Hospitality | The White House Restaurant
Unashamedly
First Class
Wellington has been described as the culinary capital of New Zealand with its diverse range of restaurants, cafés and more casual eateries.
The essence of success for a select number of these establishments is the genius of the chefs – the masterminds who pull together quality products and conjure up sensational cuisine. The White House Restaurant owner and executive chef Paul Hoather is a one such mastermind. His devotion to provide dishes that create lasting memories for those that eat them, has seen his restaurant distinguish itself as one of the best in the capital.
Two decades of decadence The White House was first established 20 years ago in – in a little white cottage in Willis St. It now sits on the edge of the harbour, settled on Oriental Parade with the wonderful vista of the Wellington harbour a stunning backdrop for a wonderful get together.
Paul has forged his success from small beginnings. Like many kiwi kids his first tentative cooking attempts were courtesy of recipes from the pages of the Edmonds Cook Book. But his real inspiration came from his father. “Growing up my father was often in the kitchen making Chinese dishes and other meals he learnt from his travels abroad. One of his favourite dishes to make was pork pies like the ones he used to eat when he was a lad in the UK. Because of my father’s influence I learnt that it was okay to be a male in a kitchen.” This early role modelling led him to a career in cuisine with his first job in the kitchen of the Rutherford Hotel in Nelson at age 15. After that came a sojourn overseas to the United Kingdom and Australia and on his return to New Zealand in the 1980s, he worked as the head chef at iconic restaurants such as Plimmer House, Champerelle and La Spaghettata.
Since it began, The White House has consistently ranked amongst the capital’s finest restaurants. It has gained both a national and international reputation, won numerous awards and was selected as a Cuisine New Zealand Restaurant of the Year finalist in 2011. “What tells me are the plates coming back to the kitchen, if there’s something left over I always question it. I can’t help it; it becomes a habit from a life of working in kitchens. For me every night is a live performance. My biggest pleasure at the restaurant is going out to see our guests, to talk with them and hear what they have to say about their experience with us.”
It is an experience which has thrilled and tantalised the most discerning taste buds – those of national and international reviewers. The Sunday Star Times reviewer Tim Herbert described it succinctly; “the White House is For him, cooking for others is personal. “I put a place that we can confidently say is one of a lot into every meal at the restaurant and I take it to heart when something doesn’t work. the finest dining experiences we’ve ever had”. Sometimes things go wrong, and it cuts me, I Cuisine’s David Burton gave the degustation get upset. But the buck stops with us. menu five stars.
Paul’s creativity, his unparalleled experience, and his passion for exceptionally fine food make every meal special. During many years the restaurant has expanded its menu through a keen interest in sourcing ingredients from people who also share a passion for what they create. Paul shows his reverence for the hard work and toil the others have put it in by showing the ingredients in their best light. No restaurant can be successful without the support of exceptional staff who deliver front of house service – interacting with the clients. Paul’s team is professional yet not constrained. There is an element of theatre as bowls of sweet treats are delivered with a flourish to the table with dry ice pouring from the tops.
The delights The menu has bypassed the potentially embarrassing mispronunciation of meal names by calling them what they are. Your scallop entrée is seared scallops, red pepper harissa, smoked Warehou custard, fennel, date and orange salad. If you order the pork as your main, you will be delivered a roasted pork loin, baked apple, pork rillettes, poached fillet, Black Ball black
Supplying the best customers in Wellington since 1904,
FINE FOODS ∑ QUALITY MEATS
Pleased to be associated with The Whitehouse Restaurant
34 Hopper Street, Mount Cook Phone: (04) 385 6118 42 | July/August 2012 www.wellingtontoday.co.nz
pudding crumbs, slow-cooked pork belly, puffed rind, apple puree and mustard fruits. Paul’s self-confessed sweet tooth is reflected in the decadent and sumptuous finale options – the desserts. The Tahitian vanilla bean panna cotta with fresh raspberries, freezedried raspberries, raspberry puree and jelly or the date pudding with toffee apples, walnut praline and truffle, buttermilk ice cream are just two of the many tempting choices. Open for lunch and dinner seven days. The White House Upstairs at 232 Oriental Parade Oriental Bay T (04) 385 8555 www.whr.co.nz — Advertising Feature