A Foodie Weekend in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Recently I went to visit my cousin, John and his wife, Jan, in their new home in Napier. They had relocated from Auckland about a year ago so I was looking forward to seeing them and learning about their new life in  Hawkes Bay.  As it turned out my short visit evolved into a fantastic foodie weekend.  It hadn't really been planned that way but like all the best getaways, one good thing led to another.

Stunning views of the central North Island mountains from my flight to Hawkes Bay

A glorious sunny winter's day was a perfect start to the weekend as we headed out to the small seaside settlement of Clifton to get a view of the large gannet colony of Cape Kidnappers. 

The gannet colony of Cape Kidnappers on the Hawkes Bay coast

 Keen for a coffee, after a stroll along the shore, we spotted a cafe in a converted house set back across a field.  How fortuitous! Hygge at Clifton Bay was a delightful find.  Open for only three weeks the cafe is a new venture for former orchardist, Kerry and his school teacher wife, Robyn Brannigan. The whole aim of their cafe is to create a cosy, welcoming place of comfort, peace and enjoyment following the Danish principles of Hygge.  They have managed to achieve this and then some. With its wide views out to sea, comfortable settees, roaring log fires and scrumptious food - you must try the fig and date scones! - I could have happily spent an afternoon there. It was new to John and Jan too and they said that from now on it will be high on their list of places to take visitors.

A cosy corner of Hygge at Clifton Bay

But we had more foodie experiences to come so after a visit to the delightful and quirky potter, Maggie Taylor at MT Pots at Te Awanga, we headed to the nearby Clearview Estate Winery for lunch. I really enjoy winery lunch platters.  I think they are the perfect lunch and Clearview produces a particularly good one.  Here it is:

Hohepa feta and peperonata salad

Chicken liver pate

Barrel smoked marinated mushrooms

Chilli garlic fried prawns and chorizo

Prosciutto

Spice roasted olives and whole almonds

Sundried tomatoes

White bean dip

Cumin crackers and fresh baked bread

We washed it all down with their delicious Black Reef Blush Rose 2017

Yours truly with my cousin and his wife at Clearview Estate

Feeling well satisfied with our foodie morning we returned home for an
afternoon of rest and relaxation.

The next morning we set out for the Hawkes Bay Farmers Market.  I'm a great fan of farmers' markets and I think the Hawkes Bay Market has to be one of the best in New Zealand.  In summer the stalls are set up outside under large shady trees but this is winter so it was held inside in spacious pavilions. It is always a pleasure to wander around a market, meet with the producers of a diverse range of fruit, vegetables, meats and artisan products, have the odd tasting and listen to music in a relaxed atmosphere. 

Sauces, jams, mustards, pickles, at Hawkes Bay Farmers Market

It was also a pleasure to meet Jan's brother, stall holder, Clyde Potter, owner and director of The Chef's Garden @Epicurean and to view his lush, fresh, organic vegetables and selection of heritage seeds. Once laden with goodies we headed home to offload them before going out to lunch.

A selection of Clyde Potter's organic vegetables

Then we were off to the Philippine Restaurant, PAK, at West Shore, Napier, to attend a FAWC, ( Food and Wine Classic) event. This festival offers restaurants the opportunity to showcase their cuisine.  The atmosphere at PAK was convivial with diners seated together at long tables. The restaurateur started proceedings with a short talk on the Philippine style of cooking, the ingredients used and the philosophy behind it. As the meal progressed she  introduced each course with a description and short explanation. There were six courses in all:

Lumpiang Sariwa - Fresh vegetable spring rolls with sweet garlic sauce and peanuts

Patotin - Sous vide duck with asuete paste, cane vinegar and vegetables

Pochero - Beef bone broth with bone marrow

Fish - Gurnard with eskabeche sauce and vegetables

Lechon Baboy - Slow roasted suckling pig with vegetables and condiments

Biko - Sticky rice cake with coconut cream, and anise 

Gurnard with Eskabeche sauce

It was a pleasant surprise since I had never eaten Philippine cuisine before. The main features of Philippine food are the three flavours of sweet, sour and salty and a generous use of vinegar.  Dipping sauces are typical and something sweet is often paired with something salty so it is not unusual to be served mangoes dipped in salt. The result is unusual but very, very tasty. I will certainly eat Philippine food again whenever I can so I guess you can say the FAWC festival was great advertising for PAK restaurant and their particular style of cuisine. It was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon - great food, excellent company and a convivial atmosphere. Amazingly it turned out that one of the friendly, chatty people sitting next to us was a relative, by marriage, of my late husband. 

Lechon Baboy - slow roasted suckling pig at PAK

To round off a great weekend we went for a couple of walks - well we needed to after that eat fest! - and spent time chatting, relaxing and catching up on news.  All in all a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. It was so good to spend time with relatives, who are also good friends, and to revisit part of the country I am very fond of. The fact that we got to enjoy some outstanding food was a major bonus.

Hawkes Bay Farmers Market is open on Sundays from 8.30 to 12.30