Eating with your eyes at the 'Alpine'

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 5, 30 June 1987, Page 5

Eating with your eyes at the 'Alpine'

Ohakune has a new restaurant inside a familiar setting. The Alpine Restaurant has recently opened in Clyde Street, Ohakune in the premises formerly occupied by the 'Grischuna' Swiss restaurant. Owners of the restaurant Peter Bennett, John Perry and Mark Dinsdale, who also own the Alpine Motel in Miro Street decided to hire Australian chef Keith Walsham as chef-manager rather than offer the restaurant fcr lease. Ohakune's newest chef plans to add the style of modern cuisine to those available in the Waimarino. Keith Walsham has been a chef for more than

twelve years, having trained at the Sheraton in Perth and spending much of his career on the Australian Gold Coast. He worked at Oscar's in Coolangatta which in 1985 was rated among the world's top ten restaurants. He describes his 'modern Cuisine' as having a natural, light and simple emphasis, which is totally imaginative. "There are no limits in food combinations or presentation" he said. "but that doesn't mean overdoing it to the point

of distracting diners from the main course." This imagination in presentation sees courses garnished with Singapore orchids and miniature roses. Among his modern cuisine favourites are a prawn and crab gateau and a chicken roulade, which is breast of chicken pocketed with prawns, avocado and

macadamia nuts poached in white wine, served on a vegetable sauce. Another Australian on the team at the Alpine restaurant is Loren Knauer, who is more familiar to the area, having lived and worked in the Waimarino for about four years. Loren is running the bar at the Alpine, which has on offer an extensive wine list.