Gisborne is known as the chardonnay capital of NZ, and is surrounded with vineyards. Surprisingly few of them offer food to sample alongside their wines, let alone somewhere inviting to spend an afternoon. The Vines at Bushmere Estate Wines is well worth a visit.
The restaurant seems to be a relatively new building, with lots of landscaping & new planting underway outside.
When we visited on a public holiday the menu was a slightly less extensive version of the usual menu, but still with plenty of delicious sounding options that made it hard to choose!
The Citrus-cured King Salmon with potato rosti, warm new season asparagus, salad leaves & tomato caper salsa was fresh, zingy & vibrant - a delicious spring dish.
The Salt & Pepper Squid with Asian Noodle salad, roasted peanuts & spicy mango lime sauce was a little over-zealous on the pepper & spice, but still a pleasant & light lunch dish.
I'm not normally a dessert person at lunchtime, but my arm was slightly twisted to share the Cherry & white chocolate cheesecake with dark plum icecream. The other 2 dessert options looked equally as delicious - who knew a "nemesis" was not just your arch enemy, but also a delicious fudgy chocolate brownie-like dish?!?
There's a decent kid's menu too, and plenty of room for little people to run around outside among the vines to their heart's delight!
Matched with Bushmere Estate's own wines, lunch was an enjoyable experience with friendly local hosts. I'll definitely be back to check out the outdoor area & the full menu. read more