It’s been very wet lately. Summer is nearly here, but the weather hasn’t got the message, and I wanted something that tasted like a hug. So I headed to Torbay, to the one place I knew would deliver. Troy never misses.
Walk in and the outside world disappears. Warm colours, low romantic lighting, the feel of a taverna you stumbled into on holiday and swore you’d find again. Around the room are imported pieces for sale, from lovely serving bowls to handmade cushion covers. A nice memento, if you want to take a little of the night home.
The chef is Georgian, born in Turkey, and the menu follows his story. Some dishes sit squarely in one cuisine or the other, and some are recipes he’s simply made up along the way. It’s a select menu, not an overwhelming one, and I like that. A kitchen that knows what it does well doesn’t need forty options. There’s an open hatch, so you can watch him work, one chef, no fuss.
An attentive host looked after me, and I ordered the Chakapuli, a Georgian lamb stew ($41). It was stunning. The lamb was slow cooked for hours, then finished in the oven in its sauce so the pieces above the sauce charred slightly. That gave wonderful flavour and texture against a rich, sweet sauce with real layers. Tarragon, plum, white wine and fresh herbs all come through. I mopped up every drop with fresh toasted Turkish bread.
Some food makes you want to talk about it. This made me want to be quiet and finish it. That’s why Troy earns the Quiet Corner Table Great Restaurant seal.
A real North Shore gem.
Details
Troy
4/1056 Beach Rd, Torbay
Cuisine: Georgian and Turkish
Tried: Chakapuli, $41
