RSVP cafe, Tauranga

By GRAHAM REID for viva

The useful thing about cliches is that while they might be threadbare from overuse, they came into being because they contain a kernel of truth.

Like, if you are driving around America always eat where the truck drivers do. The food might not be that great but the meals are big so it's value for money.

Or, if you want to find a good Chinese restaurant go where the Chinese eat. That may not be much use in downtown Guangzhou admittedly, and in this country you could end up following them into a fast-
food joint, but you get my drift.

The most useful cliche however is, when travelling rely on local knowledge when looking for a decent restaurant.
So it was when we were in Tauranga for a weekend and staying at a pleasant harbourside bed and breakfast in suburban Matua. I had been given the names of a couple of good places by a gourmet friend who knows the territory, but we thought we would put the cliche to the test and rely on local knowledge. So I asked our host who, without hesitation, named a place only a kilometre away.

It was so good, he said, the other couple staying with him had been there earlier in the week and had been back four times.

So RSVP Cafe in nearby Cherrywood Court it was, the only lit-up place in a shopping centre on Otumoetai Rd.
From the second we stepped through the door from the windy, chilly night into the large, warm room with its open kitchen and cheerful atmosphere we felt at home.

Our B&B host had booked for us and that was clearly necessary: the place was busy and during the course of the evening they catered for two large tables of guests, a hen party in the separate room (yes, all of them wanted separate bills at the end), and a few tables of couples and foursomes who came and went.

Our young waitress, who could easily have looked run ragged, was friendly and helpful, and after we had settled with a bottle of bubbly, warned us the nearby table of a dozen would be ordering soon so we should get in first if we were in a hurry. That's the kind of consideration too few restaurants offer, but we were enjoying the atmosphere and wine so much we chose a Mediterranean antipasto for two ($18.50) and settled in to survey the extensive menu (which included pastas and pizzas) on what looked to be a long and comfortable evening.

And so it was: the antipasto was excellent (raw beef, crackers, feta, salamis and sun-dried tomatoes) and my second entree of sauteed chicken livers with roast pistachio and a port wine jus ($13.50) were cooked to tender perfection.
My partner sat out my second shift but her main of scallop and bacon salad was the equal of my entree and came served with salad greens and crispy noodles. It was so generous she couldn't finish it.

Clearly I had worked up an appetite from gambolling on the breezy beach earlier because I had no such trouble with my main. The braised lamb shanks looked tempting but the cajun hot pot off the blackboard menu ($16.50) won out. I thought it lacked a little in the spice department but was hearty and satisfying, as it should be on a cold night.
The bill for this excellent meal, the informal but scrupulously polite service, and a bottle of Morton Estate sparkling stuff was a modest $98.

Our B&B host had mentioned that RSVP was new to the area and that the former owner had previously run a successful place in the middle of town. Their move to the suburbs - they took over a former hardware store - was welcomed, especially because chef Leon Short had been at the place from the start and had made an immediate impression. But I suspect the casual visitor to Tauranga/Mt Maunganui would have no idea RSVP existed.
So let's not allow the residents of Matua to keep this one to themselves.

And that thing about relying on local knowledge? There must be some truth in it, or it wouldn't be a cliche, would it?

Open: Seven days, lunches 10am-3pm, dinners from 5.30pm

Owner: Ross McCulloch

Chef: Leon Short

Food: Mediterranean and Italian cuisine with seasonal variations

Vegetarian: Options on the menu, more on request, vegans and special allergies catered for.

Smoking: In the courtyard area beyond the bar.

Wine: Good selection of local and Australian wines, extensive beer list also

Noise: Not and issue in this cheerful place

Cost (mains for two): $35-$45

Bottom line: Probably a chance discovery for travellers, but one locals know about. A welcoming and unpretentious feel, an excellent menu and well-presented food are behind the frosted glass and large plain doors in this suburban shopping centre. Well worth finding if you are in the Tauranga/Mt Maunganui area.

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