New Zealand Best Café Awards

The Café magazine 2007 New Zealand Best Café Awards

It’s a South Island clean sweep in Café magazine’s New Zealand Best Café Awards for 2007, with a remarkable coastal café at Moeraki, Fleur’s Place, the winner and a unique rural Canterbury café – Seagers at Oxford - the runner-up.

The winning cafes in the 2007 Café Magazine Best Café Awards are run by two equally remarkable women, both whom were once the chefs of two of the country’s leading restaurants.

The overall winner as New Zealand’s best café is Fleur’s Place, right on the waterfront at Moeraki in North Otago, and run by Fleur Sullivan. Amongst New Zealand’s foodies Fleur is a bit of a legend, a couple of decades ago creating an amazing country lodge and restaurant called Oliver’s at Clyde into one of New Zealand’s best restaurants. After a successful battle with cancer, and having sold Oliver’s, Fleur took on the challenge of turning a little two-storey building right on the Moeraki Harbour into what is an idyllic café that is earning a worldwide reputation.

Last year the famous English chef Rick Stein, whose shows air on TV worldwide, was given the choice of visiting any place in the world to do an article for a major London newspaper. He chose Fleur’s Place, undoubtedly because like himself, Fleur’s focus is very much on seafood. You could describe Fleur’s Place as the perfect seafood café. It’s remarkably casual, catering to those who just drop in for a cup of coffee, although the majority of her customers are there for long, languid lunches enjoyed with a wine or two.
The seafood at Fleur’s could not be fresher. She is one of the few café-restaurant owners in the country who has a fish receiver’s license so the seafood comes straight from the local fishing boats into her kitchen.
Fleur’s Place, 169 Haven St, Moeraki, 03.439 5980

There would be few New Zealanders who haven’t heard the name of Jo Seager. Jo, along with her husband Ross, run the amazing Seagers in the tiny town of Oxford in North Canterbury, an hour’s drive from Christchurch. Seager’s is runner-up as New Zealand’s best café

Back in the days when Auckland boasted few good restaurants Jo joined forces with Helen Brabazon to open what became the city’s best restaurant, Harley’s on Anzac Avenue. Initially Jo had trained as a nurse at Auckland Hospital before moving to London where she worked for five years. With a strong interest in fine food she did a Cordon Blue cooking school course and then underwent training with the La Varenne Paris cooking school.

Harley’s set the Auckland culinary scene alight and was undoubtedly the city’s best and most popular restaurant until Jo moved on to become a regular contributor to food magazines, to write cookbooks, and front her own TV food show. From restaurant owner to running one of the country’s finest cafes, Jo Seager is one of the country’s most inspiring foodies.

Seagers at Oxford, 78 Main St, 03.312 1435

Regional winners and runners-up

NORTHLAND

Waikokopu Café, Paihia

Amanda Turner and Hughie Blues have been running their Waikokopu Café for many years now and it has certainly stood the test of time. The cafe overlooks the waters of the Bay of Islands and it features its own little pond amidst the garden setting. The food is very good with dishes with themed names such as Baa Baa Ganush which is Dukkah rubbed loin of lamb served with chargrilled vegetable salad and hummus between foccacia. It’s good to see a café that is still doing great things after so many years in the business.

Treaty Grounds, Waitangi, 09.402 6275

Runner-up: Caffeine Espresso – Whangarei

4 Water St, 09.438 6925

AUCKLAND

Winner: Sheinken

With its vast number of cafes Auckland is often the most difficult region in which to pick a winner. When it comes down to the crunch it’s the mix of food, standard of coffee making, ambience and service that cafes have to have, and Sheinken comes out on top in all these aspects. It has a minimalist design with the ceiling covered in little orb lights, the floor is dark bare wood, there’s some modern art on the walls, good magazines to read, and there’s exceptionally good food with everything from Moroccan fish to wonderful salads, and excellent coffee. We visited Sheinken three times in two weeks and came away each time believing that it is a very worthy winner.

3 Lorne St, City, 09.303 4301

Runner-up: Ben

57 Fort St, City, 09.308 9338

WAIKATO

Winner: Jacks Coffee Lounge - Hamilton

It’s off the beaten track but a steady flow of Hamiltonites make the daily journey to this wonderful little café in the suburbs. On a corner site it is very casual, but just check out the demeanour of the kitchen staff and you can see how committed they are to making sure that the food that goes out is first-class. Both the food and the coffee, from Hamilton’s Rocket roastery, are excellent in what must be close to the perfect urban café.

1/31 Cambridge Rd, 07.856 2150

Runner-up: Red Cherry Café - Cambridge

SH1/Cnr Forrest Rd, 03.823 1515

COROMANDEL

Winner: Peppertree - Coromandel

The Peppertree is a café, restaurant and bar and it’s wonderful. It occupies an old house that has been extensively modified, creating outside seating areas adjacent to the main dining room and bar area. Hugely popular it’s always packed for weekend brunches, plus it does great lunches and dinners, though on the busy nights it can be very noisy. Eggs Florentine or a bagel for breakfast, Mussels steamed in Chardonnay for lunch, and creative dinner fare make the Peppertree well-worth visiting.

31 Kapanga Rd, 07.866 8211

Runner-up: Sola - Thames

720b Pollen St, 07.868 8781

BAY OF PLENTY

Winner: Versaille - Tauranga

What a great little French café is Versailles. In the city’s CBD it’s a genuine taste of France, giving you the flavour of Paris. Run by a French family with French staff it’s great for brunch, lunch or dinner. Walls decorated with fabric posters of French wine chateaux, leadlight windows, bare wooden floors and tables, candles at night, and everything from croissants which they make themselves to Duck galantine with truffles. There’s a good choice of wines, and they make a good cup of coffee which goes well with one of the very good omelettes. Café Versailles is definitely worth a visit, especially on the nights when they feature a touch of French cabaret.

107 Grey St, 07.571 1480

Runner-up: Sidetrack Cafe - Mt Maunganui

Marine Pde, 07.575 2145

ROTORUA

Winner: Capers

When it came down to deciding the final placings for this year’s placings, the final three were Capers, Zippy’s and Lime, the latter second placegetter last year. It was a close call, Capers edging out the opposition with such a fantastic food selection, though we found Zippy’s probably had the best consistently well made coffee. Capers in a very large deli-café that’s hugely popular. You line up to order, choosing from the blackboard menu or the food cabinet stuffed with all sorts of delightful salads and sweet fare, our favourite the lemon tart with lashings of fresh cream. Try the bagel with smoked salmon which comes with cream cheese, onion, capers, tomato and slices of lemon.

1181 Eruera St, 07.348 8818

Runner-up: Zippy’s

1153 Pukuatua St, 348 8288

CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND

Winner: Zest - Taupo

Zest has been a placegetter in our annual awards for a number of years. Just a few minutes from central Taupo, and located in a little strip of shops, it has a warm and friendly homely atmosphere, complete with a gaggle of flying ducks on one wall. A tiny place, with seating outside in the warmer months, it’s run by well-known chef Greg Heffernan who conjures up terrifically tasty café fare in his tiny kitchen. Barista Renee Smith produces consistently excellent coffee, her trademark latte an umbrella, which raises a laugh on a wet Taupo day.

65 Rifle Range Rd, 07.378 5397

Runner-up: Licorice - Motuopa

57 SH1, Motuopa, 07.386 5551

GISBORNE

Winner: Ruba

On the ground floor of a lovely restored building Ruba opens at 8am to catch the daytime café goer, but at last visit we discovered they may soon be opening some evenings which will be a big plus for Dunedin. It’s a modern and stylish café with good food and the best made coffee in town. The Salmon scrambled eggs at last visit just divine, or you can lunch on Pasta of the day, the Ruba salad, or even a Sirloin steak. On a warm day you can sit outside. There’s also a well thought-out wine list.

14 Childers Rd, 06.868 6516

Runner-up: Peel

22 Peel St, 06.867 5787

HAWKE’S BAY

Winner: Bay Espresso

This isn’t your modern designer café but it really does offer fantastic coffee, in this case more than likely made by former New Zealand barista champion Ben Simcox who not only works here as a barista but roasts the coffee. To find Bay Espresso take the coastal road from Napier that winds through Clive and then heads towards Hastings. The food is typical café fare, such as Eggs Benedict or the Corn fritters with mushrooms, bacon and relish which we enjoyed at last visit, washed down of course with a couple of cups of Bay Espresso’s organic coffee.

141 North Karamu Rd, 06.876 5682

Runner-up: Café Rosso - Napier

180 Emerson St, 06.834 1988

TARANAKI

Winner: Empire café

The décor at Empire is best described as elegant and tasteful. There are two seating areas, but head through to the back of the café and you will find a fabulous designer courtyard with a distinct European feel. The success of Empire can be credited to Jamie Gemmell, a qualified chef and owner who is there early six days a week getting the inspiring food ready for the flow of customers. The food is always first class with a full breakfast menu and Jamie’s fresh healthy cabinet food.

112 Devon Street West, 06.758 1148

Runner-up: Elixir – New Plymouth

117 Devon St, 06.521 0690

WANGANUI

Winner: Indigo

Indigo is one of the new breed of modern café that covers all bases, opening to catch the brunch crowd to offering evening dining. Whereas our runner-up Jolt is more about coffee than food, Indigo offers multi-levels of seating, outside dining, big TV for the sports, and fireplace for winter. There’s café-style fare to start the day, you can lunch on a Thai-style crispy duck, melon and cashew salad or the Calamari rings with rocket and aioli, or enjoy dishes from an eclectic dinner menu.

Cnr Majestic Square & Watt St, 06.348 7459

Runner-up: Jolt

19 Victoria St, 06.345 8840

MANAWATU

Winner: Barista - Palmerston North

One of the longest surviving establishments in Palmerston North Barista is still one of the best, seemingly improving with age. It’s relatively large, has a distinct modern cosmopolitan flavour, and is popular from early in the morning until late at night. It offers very good coffee and consistently excellent food with an eclectic choice of dishes from traditional breakfasts to perhaps an Antipasto or Terrine with a glass of wine, or for something a bit more substantial a Porterhouse steak. There’s a well-balanced wine list, service is prompt, and it’s reasonably priced.

5 George St, 06.357 2614

Runner-up: Café Cuba – Palmerston North

248 Cuba St, 06.356 5750

WAIRARAPA

Winner: The Village Café, Martinborough

With a booming wine industry and lots of visitors from Wellington each weekend, there’s a wide choice of very good cafes from which to choose in Martinborough. What we like about The Village Café is its lovely ambience with both café and courtyard seating. There’s a good choice of local wines, locally brewed beer, organic coffee to go with those extremely tasty sweets they bake fresh each day, while you must also try their locally manuka smoked bacon with free-range eggs for your weekend brunch.

6 Kitchener St, 06.306 8819

Runner-up: Café Cecille - Masterton

Queen Elizabeth Park, 06.370 1166

WELLINGTON

Winner: Ernesto

From 7.30am until late Ernesto takes you to the heart of Wellington’s café scene. Just as Midnight Espresso and Deluxe were the original café haunts on the city’s modern café scene, Ernesto is the updated version. Occupying what used to be the Krazy Lounge site on a Cuba Street corner, Ernesto is a vibrant café that looks like it’s a leftover from the 50s. Old lights on the slightly battered walls, a photo of Che Guevara, Bentwood-style chairs, and wall-to-wall caffiends add up to this being a memorable spot to enjoy good counter food and extremely well-made coffee. For those wedded to European minimalist it will be a disappointment, but we like it.

132 Cuba St, 04.801 6878

Runner-up: Caffe L’Affare

27 College St, 04.385 9748

MARLBOROUGH

Winner: CPR HQ - Blenheim

The bottom line if you are a winning café is that the coffee is great. There are plenty of excellent cafes around Marlborough but the coffee making standard often lets them down. That’s not the case with CPR, Marlbororough’s coffee roastery with its original Main Street café and now the new espresso bar and roastery in Wynen Street. The emphasis is not just on freshly roasted coffee but on fresh seasonabl food. It’s well-worth a visit.

Wynen St, 03.579 5040

Marlborough

Runner-up: The Living Room - Blenheim

Cnr Scott St & Maxwell Rd, 03.579 4777

NELSON

Winner: Morrison St Café - Nelson

The Morrison Street Café is probably the country’s most awarded café, and once again it is the regional winner, getting the mix of style, food and great coffee down to a fine art. It’s a large café, broken into four areas with a three seater leather couch just inside the door, big table seating 10-12, and tables both inside and out in the courtyard. Overhead candelabra and local art on the walls adds to its appeal. The coffee is always excellent,and the food from chef Karen Eden and her kitchen team is seriously good.

244 Hardy St, 03.548 8110

Runner-up: The Smokehouse Café - Mapua

Shed 3, Mapua Wharf, 03.540 2280

WEST COAST

Winner: Café de Paris – Hokitika

Over the years Café de Paris has established a huge reputation that has visitors from New Zealand wide and overseas making a beeline here for its excellent fare. Now more than a decade old it still boasts the most interesting cuisine on the coast, matched with good coffee, and even their own from their own vineyard. From the croissants for breakfast to stylish cuisine at night, this is a must if visiting Hokitika.

19 Tancred St, 03.885 8933

Runner-up: Matheson Café – Fox Glacier

Lake Matheson Rd, Fox Glacier, 03.751 0878

CANTERBURY

Winner: Seagers at Oxford

See introduction.

78 Main St, Oxford, 03.312 1435

Runner-up: Procope, Christchurch

165 Victoria St, 03.379 0826

MCKENZIE COUNTRY

Winner: Eat Deli-Bar - Fairlie

There was a time when a journey through this region was rather bleak as far as cafes were concerned. No longer because now there is Eat, an excellent family friendly café where you can enjoy a great breakfast or drop in late for some seriously good food, a coffee or glass of wine. There are leather couches and table seating, paintings of the region as decoration, deli shelves from which you can grab some provisions, and there’s an array of tempting cabinet fare. From pasta to the Pork spare ribs with herbed potatoes and salads, the food here is delicious and the coffee well-made.

76 Main St, Fairlie, 03.685 6275

Runner-up: Blue Bay Café - Timaru

69 The Hill, 03.688 0561

OTAGO

Winner: Fleur’s Place - Moeraki

See introduction to this feature.

169 Haven St, Waterfront, 03.439 5980

Runner-up: Strictly Coffee Co. - Dunedin

Albion Pl, 272 George St, 03.474 5580

QUEENSTOWN/WANAKA

Winner: Vudu - Queenstown

Last year Vudu missed out on a top award but this year it is back again in its element as one of New Zealand’s cafes. In central Queenstown, Vudu has a strong core of regulars who head for the little single storey café, often up to twice a day. With its funky décor, local art on the walls, outside courtyard, and indoor fire for the cold winter days, it’s a wonderful haven of freshly made tasty fare and great coffee. Or drop in at night for very good food and a well-balanced wine list.

23 Beach St, 03.442 5357

Runner-up: Joe’s Garage - Queenstown

15 Camp St, 03.442 5282

SOUTHLAND

Winner: The Moth - Manderville

The Moth is truly unique, part of a great aviation experience when you visit Manderville Airfield just a short drive from Gore. Home of the Croydon Aircraft Co. you can discover an amazing aircraft collection plus enjoy the distinctive café with its modern and very comfortable ambience with aircraft memorabilia. It’s a large place, casual as a daytime café, but when dark falls it has a romantic style about it. The food is creative and freshly prepared and the coffee consistently excellent.

Manderville Airfield, SH94, 03.208 9662

Runner-up: Niagara Falls Café-restaurant

Niagara Falls, South Catlins, 03.246 8577

ends

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