Restaurant Rec: Cocoro
Recently we tried Cocoro with a group of friends, and this was a hit-out-of-the-ballpark dining experience. The modern Japanese restaurant is located in Ponsonby, but down a quieter street that isn’t full of the typical Ponsonby revellers. The restaurant could’ve been small and noisy, but the interior is soft enough that we were able to have a full conversation with everyone at our table.
When we made our reservation (weeks ago) we decided on the degustation menu, a seven course (with the option to add an eighth) dining event. The other choices are a sushi & sashimi course or, if you’re going all out, Corcoro’s signature course. There is an à la carte menu as well, but it looks like they try to guide people into one of the three multi-course options. From a food cost perspective, this makes sense. There are only 40 seats in the whole restaurant, and knowing what your small clientele plans on eating weeks in advance ensures that you have exactly what you need on hand an no more, cutting down on waste and spoilage. All three of the menus have an option to pair wines with each course, and there is an extensive wine and sake list. Actually, I shouldn’t be so blasé about the list - it is one of the best wine lists we’ve seen in Auckland with a good mix of old and new world wines at every price point you can imagine - from a NZ$52 (about US$36) bottle of French Syrah to a NZ$1380 (about US$980) bottle of Gevrey-Chambertin 1er cru, Clos St. Jacques.
The first course was three bite-size appetizers beautifully presented in a unique tri-fold/tri-layered box. There is probably a proper term for this type of box in Japanese cuisine, so please let me know what it is! The top layer was covered with a glass bowl that, when removed, released a wisp of smoke and a charred aroma that went with the little bites. This was served with a La Closerie champagne which I learned was made from Pinot Noir grapes. It was a bit too sweet on its own, but paired with the smoky appetizers, it was delicious.
The second course was a beautiful sashimi course starting with a John Dory and ending with a scampi, slowly growing in flavour and richness as we went around the plate. My need for order was jostled by their counterclockwise presentation of the fish, and I knew that I was really grasping for things to complain about if that was the only thing wrong with the dish. My favorite was the third - the kingfish with an extra kick thanks to a freshly sliced jalapeno. This was paired with a chilled, floral sake. I wish our server hadn’t rushed through the discussion of the pairing because I wasn’t able to get the name and it was delicious.
The third dish was my favorite of the evening. It was a rich egg custard served with little crunchy buckwheat puffs and a rich kimo sauce. We were instructed to try the dish all three ways: with nothing, with the puffs, and with the sauce. While most of the table agreed the combination of sauce and egg custard was the best, I was a purist and preferred the dish all by itself. It is the sort of thing I want to eat the next time I get sick and am stuck in bed. Cocoro paired this was a Chenin Blanc from Milton that was an exceptional compliment to the egg custard.
The fourth course, a scallop gratin, was shockingly my least favorite if the evening. I usually love all things scallop, and this dish was good, but the least standout of the night. It stood out so little that honestly all I can remember was that it didn’t taste very scallop-y at all and I was disappointed. It was served with a warm, dry sake which I could’ve done without. I much prefer my sake cold.
Course five was an incredible ginger broth with a white warehou (a fish) in the middle. Our instructions were to break up the fish and mix it with the broth which led to a wonderful combination of crunchy fish skin, mild white fish, and the tangy ginger broth. Definitely a winner, and my third favorite of the night. This was served with a Chardonnay. It was buttery but not too oaky and we all noted how chardonnays are usually not our top picks for wine, but this one was pretty good. By this point, however, my recollection of the specifics of the chardonnay are hazy…
Number six was the main course for the evening. The short ribs - one pork and one beef - were so tender they were falling apart on the fork. An absolutely top notch dish served with a Syrah and my second favorite dish of the evening.
The seventh course was an optional course made of petit sushi rolls. We decided to order three plates for the table, giving each of two rolls a piece of the bluefin tuna. They were carefully prepared and nice little bites to pop in my mouth after the heaviness of the shortribs.
Finally, course eight was a pumpkin pastry filled with soy sauce ice cream. It sounds like a strange combination, but fortunately the soy sauce wasn’t overpowering. The saltiness worked well with the sweet cream, and it was an outstanding conclusion to our meal. This was paired with a dessert sake that struck me as trying a little too hard. I appreciate the effort, but I think I would’ve preferred a more traditional dessert wine.
Cocoro was one of the more high end dining experiences we’ve had since arriving in Auckland. The service was still on the casual side compared to a fine dining experience in the US, but it was several levels above what I’ve see at your typical nice Kiwi restaurant. They had small details down like presenting women with their dishes first and good presentation and explanation of each course as it arrived. You can see from the food presentations that the dishes are carefully crafted and plated. This isn’t a place I’d go on a random Tuesday for dinner, but it was a fabulous experience to have with friends who appreciate good food and like to eat adventurously.
