The Farm, at Cape kidnappers

For my birthday treat, my wife took me to The Farm at Cape Kidnappers.This has to be the best place of ever eaten. It's not cheap, but it is fantastic. In terms of value for money, even though this is an expensive place to eat, I would say it is still great value for money.  This is not a café this is not a restaurant  you go for a quick meal, this is a restaurant that you go to for real experience.

 The farm is way off the beaten track. There there is quite a drive to get there, but it is a special place and it is well worth.

The view from the farm this stunning. From the loggia, you look to the North over the whole of Hawkes Bay. As you can see from the photo it was a fine day when we went. The loggia as large sliding doors that they can open in the summer. The day that we went, it was sunny but there was a cold wind so they kept the door shut.

The day we went, the menu included some of my personal favorites. Every day the menu changes, so when you go the food will be different from when I went. I photographed the menu so you see what I had.

The quality of the food was stunning. I've never eaten such lovely food. The presentation amazing. The tastes, well, I've never had anything like it.

Here's a picture of my main. A beautifully prepared lamb, surrounded by vegetables, with a wonderful sauce.

In all, we had 5 courses. Starting with bread, we then an amuse, then an entrée, a main, in a small special desserts just for us, and the main desert.


If you wanted to take someone for a romantic dinner or for a romantic lunch this is the place.  If you want to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime dining experience this is the place to go.

I rate The farm at Cape  Kidnappers 10 of 10.

Cafe Ahuriri

It was a great day to go the Cafe Ahuriri for lunch. The cafe a little hard to find, because off the beaten track, in Mahia Street in Ahuriri. But this café is really worth a visit.

They serve fairly standard cafe food, but they do have some nice pies, coffee, and pastries. I did make a mistake when I went because  after I had chosen all my food, I then found that they had a great salad bar at the end by the checkout. I wish now that I have waited until the end, to choose my food.

I had a great pie, really yummy, good crust, and a rich meat filling. I also had a latte, which was good. The desert I had a small pastry called a madeline.  This was made with sour cream, and it was very nice.

There are 3 places to eat. You need inside. You can eat in the enclosed balcony,  or you can eat outside. We chose to eat  in the enclosed balcony. This is a great place. It enclosed in clear plastic screens, so you feel like you're outside, but you don't have to put up with the wind. I imagine the summer better to eat right outside but we went in the spring and there was still a cold wind. 

The service was quick, and friendly.

I would recommend this  café for a quick lunch, but not for romantic setting.

I scored this café 8/10.

Espresso Garden Cafe

The Espresso Garden Cafe is attached to the Mitre 10 Mega store in Prebensen Drive. I chose this cafe because I needed a quick lunch that was close to home.

The outdoor location was pretty, the cafe is actually tucked into the garden area at Mitre 10 Mega. Because the garden area is roofed over you can happily sit outside even if it's raining. However, because it is close to Prebensen Drive, there is a bit of road noise.

The food was nicely presented it was typical cafe food, panini,  pies, muffins, and so on. I wasn't in the mood for a pie, so I chose this gigantic muffin, which I really enjoyed.

The food was nice, the service was friendly, so overall, it was a good experience. This is a cafe not a restaurant, so don't expect restaurant food. But for a quick lunch in the sun, and feeling like you're outside this is good.

the prices were not unreasonable, they were not cheap but they were not really expensive, there are the same prices as many of the other cafes.
I would give this 7/10 for a cafe