A Meal Out...Pukeko Junction

As I have mentioned in my pages and previous posts, this place has been one of my (our) favourite places to eat lunch since being down here in Canterbury...mind you, we haven't been to a lot of places, but no real need when you find one that you can trust. I have been here many times before in previous years, mostly for breakky on the way in or our of Christchurch on work, bikes, or holidays, and inroduced Katie to it on the way to Cheviot one day. It is a first choice if we want to head out on a fine day.

Today was a stunning day in Christchurch yet the mood in our house was decidedly grey, and when Katie's parents offered to take the kids to a community picnic, Katie asked me what should we do now that we were shot of them for a few hours. Well you can imagine what I was thinking, however it seemed we were on different pages and she suggested we go to Pukeko Junction...high fives all round and off we went.

Pukeko Junction is situated on the SH1 about half an hour's drive north of Christchurch in Leithfield. It has always proved popular due to it being right on the roadside in the middle of nowhere in the same vein as Amercian truck stops you see in the movies. But I am guessing that most of its clients are in fact those who return from around the region, and locals as the food is always of a high standard.

Well, with a seemingly unbiased approach, I wanted to review it in my own way as I had done to others.

Me: Smoked Chicken with bacon, mushrooms and cheese on creamy fettucine. 2 x Bundy Ginger Beer, and a Rhubarb cake with toffee topping and cream
Katie; Pork Spare Ribs with sweet chilli sauce, a salad, 1 x Bundy, and a Lemon Yoghurt cake with cream - Katie actually wanted the pizza, however this was not available.

To a lot of people, waiting on a meal seems to be an annoying part to their experience and I have seen some patrons over the years be completely abusinve, mostly without justification. It just so happens that sometimes you have to wait for things and in the case of Pukeko Junction, waitingt is well worth it as it is obvious the staff take pride in what thye present to you, and good things take time.

I don't know how long we waited, it might have been 20 or 30mins, but it doesn't normally bother us, more so today as we needed the time to chill out, read a paper (although it just reminded us why we were getting out of Dodge) and we could hear some tales of woe and experience from other patrons who obviously were in the same situation as us...

You pretty much view everything on offer, except specials
and pasta/soup of the day...mmmmmm.

Our meals came to us and OMG! I have listed a previous pasta dish at Pukeko as one of my favourite ever, and while this one didn't come lcose to it, it was fanatstically tasty, creamy, and cheesy. Nice and hot, and a great mix of meats and pasta. Katie knew immediately she had chosen the wrong dish (despite ribs being an all-time fave) and I promised her I would eat half of mine and she could finish it off - if I got some of her ribs!
In changing over (which was bloody hard to do!) I started on the ribs. The best ribs I think I have ever had were in Lone Star Rotorua, which were bigger than Texas and doused in BBQ sauce. Now in seeing these were servied with sweet chilli didn't seem right, but hey, they know what they're doing as it was a great compliment, something I probably never would have conisdered. The ribs themselves were very good, not great, but worth the money. The odd one was quite dry, maybe overcooked, but all in all, if you are prepared to strip them to bare bone and have no qualms about sucking your own fingers in public, then they can't be all bad right?

We had decided we were going to have a dessert, something I don't often do (I am an ince-cream kind of guy after dinner sometimes, but that normally is about it) but I was intrigued by the rhubarb cake and Katie (who loves all things sweet) had her eyes on it too, but seeing as I was getting it she chose anohter to get two for one. As with lunch, we swapped midway. I have to say, I am not a big fan of sweets after meals, but of the two the rhubarb was moist but not particulalry strong tasting, or if it was, the toffee topping below it away. Very nice, but in smaller servings for me. The same with the lemon yoghurt cake - nice and moist, and I love the tanginess of the topping, but it becomes too much for me as a large slice. Nothing against the cakes, and I am certain most will love the generously large slices they will get.



For the benefit of overseas viewers - this is
a Pukeko - an annoying bird to farmers and cars



The total meal cost $63 dollars which I think is pretty smart for what we had - no serving left us feeling short-changed, none being more than $15. This can seem pricey for cafe style food (who in their right mind would pay $14 for a gourmet sausage rool? I have previously and glad I did - they are the size of a small ox, and damn near as tasty). The staff are nice and cheerful, and were appreciative of me bringing plates back in (they seemed real busy so I like to help out), and they are easy to talk to if you get a chance (as again, they are so busy). Teh place itself is nice and cosy, and on a warm day I highly recommend outside and is quite well sheltered from the nor'wester and colder easterlies). Inside is quite noisy, the proximity of the kitchen and serving staff, plus people chatting and making orders. They have a covered outer area which is very pleasant in sunshine, but can be cold on rainey days. The toilets are fascinating - I think they used to be your tradtional public toilets done up in a cosy feel with nice fittings, however it still feels and smells like a public unrinal...I have a distinct distaste for public toilets and avoid them where I can. Off the cafe is a shop selling local art and momentos - painting and photo canvases, iron works, wine, food and just about everything else - a stunning large photo of a naked woman in shadow was considered as a purchase, but a bit pricey.

Setting: 4 out of 5

Staff: 4 out of 5

Food: 5 out of 5

Value: 5 out of 5

Overall Score: 4.5 out of 5

Pukeko Junction
SH 1, Leithfield

Canterbury

+643 3148834

A Meal Out...The Nor'Wester Cafe

Yesterday we decided we just needed to get out of town for a bit more for the kids and the dogs who had been somewhat neglected over the last few days. We headed north of Christchurch to Amberley, where we intended to do some grocery shopping as well, and as we had heard rave reviews of The Nor'Wester, we decided to pop in for lunch.

 The place is a very nice setup, almost lost from the road as an eatery with a beautiful outdoor eating area and a nice comfortable rustic interior.The staff were very nice and helpful which is always appreciated when you have children and toddlers.

The menus are quite extensive, and the pricing indication, for so far out of town, hinted that the food was of quality. We had seen a couple of meals come out for other diners, and I had based my decision on seeing these;

For me - Beef Burger and fries, and a Monteiths Pilsner (x2) on tap

Katie - same as above with a Terrace Edge 09 Pinot Gris (the only wine available by the glass)

Deanna - Waffles and a pineapple juice

Renee - egg on toast with a sausage and a pineapple juice - note, we actually asked for cranberry juices, a fact the girl picked up and offered refund for

It was quite busy in the cafe but we didn't have to wait too long for the food, and I have to admit, at least three of the meals were impressive looking. Deanna's was the exception - the waffles were small, and the bacon, if you could call it that, was barely a mouthful for her, and cooked to a crisp. It actually looked like a dog treat!

Renee's egg was nice but as a meal for a toddler sitting in a high chair, the plate was too big to fit on the tray and was permanently askew through the meal.

Our burgers were impressive looking, a massive burger bun with a meat pattie the likes I have never seen since the days of Jimmy Rockets in Customs St, Auckland. The fires, served in a smallish bowl to the side of the plate were good sized steak fries, and after eating one, it set a high standard for the rest of the meal. The plate was a long oblong type, completely wrong for the meal, as you couldn't spin the plate to cut at angles, and your arm was forever dipping into your food.

I decided, as the burger looked up to it, to eat it the old fashioned way by hand, but unfortunately this is where the meal started it's slide. For some reason best known only to the cook, the plate had been coated in a mayo which was all over the bun base, so by hand was out of the question. Cutting with the butter knives we had, only made it worse. The burger was a disappointment - the pattie was devoid of taste, no hint of herbs, seasoning, or the sensation you get from a hint of fat in the meat. And if it did in fact have these tastes, it was completely overrun by the copious amounts of tomato relish that was plastered over the burger. Nice as it was, it should be a side show, not the main feature.

Despite all of this, we did eat all our meals, and paid the princely sum of $90ish for the privilege, making each meal about $25 each, too high in my mind for lunch and kids. I have no issue paying good money, but for good food and this didn't stack up in my mind.

We had turned down the chance to eat at one of our favourites, Pukeko Junction on the way for something different, and while the ambiance and place and staff were fantastic, it was very much a loss opportunity. However, in being fair, it is the only time I have been there and may have gotten a bad day (not that it should matter in this industry) and figuring the recent events. I would normally consider going to a place again based on it's recommendations, but I would be hard pressed to bearing in mind the number of other fine establishments in North Canterbury and CHCH.

Setting: 4 out of 5

Staff: 4 out of 5

Food: 2 out of 5

Value: 2 out of 5

Overall Score: 3 out of 5

Nor'Wester Cafe
95 Main North Road
Amberley +643 314 9411