Ernest

EARNING HIGH PRAISE IN HAMILTON’S BAR SCENE

WORDS DAVID WRIGLEY | IMAGES ASHLEE DECAIRES

Ernest, central Hamilton’s new late-night lounge on Alexandra Street, feels like a properly grown-up affair. It boasts expertly made, seasonal cocktails; an interesting, well thought out wine list; and a short, well-crafted menu with an emphasis on bold, simple flavours and top-quality ingredients. Unlike the majority of late-night venues in Hamilton, there is table service throughout. Servers are friendly, knowledgeable and efficient which lends Ernest an atmosphere of convivial warmth and comfort.

Owner Craig Loveday is brimming with enthusiasm for his first venture. Craig, a tall, amiable Englishman, will be recognisable to anyone familiar with the Waikato’s food and drink scene, having worked stints at Madam Woo’s, Mexico and, most recently, Alpino in Cambridge. Ernest is the culmination of Craig’s longheld ambition to open a venue of his own in Hamilton. Craig cut his teeth in the world of luxury hotels in the UK before packing it all in and booking a one-way flight to Australia. After working his way round the Northern Territories and Western Australia he made the jump across the Tasman. Upon arriving in Auckland, he immediately decided it wasn’t for him and caught a $5 bus to Hamilton. “I saw the potential straight away. I could see something was happening here and thought, this is where I’m going to open my own place.” After a few years of working in and around the Hamilton hospitality scene, in late 2021, he finally secured the premises that is now Ernest and began putting his plans into action. “I didn’t want to set up in competition with all the other great bars and restaurants around Hamilton. I wanted to do something different that complemented what was already happening here.” Inspired by the late-night offerings of cities like London and Melbourne, Ernest (as in Ernest Hemingway in case you were wondering) provides a movable feast of sophisticated drinks and sharing plates from 4pm until late. And when we say late, we don’t mean you can still get a bowl of chips at 9pm. We mean at 11pm the kitchen is still firing on all cylinders. Head Chef Haedyn Woollaston has put together an exciting, ingredients-led menu that brings a new to dimension to Hamilton’s nightlife. There’s hanger steak with red chimichurri; king prawns with harissa and pide; oysters with cucumber granita; and Twizel-sourced, cured salmon with heritage beetroot and horseradish cream. It’s tempting to order everything. The drinks list leans into the cocktails as befits a venue named for Hemingway. The list is a collaboration between Craig and his bar team and strikes a neat balance between the classic and the innovative, from the comforting combination of elderflower and mint in the house spritz to the intriguing and adventurous prospect of popcorn-infused bourbon with wasabi. We slipped in early on a Wednesday, and despite it being well before peak hours, there was already the happy hum of conversation around the place. Craig and his team have done a fine job of making a fairly large space feel intimate and comfortable. We opted for a booth in the cosy inner bar rather than the livelier, street-front space. We enjoyed an excellent plate of fried chicken thigh which came with a flavourful, creamy mayo edged with pickle and a piquant, homemade celery kimchi. A warm, fluffy flatbread was loaded with carrot hummus, an excellent, cooling labneh, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a scattering of fragrant, fresh basil leaves. From the ‘Fresh’ section of the cocktail list we ordered a Bergamot Southside, just the tonic for a muggy Hamilton

IMAGES TAKEN WHEN ERNEST WAS CLOSED - HENCE THE NO MASKS

evening, a fine balance of sweet and sour with the subtlest prickle of fragrant, bitter bergamot. Another section of the cocktail menu asks guest to ‘Trust the Bartender’, which we were happy to do. We chose tequila as our spirit, and bitter as our flavour profile and let the bartender do the rest. We were rewarded with a fine concoction of Arette Tequila, Amaro Montenegro, Campari, and Aztec chocolate bitters, served with a perfect, custom-made ice-cube embossed with the letter E. Everything at Ernest speaks to attention to detail and a determination to provide guests with a memorable experience from the start of the evening until the early hours. From the custom-made ice cube in the cocktail, to the fresh basil with the flatbread, to the tactile, high-quality paper the drinks list is printed on, Craig’s dedication to excellence, and his and his team’s years of experience, shine through.

Ernest - Late Night Lounge 30 Alexandra Street, Hamilton 3204 www.ernestnz.com

DAVID WRIGLEY

David is a freelance writer based in Cambridge. His work has appeared in publications such as The Guardian and Noble Rot. He is a veteran of over 20 years in the London restaurant scene.

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