As soon as I sit with chef/owner Otis Schapiro, I know he is a special one.
I have been around enough restaurants and bars in my life now so as to be able to sense it. Otis sits relaxed at our corner table at Lilian, his piercing yet kind eyes…”OK, how you wanna do this?” he says. And off we go.
The man has San Francisco written all over him. His light west coast accent, his absolute passion for US sports. Baseball? “The San Fran Giants, of course.” How about basketball? “Yup, Golden State Warriors.” American Football? “Man, the 49’ers.” He loves it so much that he’s even established Schapiro’s sports bar in Mt Eden, but today we are here for Lilian.
“So tell me about yourself,” I ask Otis. “Oh, my mom was in hospo, owned a cafe. We came to New Zealand when I was 11 and I grew up around Grey Lynn. At first I thought I wanted to do anything but hospo. I went travelling and started working ‘stages’ (exclusive work placements with great mentor chefs) in some cool restaurants, Mexico City, San Francisco, Copenhagen….” My ears pop up. Copenhagen? There is only one restaurant in Copenhagen. The world’s finest according to many. I look at Otis. “Noma?” I ask. “Yup, Noma,” he responds.
Now the battlefield has changed and Otis has the upperhand. I am in the presence of a Noma-trained chef. If the Statue of Liberty lights up New York, then that is the effect of Noma on the world platform of cuisine. Chef Rene Redzepi and Founder Claus Meyer are known for their simplicity, connection to nature and their focus on foraging. Invention and interpretation. Think a beautiful open wooden barn, large windows in a sunlit meadow. Humans finally back in harmony with nature. Monet painting masterpieces in the gardens amongst the buzzy bees, lavender and artichokes.
And so Otis tells me back in the dim lit room of Lilian, “I wanted to bring that back home. Our pizza is elevated. The sour dough is fermented for 30 hours and made in a famed Acunto clay oven at 420 degrees celsius.”
Perfect, I think for the newly started lunch sessions at Lilian from Thursday through Saturday.
We open a bottle of wine. 2019 Pelissero’s Dolcetto from Piedmonte. Supple tannins, restrained elegance, concentration and length. I’m happy. Then, if it's possible, I’m happier still. Otis brings out his pan fried snapper with crayfish butter. The dish is served in an incredibly reduced crayfish stock with clams and fennel garnish. The ocean spray of the dish combined with the umami of the reduction and the concentration of the wine are sublime. Like a deep bass note punctuated with angelic harmonies. The clouds lift and the restaurant sings. And I hear the words…”Hallelujah.” (PUNEET DHALL)
Dhall & Nash Fine Wines, 6/1 Cross Street, 09 357 0493, www.dnfinewine.co.nz
30 July 2024
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