22 December 2012

MY SECRET MATAKANA

If you’re visiting Matakana this summer you may like to share some of my foodie surprise stuff and special secrets, plus a few new places and what not to miss.

• Phuong’s Vietnamese Food Truck: On Thursdays and Fridays throughout the summer, this truck will be in the carpark below Charlie’s Gelato on Sharp Rd, not far from the main Warkworth-Matakana Rd. Steamed pork buns, Vietnamese spring rolls, a several delicious meals to choose from for a tasty lunch or snack.

• A new German patisserie and bakery operates at Plume Café at the roundabout at Matakana Cinema. Some of the best sourdough I have ever tasted, plus beautifully made pastries. A great classy café set in a peaceful garden for casual meals.

• Matakana Pub – a complete transformation of this historic pub to make it the centre of the action in the village. Burgers, fish and chips and hearty pub meals served with flair and style.

• The Village Bookshop in Matakana Village has one of the best selections of cookbooks around, plus everything you ever wanted to read.

• Coffee at Fossick. Kate Arbuthnot makes Supreme Coffee, Fri to Mon in the side of the old Cream Factory in Matakana Village. Fossick around her little store of collectables and I'm sure you will return come home with a superb cut crystal bowl for trifle.

• Cheese at the Matakana Farmers Market; Whangaripo Buffalo cheese make a stunning range and the best is their Marin Blue which is creamy and dreamy. And the smiley Italian Cheesemaker, Massimo Lubisco in the far corner of the market has been making a sensationally soft burratta mozzarella for me on request.

• The Waybyond Farm stand and Patrick Holmes-Miller's Vegetables are opposite each other in the market and everything they offer is fresh and beautifully grown. Don’t miss Jenny’s free range organic eggs and her bags of sweet or spice greens from her farm in the Wayby Valley, or the diverse range of seasonal veges Patrick grows at Mangawhai.

• If you venture out to Omaha Beach for a swim or walk on the surf beach, stop in at the Kick Back Café for a coffee and the Iranian owners’ special lamb salad. A recipe from their mother, the boys marinate the lamb for seven hours before cooking it. Their middle eastern flair makes everything pretty tasty. And fish and chips for $12!