What: Cafe de Beaumont
Where: 68-70 Beaumont Street, Hamilton
Chef: Josh Bell
Prices: Breads, $5 to $7.50; entrees, $10.90 to $15; mains, $19.50 to $31; dessert $8.90
Wines: Small list of mainstream Hunter, other Australian and NZ wines, most available by the glass
Hours: Seven days, 7am to 11pm
Vegetarian: Two entrees, two mains; check the menu for gluten-free (gf)
Bookings: 4962 3671
Bottom line: Dinner with entree, main and dessert for two, without drinks, about $100
Life as a food writer is not all Grange and truffles or eating in hatted restaurants. You may even find us in places that are more well-known for their lunch trade. But that is not to say that we don't expect the same care and attention given to food as you'd find in their more exalted counterparts; we look for food that is fresh, simply prepared and affordable. Cafe de Beaumont is a popular lunch and coffee spot but does it cut it when it comes to dinner?
The quality of the food and service is not determined by the presence of cloth-covered tables, fine china and glassware. More important is the provision of enough space around each table to give a feeling of intimacy even when the place is busy, a warm welcome and a prompt delivery of menu and water. Ticks here for all of these.
Entrees can be chosen from a regular list (soup, shredded duck salad, salt and pepper squid, asparagus and Persian feta tart), or from a short list of chef's suggestions (pesto squid, Thai prawns or scallops Kilpatrick) and most can double as a small main course.
The squid can't be faulted for its melt-in-the-mouth texture but needs a heftier injection of pesto. And I'm not sure that finely sliced fresh pineapple is the best accompaniment, but there is nothing wrong with the rest of the salad.
King prawns are marinated in a "special" Thai marmalade and served on rather gluggy coconut and coriander rice. But there are seven good-sized prawns in this dish and certainly no lack of flavour, with enough chilli kick to really waken the taste buds.
The signature baby pork ribs are a mix of "baby" ribs and more mature specimens. They are fall-off-the-bone tender, but why is there so much sauce? The chips are lovely and crisp when this arrives but soon become soggy. Much less sauce, and chips served separately would make this dish so much better.
More successful is the lamb rump, one of the chef's suggestions. Roasted and halved to reveal meat that is medium rare as ordered and well rested, it perches on a kumara mash, accompanied with plenty of al dente broccoli, and surrounded by a luscious rosemary jus.
You choose your dessert from the refrigerated display cabinet. These are the same as are available during the day, which is probably why the lemon-lime tart is finished. But, if lemon is what you want, there's a generous wedge of lemon meringue pie, as well as a long list of usual cafe fair; sticky date pudding, three cheesecakes, flourless orange cake, hummingbird cake and chocolate mud cake.
Entrees and mains are substantial, so a shared triple berry crumble with a small jug of warm custard is all that is needed to finish. There seems to be more apple than berry and the crumble and pastry could be crisper, but there's enough tang to provide a suitable finale.
It might not be fine dining but if you're looking for value for money you could do far worse.
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