Pass the Salt

I’m not in the habit of photographing what I’m eating in restaurants but this bouillabaisse was so good it said ‘blog me’.

Bouillabaisse – the fish soup of Marseilles – is one of those regional dishes that evolved from what was available and is now the subject of much debate as to what should or shouldn’t be in it. The bouillabaisse I ordered at the Bay of Many Coves Resort in Queen Charlotte Sound wouldn’t have passed the authenticity test – it included squid, scallops, prawns and green lipped mussels – but it was deliciously flavoured with stock made from fish bones and crustaceans and it was served with the requisite rouille: a mayonnaise type emulsion loaded with garlic and flecked with threads of saffron. The idea is to slather the rouille on pieces of toast which are then dunked in the soup. As you work your way down through the bowl, losing bits of toast and globs of rouille on the way, the soup gets messier and the flavour deepens. It’s a gloriously greedy way to eat.

The bouillabaisse has been on the menu at the waterside cafe since the new owners took over 18 months ago. The resort has changed hands twice in the 20 years we’ve been coming to the Sounds. In the old days it was called Gem Resort and it operated as a sort of one-stop shop for supplying boat diesel, ice cream, milk, white-sliced and baked beans; for a small fee you could even drop off your rubbish. It was down-at-heel charming – or as the locals would say, it was ‘Soundsy’. And then, five or six years ago, it was sold. Millions of dollars were spent transforming Gem into a luxury resort with architecturally designed cedar chalets positioned for privacy and connected by boardwalks that traverse the bush clad hill above.

It was eco-luxe; sensitively landscaped to blend into the surroundings but it was no longer Soundsy. It was a little exclusive. Locals and holiday makers could no longer fill up their boats from the pumps on the jetty. The dusty little store was gone, replaced by a new reception area that sold resort souvenirs alongside a few remaining supplies – newspapers, ice creams and sunblock. The fine-dining restaurant soon closed its doors on non-paying guests and the no-jandal policy of the cafe, which resulted in more than a few millionaires being denied a table for lunch, drove home the message – boaties were no longer welcome.

Happily that’s all changed. The new owners – the McCaws and the Goulds from Wellington – are going all out to welcome local residents and holiday makers. The restaurant is taking casual dinner bookings and the jetty cafe has an incredibly well priced menu, good coffee and friendly staff. The lodge guests have their own cafe and lounging areas but they often prefer to hang out on the jetty. It’s what makes the Bay of Many Coves Resort different – it’s possibly the only luxury lodge in the country where international travellers get to rub shoulders with kiwi holiday makers.

So now everyone’s happy. The new owners have trebled their business, the locals have a great little café, the yachties can drop in for a latte, and I can look forward to many more bowls of the chef’s fabulous bouillabaisse soup.