Riverstone - revisited, 12k North of Oamaru

A marriage made in Heaven: Gourmet Food and kids friendly premises.

I haven't been to Riverstone Kitchen since I was pregnant with my wee poppet.  I dreamt about going back but the idea of an hour and a 1/2 drive with a toddler who has a penchant for noise, running around and banging tables like Animal from the Muppets, I was deterred.

We road tripped to Nelson last week to catch the last days of hot summer before pulling out the boots and merino sweaters for good.  Riverstone was the perfect distance and destination for our first break.  Animal napped for half the trip and then we arrived, perky and fresh to visit the birds, eat rocks and enter the playground fort. Yes, a life sized fort. Well, child-sized.

Genius.

Gourmet food, great distractions and a celebrity sighting: Ray McVinnie, NZ MasterChef judge.

We'll call that a win!

 I did not have to duck to walk in here. And I'm tall.

Kids menu but I brought my own yoghurt.

 Zucchini Flowers with 4 Cheeses

 Groovy Gift Shop

 I am not pregnant. I am merely well-fed.

Menu

Now, imagine a sunny day.

Also, I would totally recommend the Waitaki rose we tried!  The bottle label looked like a postcard but I don't know the winery's name.

DIFL's T-shirts On Tour Competition!

From sunny Dunedin to sunny Australia!

Please email in the most interesting photo of you wearing your DIFL t-shirt on tour and you're in to win a limited edition DIFL tote bag. Valued at $25!! Stylish and practical!  All photos will go up on the blog.

Competition closes May 30, 2012

Metro Cafe and Bar, Lower Stuart Street

Metro has the potential to be a really cool bar.  It's not quite there yet but a few details have showed promise. This could be a popular place.  It hasn't hit the tipping point, though.

See below, a cheap and tasty looking brekkie board. Worth a try!

And here, a table with fire in it. Great for chilly Dunedin evenings but potentially a disaster for drunk Scarfies.

I'd sit there if the manager wasn't hogging it.  And they serve Teapots of mixed drinks at the bar!  The used to served Greenman beer but don't anymore. (Why?) Two of the beers on tap were not available to day (one literally exploded on my husband).   Also, there seems to be a renovation in process in the basement.  A cool kind of bar for short people.

DIFL is not normally in the market for giving advice but I'll make an excpetion. Come on, Metro, the potential is there!!  Close the deal.  Get some good beer on tap, a decent menu and turn off the teevees.   Music is the food of love!

Mash, The Octagon

Best new lunch I've had in a long time.  Unique and tasty.

So many of the cafes in the Octagon have the real estate but crap, average food and make a living off trapping cruise ship tourists.  Not this place!!

Pretty cool artwork.

 Seared Prawns with cucumber ribbons in an Asian Slaw with cashews. YUM!  

Only in Dunedin!!

Tomohawk Beach

Who says Dunedin doesn't have great weather?!

And where did you get that cool t shirt?

Moeraki by day

Pack the kids up and get yourself out of town. Moeraki is only 45 min away but this little fishing town is a haven on the Waitaki Coast.

The boulders are world famous. Great for a photo op if you get down to the beach (which we were too lazy and distracted to do).

Fluers coffee caravan does great fluffies and baked goods. I had a warm friand and a beautifully nutty single-shot latte.

There are boats on and off the ocean for enthusiasts. And, for some reason, a lot of tractors. I know a lot of boys under 5 who would have a field day here. And a fair few over 5, for that matter.

Mmmmmmmm. Fleurs.


Some lovely tiles of the boulders which I could not be bothered to walk down to the beach to see in person. Do not let my laziness put you off. If you haven't seen them, they are worth a gander.

We played the "where would you build a house?" game, played on the kick-ass basket swing and then went to the Tavern for lunch. All up- good day.

If you are driving from Dunedin, stop in Palmerston for an ice-cream at the Licker Parlour and stop in Waikouaiti at Roadside Attraction to do a bit of shopping. I believe they are selling DIFL t shirts!

Hyde Street Keg Party

This is my Letter to the Editor which was published in the ODT:

The students get a bad rep in this town. Yes, there is some out of control behavior and the stupidity and the safety of the young girl are a particular worry. However, during the Hyde Street Keg Party there was some lovely behaviour that I am sure no one is reporting about. In the Botanic Gardens I had one zombie cover his face, as to not scare my 18 month old daughter, followed by 3 cheerful fairies who waved, delighting her, and two boys, wearing cardboard boxes who got caught in the rain, apologise to me for their indecency. I commend these young people who were just having a good time and still had their wits about them.

Fleurs, Moeraki

Fleurs.

Where do I begin?

Moeraki has two things to offer. Some pretty cool boulders which are a geological phenomenon, and celebrity chef Fleur Sullivan (world famous in NZ).

I have wanted to dine at Fleurs for years. YEARS! Ever since I read an article in a women's mag that said Gwenyth Paltrow and Chris Martin had enjoyed it while she was filming Sylvia. Sad to be subscribing and aspiring to celebrity gossip when I could be waxing lyrical about kai moana and the importance of locally sourced foods.

My main man surprised me on Friday. Told me to put on a tidy casual dress and to play dj in the car as we drove north out of Dunedin. The drive was part of the joy. It is a beautiful stretch of road through pastoral landscapes and along the Pacific.

Fleurs is so lovely, I am not even going to berate anyone about the missing apostrophe (there is, afterall, only one Fleur). The big wooden house is filled with sturdy wooden tables and bottles of wine. Every table has an ocean view.

To start: Moeraki Platter- venison jerky, smoke salmon, monk fish, delectable pickled carrots, home-made liver pate (double yum)

Mains: Catch of the Day- blue cod with lime and caper sauce, season vegetables

Blue Code wrapped in local bacon- yum, yum, yum, yum

Desserts: Kaffir Lime Creme Brulee (yes, yes, yes)

Chocolate Brownie with ice cream and tamarind sauce (the hazelnuts made it)

I literally took off my belt for the drive home.

Click here to make a reservation.