Restaurant Review - Sunbeam

Ruapehu Bulletin, 20 August 1991, Page 11

Restaurant Review - Sunbeam

BY FOODIE TOO

Remember when the Sunbeam Restaurant and Bar used to be at the top of the list of Ohakune places to dine at a few years ago - when it was the place to be seen? With this in mind it was with some apprehension that we headed there to review the restaurant last week. Would it match the good old days? We were pleasantly surprised with our night out at the Sunbeam - we couldn't fault the meal or the service. It was a quiet night with only a few other tables seated - which meant we had a relaxing time of it - no pressures to eat fast and make room for the next horde and we were able to hold a

conversation easily without feeling we were in a library. Upon reading the menu, we found it appeared quite simple. But the listings were trickery - the dishes they represented were a treat. I chose the soup of the day - a vegetable soup which came with garlic bread and was very nice - full of veges with a touch of spice. Mrs Too had the seafood chowder, which was also served with garlic bread, and contained mussels, shrimps, crabsticks and various other seafood in a thick creamy soup providing lots of flavour. One of our fellow diners had soup of the day and the other had kumara skins with sour

cream and chives. He wouldn't share this dish and barely stopped short of licking the bowl so it must have been good. He followed this with very lean, tender marinated lamb fillets, his partner had chicken in a brandy sauce which looked equally appetising. Mrs Too and I had pan fried Oreo Dory which despite being frozen was moist and delicious. I had salad with my fish which was very well presented and tasty, while the others had a surfeit of vegetables - broccoli, cauliflower and potato. For dessert my partner had home-style cooked apple crumble, I had a brandy basket with Chinese goosberry

(kiwifruit, remember?) and an apricot compote. The others mixed and matched with fresh fruit salad, pavlova and icecream.

All in all it was a great meal, tasty and very well presented, with good, prompt service in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.