Liquidity

Black Tiger Prawns with Coconut Sambal

When S and I were trying to think of a nice place to dine at in Christchurch, I suddenly recalled being told by the proprietors of a Dunedin cafe that Liquidity was very good. They especially mentioned the pork belly and tiramisu, and we just wanted a nice meal at a good restaurant, so we decided to go with what we had heard. Unfortunately, we found that the food and service at Liquidity left much to be desired. 

Japanese Spiced Squid

First of all, the wait-staff were inattentive. We walked into the restaurant and stood around waiting and looking around for at least a few minutes before anyone attended to us, even though there were several staff standing and walking around doing absolutely nothing. I was already unimpressed, but they could have still changed my mind if the food was good. No such luck.

Japanese Spiced Squid - see the oil at the bottom of the glass?

To start, S had the black tiger prawns with coconut sambal and I, the Japanese spiced squid. The 'coconut sambal' was far too salty and the dish as a whole was a little too heavy for a starter. My squid wasn't scored so most of the seasoning slipped off the pale, rubbery, overcooked, not very tasty, greasy pieces of squid. If you look carefully at the second picture of the squid, you will see the amount of oil and seasoning that had collected at the bottom of the glass. It was not very appealing. Worst of all, S found a piece of hair in the rice and when she pointed it out to the waitress who came to clear our plates, all the waitress could manage was, "Oh, that's not very nice is it? I will tell the kitchen staff". Where was the apology?! It doesn't matter if you're not the one who made the mistake, you are representing your establishment and you need to apologise if there has been such a embarrassing, serious oversight. I was appalled, to say the least. 

Five Spiced Monkfish with Seared Scallops

Of course, then I was wary, albeit still (inexplicably) hopeful, about our mains. Alas, S's five spiced monkfish with seared scallops was 'blah' at best and my braised pork belly was served with a completely burnt black top layer. I was somewhat stunned. Still I ate it, thinking that maybe there was the tiniest possibility that that's how it is supposed to be served. Of course, I should have trusted my first instincts. The black top layer was tough, sticky and of course, tasted burnt and the rest of the pork belly was overdone, dryish and quite firm. I should have sent it back...I need to learn to start doing that especially when I'm served substandard food at high-end establishments. I do tell them what I think of the food, if they ask, but sometimes that just isn't enough. Needless to say, we did not order desserts, even though we  had been looking forward to trying the tiramisu.

Braised Pork Belly