Pippa B.'s
Local hotspots
- 12Monica LovesNapier CentralThe latest watering hole in trendy downtown Napier down the laneway off Tennyson Street. Open Thursday to Saturday 3-11pm. Pick the right night and this place is just rocking. It’s hospo professionals and foodies Prue and David’s second edition to Napier City, having extended from their popular Mister D dining. Inspired nibbles to go with wine, craft beer and cocktails and a great playlist.
- 21Bushhawk VineyardsBridge PaJust loving, absolutely loving the new-release Bushhawk 2014 Fiano. Full of explosive passion fruit flavours the silky texture astonishes and tantalises the taste buds. Hawke’s Bay wine-maker Jenny Dobson is the first wine-maker to commercially bottle a wine from the little known Italian white grape, Fiano. Normally grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius Jenny thought the grape variety would grow really well in Hawke’s Bay. She says the cooler growing conditions gives an amazing aromatic floral with hints of apricot and red apple. This heavenly drop is available from Red Triangle Cellar Door, Ngatarawa, or at the Emporium Eatery and Bar in Napier.
- 31Urban OasisNapier CentralLocals are raving about the new chill-out free wifi space on Market Street. Hot pink and lime green bean bags mark the funky alfresco Urban Oasis. It’s not just for tech heads. There’s a bookable performance space, market umbrellas to keep the hot Hawke’s Bay sun at bay, seating and lush green synthetic grass. Just the place to meet, have a chat, or lie back and watch the world go by.
- 44Hastings City Night MarketHastings CentralThe Thursday night market held right after work in the heart of Hastings is successfully bringing the people back into a more unified city. Grab the whanau and enjoy some ethnically eclectic street food – think paua won tons – beautiful arts and hand crafts, fresh grower produce and some very talented local entertainers. It’s a hit with the locals and a very cool place to be seen right now.
- 51Pardon My FrenchNapier CentralThe New Year saw fashion designer Lucy Kemp opening her own shop in Napier under her label, Pardon My French. Beside selling own designs she’s sharing her love and space with four other up and coming New Zealand designers – Make Hearts Race; Silence Was, who she describes as “practical and user-friendly”; the “interesting and experimental” Yuka and Tristan, and Crooked Seven. “Designers, who are not-so-well-known, but very much my generation having “popped up around 2011,” she says.
Pippa B.'s
Best for Fresh Seafood
- 12Tangoroa SeafoodsAhuririI’m always loving the gleaming counter selection and friendly helpful staff at my favourite fresh fish stop. Tangoroa Seafoods sell fish caught for the local market and promise to provide the freshest export quality fish available in the country. Shorter trips and a catch of undamaged and unstressed fish caught on a long-line, then straight onto ice also make them the supplier of choice for many of Hawke’s Bay favourite restaurants.
- 23Soho RestaurantGisborne CentralSet in a stunning harbourside location Soho Restaurant is a very cool place to eat, with an amazing variety of fresh seafood plates on its menu – battered or natural live oysters dressed with soy and ginger, tiger prawns, fish tacos, pan-fried market fish, cured salmon, Soho fish and chips… But what I really look forward to is the irresistible and very large seafood platter loaded with temptations from the menu plus garlic prawns, salsa-topped muscles, calamari, game fish, dips and focaccia. Seriously good.
- 35Pacifica RestaurantNapier CentralA truly divine sensory kaimoana eating experience on Marine Parade set on a five-course degustation menu crafted daily by chef Jeremy Rameka and his team. Don’t let the blue beach bungalow mislead you because the service and food is first-class. The menu will be based on what’s available or what takes his fancy. Sample hoki ceviche marinated in coconut cream and fresh lime spiced with tabasco; tempura battered prawn, crayfish and prawn mayonnaise and creamy parmesan polenta or pan seared sesame crusted trevally with squid mince and greenlip mussel. If seafood delicacies aren’t your choice Jeremy also weaves interesting combinations with New Zealand meat and game.
- 46FG Smith EateryAhuririIf you’re gluten intolerant and pining for some good old deep-fried fish and chips, although a pricey option at $18, I thoroughly recommend trying Smith’s tempura fish with tartare sauce and shoestring fries. It’s where I get my fix. Traditionally tempura is made with a rice-based batter and it also makes a lighter mix, but due to its price wheat is often substituted. If deep frying or fat isn’t your thing there’s also pan-fried fish fillets, almond and verjus skordalia, green pea and mint crush, or the market fish crudo, fennel confit, apple and basil.
- 55Hawkes Bay SeafoodsNapier CentralIt’s the biggest seafood processor and operator in The Bay with a large online and import/export business. What makes this Pandora-based retail shop so good is the selection and variety of value-added meal product on display and range of frozen and fresh goods from muttonbirds, clams, crabs and crayfish, paua, whitebait, tuna, whole fish and filleted fish. It’s also a busy take-a-way and restaurant.
Pippa B.'s
Favourite Local Eats
- 13Pipi CaféHavelock NorthWhat makes this place great are the regulars who hang out at this eclectic, loud and laid-back hot-pink food palace. Pipi’s can attract a crowd so go early because some nights you won’t have a chance of grabbing a table – even squeezing into a shared one. The menu has lots of choice, with yummy desserts. Try the Pipi chocolate cake or sticky date pudding with a Clearview sea red ‘pudding wine’. Pipi queen Alexandra Tylee and her husband and chef Chris Morris have the mix down pat. It’s good fresh home Italian-styled cooking at its best mixed with a lot of laughs. And what’s not to enjoy about a big family happy dining experience.
- 24MintNapier CentralSophistication and elegant dining in one of the Six Sisters Victorian villas on Marine Parade. Award-winning Mint is my restaurant choice for a special night out. The staff are friendly and professional and make you feel right at home. The menu is classy and the food cooked to perfection. To start try a thyme roasted baby beetroot with goats cheese appetizer, with a celebratory glass of champagne, followed by a sensory-overload of heart-warming main of 14-hour braised lamb shoulder and pan-fried lamb loin on creamed kumara, carrot and pernod puree and fennel infused jus.
- 34Emporium Eatery & BarNapier CentralI love this place for its reliability, location, old-world charm and cool interior and it’s a buzzy place to hang out on Friday night. It’s been judged a “world’s best bar”, so that says it all about the beverage side of things. There’s enough on the menu to satisfy a bite on the run, the seasoned traveller or fine diner, but I always fill up on several small plates – the tasty fried polenta, cauliflower puree, smoked tomato salsa, parmesan cheese or the pork, fennel and lemon meatballs, hummus and tzatziki and sample the latest from Emporium’s guest wine showcase.
- 42TerrôirHavelock NorthGrand and majestic the Craggy Range Winery sits in the vine-filled Tukituki Valley, back-dropped by the much-loved Hawke’s Bay landmark, Te Mata Peak. Terroir Restaurant is a classy, French bistro-inspired eatery crafting the best Hawke’s Bay produce into extraordinary compositions and tastes. The terrace overlooking the lake is relaxed and sophisticated and although the menu looks a little rich and full-bodied there are lighter moments … I love the fresh zingy nuances of citrus and gin cured salmon, pink pepper crème fraiche. Alternately try a vineyard platter to share with a fine glass of one of the Craggy Range family of wines.
- 56IndigoNapier CentralI love Indigo for its stylish menus, traditional and beautifully presented top-class Indian food and contemporary décor. They boast an extensive wine selection and a wall full of whiskey choices and host regular jazz sessions. The staff make you feel like a long-lost friend and the food is to die for. My only complaint is the amount of time it takes to decide what to have amongst the mouth-watering selection.
Pippa B.'s
Craft Beer Spots
- 11Zeelandt BreweryEskdaleThe Zeelandt brewing family go back four generations. Head brewer Chris maintains the tradition using Nelson hops and hand-crafting traditional recipes into well sought-after brews, conditioned in the bottle and styled to suit the changing seasons. Described as “tasty as”, the Zeelandt Pale Ale is hoppy and crisp with a clean finish. With hints of cooler weather on the horizon there will be plenty of more heart-warming malty darker brews to choose from.
- 21Sunshine BreweryGisborne CentralYou could say this brewer has been the forerunner of New Zealand’s craft beer industry since it started in 1989. The quest for the perfect batch-brewed beer matched to the East Coast’s lifestyle of endless summer and surf soon turned to cult-following with the award-winning brews knocking the top off many a trophy list. International investment and a move to new premises are hailing in a new dawn for the local favourite thirst-quencher, the toasty-malty Gisborne Gold and hoppy Gisborne Pilsner.
- 31Fat Monk Brewing Co.Bridge PaConveniently located on Maraekakaho Rd in the Bridge Pa Triangle wine district Abbey Cellars not only makes superb wines but has its own brew pub, so if wine isn’t your thing while you’re crawling the trail freshen up with a Fat Monk citrusy Pilsner or the more fruity and flowery Pacific Pale Ale. Good pure water is a vital ingredient to make great beer and the brewery sits on New Zealand’s second largest aquifer.
- 41Hawkes Bay Independent BreweryNapier SouthCrafting beers and ciders since 1995 these experienced brewers creamed six medals last year at the Brewers Guild of New Zealand Awards, with the full-bodied roasty chocolate caramel flavoured Black Duck Porter winning gold, silver for the Pure Lager, Kingston Original cider and bronze for the more elegant crispy Pilsner, caramel Amber Ale and Kingston Strong Apple Scrumpy cider. Stocked in wine-size bottles, traditional 500ml beer bottles and on tap.
- 52Naturale on the QuayNapier CentralIt’s purely loved and truly local. Inspired by explorer Captain Cook’s recipe to ward of scurvy, Tony Dapson has taken his beer-loving skills to new heights and crafted a unique range of ales and beers. Using Cook’s ancient manuka and rimu beer recipe – minus the rimu – his Manuka Magic beer sits alongside Naturale’s Daps Classic and Skor Premium Lager. Manuka Magic is an evenly-balanced brew and a hit with the ladies as is the sweetish Skor Lager, while Daps Classic is more favoured by men. Using a manuka-base is his answer to the dilemma of the hop plants inability to cope with global warming.
Pippa B.'s
Fab Florists
- 11MadisonsNapier SouthMadisons flowers are sourced from the best growers in New Zealand so you are guaranteed to receive the finest from the European-styled boutique flower and interiors store. Their signature posies in antique-styled tinned pots with red roses for Valentine’s Day are back by popular demand. And for the purists, there’s always a lovely bunch of classic top-of-the-line red roses on order.
- 22Zinnia Floral DesignNapier CentralRed roses are Valentine’s Day and it’s all about love and chocolates say Zinnia’s floral designers. That is exactly what will be in-store for those lucky Valentine receivers. Last year a lot of people chose to buy a bouquet of red roses and this year you can complete the package with a delightful box of assorted Donovans Chocolates.
- 31Flowers By MelissaGisborne CentralA stolen kiss – a single red rose gift wrapped. Straight to the heart, no words needed. It’s simplicity at its best from this experienced Gisborne florist.
- 41Flowers by TanyaHastings CentralBe someone’s Valentine. Alongside a classic dozen red or hot pink and white roses, Flowers by Tanya will be offering a variety of beautifully presented alternatives to their pretty posies. Among them a cute cuddly teddy with a block of I love U chocolates, or a colourful frog soft toy and a hand-made iced heart biscuit for those not-so-much-a-chocolate lovers. For something very very special try the bedroom romance pack – a posy of flowers, two candles, a gorgeous embroidered cushion, a box of chocolates and a package of dried rose petals to spread across the bed…. Purrrfect.
- 51Blooms on GladstoneGisborne CentralShare the love. From traditional red roses to exotic orchids symbolising love, luxury, beauty, strength and virility, any time is the right moment to express your love says Blooms on Gladstone. And if you order before 2pm ask for the same day free delivery within Gisborne.
Pippa B.'s
Best coffee spots
- 13Adoro CafeNapier CentralThere’s still an emphasis on seriously good coffee crafted by skilled barista Hans, but such a different vibe now the ever-so-popular Adoro has moved into the much bigger old Post Office premises two doors away. I love the industrial look, with the Buchatti having pride of place. Smart European style with food to match and a great selection of freshly baked patisserie – pain chocolate, almond croissants, friands – just the thing to set off your morning brew. And it opens early to settle those caffeine-depleted nerves.
- 21Tig’s Coffee HutNapier SouthMobile coffee vans aren’t quite such a novelty anymore, but a friendly coffee outlet at the Port Beach in Napier is. Previously barren of any type of refreshment Tigs is a welcome sight at this popular city bathing spot. The fairtrade iCoco coffee is good and great value. Tigs will be there most days depending on the weather and if not you may find it parked at The Little Book Shop on Kennedy Road on a Wednesday or the Meeanee Magpie Market on the first Saturday of the month. Check Facebook for details.
- 32Hep Set MoochAhuririA wonderful character-filled place to while away the morning, whether for coffee or a full breakfast. Wide decks facing north-west and in the middle of the West Quay restaurant precinct there’s always some action. Life will slow down, your pulse will catch a breath as the yachts cruise past, locals beat the heat jumping off the wharf and the fishers bring in their catch. It’s right on the beaten track of the Rotary Pathway with loads of parking.
- 45Little Black BirdHastings CentralThe beautiful silky Red Rabbit ‘Hopper’ coffee from recently-opened Little Black Bird is among some of the best. Along with local, seasonal, nutritional, freshly-prepared food, all made onsite by owners Ben and Lucinda, it’s a cool welcoming place to hang out.
- 54Birdwoods Gallery & Sweet ShopHavelock NorthNever has plunger coffee tasted so good and it’s award-winning Hawthorne French press plunger coffee at that. It’s a real treat to enjoy a pot of tea or coffee with yummy treats – sweet chocolate brownie served with berry compote and yoghurt, fresh scones and jam, lemon tart or savoury scones, quiche and tasty toasted sandwiches as well as a daily selection of cakes and slices – in such a unique environment just 3km from Havelock North village. Birdwoods Gallery is housed in a refurbished church hall and stocked with decorative arts from local and South African artists. Make the most of the conservatory, outdoor terrace and sculpture garden.