beef & lamb
RADAR Miss Moonshine’s
R&C talks to restaurants, bars, cafes, bakeries and caterers that are on our Radar in 2015
Ceremony Grafton
Ceremony Café in Grafton opened on June 2, and the build and alterations took five weeks. It was the brainchild of owners Charles Williams and Connor Nestor and architect Nick Sayes. Williams has worked in the coffee industry for three years. Nestor has worked in music, radio and television. “We never set out to look in the suburb of Grafton. We kind of stumbled upon this empty site and pretty much fell in love with it. Grafton has an awesome community so we were pretty happy to have an opportunity to be a part of it,” said Williams. The team at the café is five. Esmee Leong is the chef, described by Williams as young, exciting and a perfect fit for the young and creative shop. She previously worked at The Tasting Shed and The Spotted Pig.The large concrete communal table stimulates customers and staff, and adds to the simplicity of the interior design in order to most effectively utilise the 25sq metres they had to work with. The inspiration comes from Los Angeles, with a focus on quality and made-to-order breakfast sandwiches. “We wanted to provide people with something fresh rather than just your traditional pre made food that gets warmed up,” said Williams. The breakfast sandwich offers classic bacon or vegetarian falafel and a rich pork and fennel with sriracha mayo. Specials include an Angus beef and chorizo patty, jalapeño relish, over easy egg, cheddar, rocket and chipotle ketchup.
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restaurantandcafé.co.nz
100% OWNED
Miss Moonshine’s opened in mid June. Owners Ryan and Annelise Clarke built their concept around a recent trip abroad where they were inspired by the various BBQ joints in the United States and the street markets of London. When the pair came back they imported a Yoder Smoker BBQ from Kansas and started a pop up stall at markets and events over summer before looking for a restaurant site. Ryan’s background is in hospitality, and Annelise’s is in marketing. “It was always our dream to have a brand and concept that we created entirely ourselves from scratch,” said Clarke. The space is located in Ponsonby, with a sunny courtyard opposite The Street Food Collective. They employ about 48 staff across the restaurant, kitchen and bar. Head chef, Simon Den Boogert, was trained in creole cooking in New Orleans. The fit out was by Izzard design. Key features are the giant Angus cow painted by street artist Owen Dippie. The oak logs throughout the restaurant are from Annelise’s family farm in the Waikato. The menu features all the smoked meats stating the cuts of meat, how long they have been smoked for and what timber was used. All the meat is free range. The beef short rib is the most popular dish, followed closely by the pork belly and the Orleans donuts. The theme is traditional American meets Kiwi Modern. The meat is smoked with Pohutukawa. The restaurant offers six different local craft beers on tap and specialises in its own Moonshine cocktails.
Bloom’s Pretzels
Bloom’s Pretzels began when Yvonne Blum and her family moved to New Zealand from Germany in 2007. “We fell in love with our new homeland from the start, but we missed real soft pretzels. Soft pretzels are probably one of the best-known and oldest street foods in Europe and America and they are an important part of the food culture there,” said Blum. Longing for a taste of home, Blum began making the pretzels at home and turned it into a budding business. In 2009 Blum was approached by a German Café to produce the pretzels commercially. Now Bloom’s Pretzels is a nationwide business and supplies its pretzels to gourmet stores, bakeries, cafés and restaurants, also with a weekly stall at the Clevedon and Howick farmers markets. “The best way to enjoy a soft pretzel is to eat them freshly baked out of the oven together with some butter. That’s how we love them,” Blum said. Popular stuffed pretzel flavours include tomato cream cheese and apple pie cinnamon. “We created a lot of new flavours by listening to customer ideas and suggestions. The customers’ response was great and there was an overwhelmingly positive feedback. I believe that is the advantage to living in a young country. People are so positive about trying new products,” said Blum.
Burger Burger Newmarket
Burger Burger Newmarket opened in March after a successful opening in Ponsonby last year. The build and alterations took three months. The idea was thought of by owner Mimi Gilmour off the back of her Chur Burger experience in Sydney. Along with Gilmour, Adrian Chilton is the co-founder of Burger Burger. Newmarket has 61 staff, almost double that of the Ponsonby restaurant, as well as headquarters with five full time members. Chilton is the executive chef and designed the menu. The fit out is a collaboration effort between Bureaux Ltd & Cheshire Architects, and Flotsam & Jetsam. Burger Burger offers six staple burgers and one burger that changes weekly. A number of extras are offered to add and sides for sharing to complement the burgers, as well as the option of ordering a burger in a bunnuce, Burger Burger’s version of a gluten free bun – crunchy cos lettuce. “We make simple, honest hamburgers, and a few things besides. We use fresh produce from local suppliers, because veggies don’t like road trips. We pour our own beer on tap, so you can keep some change for parking, and we keep crate bottles of Lion Red in the fridge, because big thirsts need big drinks,” said Burger Burger head of marketing, Holly Speer. Half-bottles of wine are served, and old-fashioned shakes are made with organic milk. Music is played all night long. The theme of Burger Burger came from intimate and colourful dining experiences Gilmour had in London and New York, along with the influence of Kiwi hospitality.
The Shelter
Flagship concept store The Shelter opened in September last year, with Eat@TheShelter opening just a month later. Owners Vicki Taylor and Mark Thomson have owned, designed, and operated their New Zealand designer label Taylor for over 16 years. Allowing for only four days to have the eatery installed, a majority of Eat@TheShelter was pre-prepared off site, guided by the strong vision of Taylor. “We wanted to continue the feel from the rest of The Shelter so we kept a strong blackened steel presence and the wooden counter. We plated more strongly on the black and white by engaging the artists BMD to create a unique art wall within the space,” said Taylor. The staff of five includes Italian chef Olivia Schwarz who has been in New Zealand for 15 years. Goat feta, chunky tuna or a soft boiled egg with the Midnight Baker bread or a Best Ugly bagel with smashed avocado or pea squash, cumin pumpkin mash and micro greens make up the ‘perfect meal’ dubbed as the standout dish for Eat@TheShelter. “We wanted to create a menu that suited all appetites and dietary requirements. We have a focus on whole foods that are both healthy and delicious but economical enough to be enjoyed every day,” said Taylor.