Victoria's Kitchen (previously a part of the Sierra Cafe franchise - now an independent woman, with the same owners, just a new name!)- is located on the main road along Lake Taupo and is one of our regular family pitstops spots. They have an amazing selection of sweet and savoury goods ready to go in the cabinet - and also a delicious made to order menu that will have you spoilt for choice (I usually take something to nibble at later in the drive because I can never up my mind on what to get - can I just have one of eeeeverything?
I love how the have such a wide variety- with free range eggs and bacon, incorporated with organic and/or local produce - VK ticks a lot of the right boxes for me. They also offer gluten/dairy free options for the health or intolerance conscious and make a cuppa that is good enough to keep you away from any petrol station stops you had previously contemplated. The food is all beautifully presented, and you can tell Victoria (who runs the kitchen) and her team, all pride themselves in their work.
I tried the mushroom filo from their cabinet this visit - as an alternative to my usual eggs benny and it was delicious! Served with a garden salad - it was more a second lunch than the snack I had intended it to be. Dad ordered the eggs benny, which was served on a hash cake instead of a bread alternative. Whilst the hash definitely needed seasoning - the presentation was perfect, and the poached eggs were perfectly runny. We also ordered the Carrot Cake (which was filled with nuts- yum, but unfortunately also had slivered almonds on the icing as well - overkill with the nuts!) and the Key Lime Pie (think THICK cheesecake - you could share this between two people, just because it's so rich). The fries were unexciting and the homemade aioli it was served with - swiftly replaced with some good ol t-sauce because was overpoweringly garlicky.
So whilst the food here could do with some fine tweaks- it's definitely worth checking this place out if you ever travel down the line. The place is super family friendly - they have a kids menu- and since they rebranded, now offer a dinner menu too! (I've only been for brunch/lunch before). The staff are so bubbly and the place has a quirky vintage vibe which makes it a fun place to admire while you eat! read more