Wild Land

Selected members of the Galactic Senate meet at frequent, but irregular, intervals to discuss matters of glactic import.

At the latest meeting, the emperor Derolan Calna Voroseii Anacreon III met with his senior administrators to consider the threat presented by the Pengoon invasion, a new but secretly-named race of galactic invaders, the Matata earthquake swarm, Sir Patrick Moore’s latest television programme, Seifried’s newest offering, and other weighty matters.

The venue was the Thai Country Cafe on the corner of Main Road and Oxford Street in Tawa.

Major issues were swiftly dealt with allowing the galactic management team to turn their powerful minds to “matters of the moment” and thereby justify their vast galactic stipends.

As plates of the mixed appetiser (spring roll, thai tofu, red curry fish cake, money bag, curry puff, chicken satay) landed on the table, the lid of a Stafford Lane Sauvignon Blanc 2006 was lifted. This release tends more toward citric flavours than the passionfruit of previous vintages, following the current trend in New Zealand sauvignon blanc wines.

Representing the diversity of their backgrounds, a wider choice of mains was selected by the galactic managers. The green beef curry was sharp with lemongrass and revealed a little more heat than its “medium” setting suggested. By comparison, the masaman curry which arrived in a red sauce was sweet and rich. The isarn beef salad was piquant with flavour, as was the grilled chicken salad.

Entertainment was provided by the occupants of a local flatting establishment who had discovered the couch which was parked outside the Tawa library in the rain. This trophy was paraded past the restaurant’s windows bedecked by the “belle of the ball” lolling and waving at us from her lofty seat in the rain.

The mains were accompanied by yet another new offering from Seifried Estate. It’s good to know that Hermann and Agnes Seifried are still trying new varietals. Their release of zweigelt (under the name Sylvia) a few years ago got a definite nod of approval at the time. However, reflection on Sylvia reminded the galactic senators of an absent friend, the lamented Refosca, so they moved on (sniff) before the tears flowed.

The latest newbie, wurzer, has a name which hints at gewurtz traminer which is a good accompaniment to spicy food. The wurzer grape, as the winemaker’s notes imply, does indeed produce an aromatic wine, and the mild lychee flavour complemented the creamy curry sauces of the meals nicely.

The service at the Thai Country Cafe was relaxed and friendly, and the meals arrived in good time. The food is attractively priced, and nicely presented. The environment is clean and airy, but the threat of someone actually taking up the karaoke challenge is an ever-present threat. It is licensed but will happily charge a corkage fee for bring-your-owners.

A selection of the meals are available as take-aways.

Thai Country Cafe is open Tuesday to Sunday, 5 p.m. til late.

Sir Patrick Moore? Oh yes, he’s still going strong. The galactic senators interrupted their weighty deliberations to watch Patrick enthusing about astronomy on his Sky at Night programme. The bemonocled knight was talking about his favourite planet, Saturn, and interviewing astronomers about new work being done on patterns seen in the planet’s dramatic rings.

Patrick oozes excitement and passion for his science and is well-remembered here in New Zealand, having made several lecture tours in association with The Royal Astronomical Society of New Zealand Inc.

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 25th, 2007 at 1:51 pm and is filed under Chatter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.