JSC X Cambridge Road

JSC - Cambridge Road x Chef Lisa Lee

Last night, JSC served up a seriously delicious detour from the usual. The theme? The road less travelled — and it delivered. Cambridge Road winemaker Lance Redgwell brought the wild and wonderful wines, while chef Lisa Lee matched them with next-level Korean-inspired dishes. Think: food you’ve definitely never seen on your average brunch menu.

Acorn jelly salad? Check. Chicken Wanja meatballs with pear purée? Absolutely. Spicy Jeyuk Ssambap wrapped in perilla leaves? Don’t even ask - just eat. Every plate was a delight, and honestly, even our token “I’ve eaten everywhere” foodie friend had to admit: this was uncharted territory.

The setup? A long table, every seat taken, fireplace lit, food and wine served family-style. No pretentious ‘degustation menu’ vibes - just people passing plates, pouring wine, and bonding over the magic happening on the table. Cue glass noodles with a herby mustard dressing, slippery, chewy and addictive. Add a glass of Naturalist rosé Pet Nat 2023 - pale coral, fizzing with tiny bubbles and flavours of raspberry and rosehip — and you've got a very good night underway.

Plates kept landing. Crispy pancakes (shrimp or tofu), juicy skewered meatballs laced with garlic and ginger. And then the wild card: Cloudwalker 2023, an orange wine that’s a bit of a rebel - fuzzy tannins, peachy stonefruit, baking spice, and just the right amount of edge. Not everyone "gets" orange wine, but this one is out to convert. Spoiler: it did.

Then Lance stood up and told us about fairy dust on the vines (yes, really). Enter Crystal Veil 2023, a Sauvignon Blanc aged in Totara wood - basically the most Aotearoa wine ever. Textured, green, savoury, soulful. It paired perfectly with the wild herb rice wraps and spicy, umami-rich acorn jelly salad.

Let’s pause to appreciate the wine labels. No basic ‘plain square label’ branding here - each bottle is pure aesthetic. Watercolours, indie-artist energy, and one (Stargazer 2022) that heads into funky boutique craft beer territory. If you’re buying wine based on the look (and let’s be honest, we all have), these bottles will leap into your basket.

The final lap featured the big reds - and the big flavours. Hand-cut Yukhoe tartare (Korean steak tartare) and pork stir-fry with some solid heat. The wine? Dovetail 2020, Cambridge Road’s signature blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah. Smoky, plush, with dark fruit and just a whisper of spice. Bold food, bold wine - the pairing was as extra as it needed to be.

Every Jervois Supper Club has been an evening well spent, but this one felt special - like a trip somewhere unexpected, without leaving the city. It’s also a reminder of how much flavour and creativity is bubbling up around the food and wine scene in Aotearoa. The next supper club is a mystery, but one thing’s for sure - we’ll be there, fork in one hand, wine glass in the other.