Had a work farewell dinner at Zibibbo the other night to farewell a well loved and valued member of staff. I had not been to Zibibo for a very long time and did not know what to expect. People that I know like this place, but for me it never really interested me to go back. I do not think I have been to this place for over four years.
Se decided to go for the set menu, as there were nine of us. You got some bread to begin with, a amuse bouche, a main and a dessert tapas platter.
House Baked Bread
The bread was very nice and came with extra virgin olive oil and beurre noisette with rosemary and olive. The Olive oil was very nice and had a real nice nutty and earthy flavour to it. The beurre noisette was actually more like a butter and not in liquid form (I had to research what a beurre noisette was).
Amuse Bouche
A mushroom arancini ball with some yogurt or creme fresh at the bottom. I was very nice and amused the mouth well.
Wairarapa Lamb
The lamb came with spice lentils, saffron labne and salsa verde. Presentation was very nice and I looked forward to eating it. The lentils were very nice and cooked well and had a bit of spice, the salsa verde was nice, but the amount of saffron labne was insufficient for the dish. The Lamb on the other hand, I felt was over cooked which was a shame. Overall the dish was alright.
Zibibbo’s Dessert Tapas Platter
We shared this platter one better three. It was a rather interesting concept as there was no little plate to put your dessert on you just had to eat from the board. On the board was a cucumber and mint gelato and a mango ice cream. I preferred the mango. A lavender panna cotta, which I thought was nice but others did not like it. A Chocolate slice which was very rich and you could really only eat a spoonful. A tiramisu flavoured truffle, which I again thought was alright. The parts I did enjoy was the butterscotch creme brûlée and the macaron, but I cannot remember what the flavour was.
Overall the food at Zibibbos was nice but I do not know why people talk this place up so much. I understand I was having a set menu, but I do not think it should be treated any differently. The service is good but not fantastic. Also I would not call the food Mediterranean inspired. People think of this place as a five star restaurant but I am sorry I just do not see it. The food is not good enough to be there and neither is the service. If i was going to go to a five star in Wellington, I would go to Whitebait, Janos or Hippopotamus. I was talking to my friend Winifred about Zibibbo and this is what she said about it. “You do not choose to go there but it is a good place to go if someone suggests going there”. and I think I will live by that rule.
Website; Zibibbo
Trencherman's Travels 