, “Louie De Palma” and “Winifred” took me out to Jano for my Birthday. Since it has opened in 2015, I have wanted to try this place out and even more so after it won Best New Restaurant awarded by Cuisine Magazine.
After numerous discussions we decided to go with the A la Carte menu. The menu only has four options for each the First, Second and Third courses. All the produce are located sourced and the menu changes regularly depending on what produce is in season.
First
Jano Tasting Plate
“Louie” and I decided to share the Tasting Platter. I was really looking forward to this ever since I researched the menu because I wanted to try the version tartar and all the other dishes on the tasting plate.
Eggplant; Goat Cheese – Cumin – Harissa
Even though I am not a fan of Eggplant, this was a very nice dish. The Eggplant was nicely cooked with some Cumin and Harissa sauce. The addition of the Goat Cheese was very nice and cooled down the spice from the Harissa.
Blue Warehou; Mussels – Orange – Watercress
This fish was nicely prepared and was cooked ceviche style, but came as a piece of fish not chopped up. The Orange jelly and the pieces of mussels were very nice with the slight pepper taste from the water crest. It is a very strong fish dish. However, I did like it.
Venison Tartar; Black Doris Plum – Daikon – Peanuts – Ginger
I was looking forward to this the most and I was very glad to hear that they could make this dish without peanuts. The Venison Tartar was beautiful. It was nicely seasoned and with the Doris plum reduction and with the deep fried ginger pieces. This dish was outstanding. My favourite of the three tasting plates.
Second
Lamb; Zucchini – Apricots – Almonds – Feta
The Lamb was cooked three ways and they were all beautifully cooked. One piece was lamb neck, the other was lamb cooked with crispy skin and another piece was just beautifully cooked to medium rare, but cannot remember what cut of meat it was. The Zucchini with feta and almonds were a nice addition, but my favourite part of the dish was the zucchini mash/paste. I have never had anything like that before and it went so well with the lamb, but I could of just eaten this by itself.
Third
Pepper Potts, Winifred and Louie all ordered the Chocolate dessert. I was originally going to order the chocolate dish. However, after the waiter described the dish, I was conflicted between the Lemon and the Chocolate, but I ended up choosing the Lemon.
Lemon; Rosemary – Olive Oil – Poppyseed – Dill
When I first took my first bite of my dessert, I was glad I ordered the dish. Inside there was lemon with rosemary with a good tart kick. Outside was a caramel tasting toffee skin keeping it together. Outside was a lemon and olive oil crumble. Overall the dish was fantastic, combining all the elements with the dill was outstanding.
Overall, I was very impressed with Jano. The service was outstanding and I loved how they described the menu and then the dish after it arrived. The flavours in all the dishes were great and I cannot wait to come again and hopefully I will get to try their degustation menu.
Website; Jano Bistro
Address; 270 Willis St, Te Aro, Wellington
Trencherman's Travels 