Cardrona Speight's Ale House

By WARREN GAMBLE for canvas


What do you do with five hungry in-laws from the Mainland who want somewhere quiet to relax with a cold beer and a hearty meal to contemplate the meaning of Auckland?

This was my mission on a humid Sunday morning after braving the minor madness of the Avondale markets where the full range of the city's cultures, and subcultures, were on show.

Having seen and bumped into Auckland at the frontline, my mid-Canterbury visitors needed a more detached observation post.

The Cardrona turned out to be an inspired choice (even if it was my Ashburton-born partner who came up with it).

The eight-month-old building is an unlikely sight in the light-industrial fringes of the city and Mt Eden, just around the corner from the prison.

It is modelled on the Central Otago pub which is cut in half in that very practical southern divorce in the Speight's television advertisement where the wife takes the restaurant and the husband the bar.

Inside, the Cardrona is large, rustic and comfortable. At the vast wooden tables you can sit on swinging wrought-iron chairs, park yourself on stools, or lean.

Turned out my visitors knew one of the owners, fellow Ashburtonite and former mid-Canterbury lock Grant "Truckie" Lawrie.

So over an excellent breakfast they were able to catch up with other strangely named blokes, and my future brothers-in-law Jack and Snow could discuss the Crusaders' muddling form with someone other than a Blues fan.

The only menu choice for the Mainlanders was Grandma's lamb's fry and bacon (entree, $11, main $16), a beautifully cooked bowl of lamb's liver, bacon, mushrooms and caramelised onions in a rich Speight's Old Dark beer gravy.

Sister-in-law to be Bernadine gave it the highest compliment when she said it was almost as good as her mother's.

For variety I had the bacon and eggs ($10.50), a hearty serving with lashings of crisp bacon, although I was also tempted by the Cardrona french toast ($11.50) with its maple lime syrup. I guess if I were wearing a hat and long coat I would have gone for the Southern Man's Fry Up ($15.50), which included venison sausage.

We adjourned to the long table on the deck outside for the Cromwell crumble ($9.50), getting the thumbs up from my Nelson-based visitor and dessert connoisseur Kathryn Mary.

We could have had coffee, but naturally we preferred the tall glasses of the on-tap specialty. By the end of it we were drinking to the good taste of an Ashburton lad in a southern pub in Auckland. Good on yer, mate.

Open: 10.30am-3pm for brunch

Parking: Plenty

Service: Friendly

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, party places and entertainment in canvas magazine, part of your Weekend Herald print edition.