Golden Dawn

Golden Dawn is a place I have been to on many a night, where I have been mesmerised by artful hipster types and the blaring music. At night time it's easy to spot on the corner of Richmond and Ponsonby Roads, where outside you'll find a steady line of hopeful hipsters, waiting their turn to enter the hidden bar.

Despite only ever sampling the liquid menu at Golden Dawn, I had been told that the food there was incredibly good. So, doing the good samaritan thing we do by testing out food for you hungry readers, Alice and I strolled to Golden Dawn on Sunday afternoon to see if the food lived up to it's reputation.

We walked past heaving Chapel Bar, Mexico, and the ever busy Blue Breeze Inn to arrive at the corner of Richmond Road outside Golden Dawn, where on so many nights we had stood. But all that appeared in front of us was a derelict brick facade and a bit of graffiti. The only thing giving it away being a dark, tucked away entrance and and a tiny sign. It was quite a novelty having more trouble finding something when you're sober!

Once we had made our way through the dark interior we emerged into the gorgeous sun drenched courtyard. It might have been the calming music playing, or maybe the few quiet groups of patrons, but whatever it was, Alice and I felt like we were at some kind of fantastic eating and drinking relaxation retreat.

We started with cocktails, of course, with Alice choosing the 'Fleeting Glimpse' (gin, elderflower, lime, raspberries and cucumber) while I went for a simple Mint Julep. The beers on tap at Golden Dawn are a selection from Hallertau (remember my trip to the Hallertau Brewery?).

Not particularly hungry, but feeling we couldn't bypass the opportunity to ruin any chance of a summer diet, we ordered a couple of plates to share. First was the Casaro Burratta mozzarella, Heirloom tomatoes, chilli and fresh herbs with crusty sourdough. This doesn't sound particularly exciting- nothing more than a caprese salad on paper, but it was outstanding. The mozzarella was the best I have ever had, and I have never known tomatoes to be so good. A very, very good start.

Next up were the prawn buns with preserved lemon, Japanese mayo and chilli. The bread was hot and fluffy, and the taste of the filling was somewhere between the freshness of ceviche, and the creaminess of a prawn cocktail. This dish blew my socks off.

I think it's fairly safe to say we were impressed with the food. I had never thought of Golden Dawn as a daytime destination, let alone a food destination, but it is one of Ponsonby's rare spots that catches the sun, and is the perfect place for a relaxing afternoon drink and a delicious bite to eat. I can't wait to go back to try the rest of the menu!

Keep an eye on their website here as they often have gigs and events on- like this Sunday coming where they're having a Gypsy Fair from 1pm and Jazz from 5pm. Phwoar!

Arrowtown

On Thursday morning we hopped on a flight to Queenstown. It's only two hours away, but it's a completely different world. Every time I come to this part of the country the scenery never ceases to knock my socks off; there are jaw droppingly beautiful views in every direction.

This time we weren't staying in Queenstown though, and so drove through Arthur's Point to Arrowtown, checking out the wacky letterboxes on our way.

About 15 minutes later we arrived in Arrowtown; a quaint and picturesque former gold mining town that we were going to call home for the next few days

First stop was The Remarkable Sweet Shop- a famous shop selling all the best retro and international lollies, along with their amazing homemade fudge. The place was packed but we managed to squeeze in and try almost every fudge on offer.

My favourite was the salted caramel (of course) but I couldn't muster up the courage to try the 'marmite sandwich', I think I'll have to do it before I leave though.

After a mosey through all the shops, it was about drink o'clock (well, almost) so we settled down at the local pub and basked in the afternoon sun drinking local beers and mulled wine.

Suzie, a seasoned drinker of mulled wine, decided it would only be right to do a mulled wine tour of the area, but more on that later.

As the sun set the temperature plummeted so we nipped back to the house for some more layers. The boys started heating up the wood burning hot-tub, so it would be toasty warm for our return, and the girls sat there criticising their fire building techniques (we could do it way better, I'm sure).

We walked back into Arrowtown, and down a small lane, hidden behind an inconspicuous blue door is the appropriately named bar; The Blue Door. There are no signs, no hint that it is there, you don't know it unless you know it kind of place.

We spent the next few hours drinking cocktails and making friends with people from all over the world who were visiting Arrowtown. The Blue Door is definitely the place to visit down here, even if you just have a sneaky peek in.

After a while we heard the hot-tub calling our names, and said goodbye to our new friends and hurried back home. A perfect first day in Arrowtown.