Interior of new restaurant Ortolana in Britomart. Photo / Babiche Martens.
From drinking delicious cucumber and mint cocktails to relaxing in Karekare, busy fashion designer Juliette Hogan shares her favourite weekend escapes.
Drinking ... at Golden Dawn for a gin and soda, anywhere that has Amisfield Rose, and Fukuko for their cucumber and mint cocktail. • Golden Dawn,34 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby, ph (09) 376 9929. • Fukuko, 43 Tyler St, Britomart, ph (09) 300 5275.
Dining ...
at Ortolana for their beautiful presentation. Their food is so fresh and delicious. Vinyl, just down the road from our workroom, for their curly fries, and Fukuko for their quick and easy snacks.
I want to learn to shuck oysters in Mahurangi. You just phone them and organise a tutorial for up to six people. I want to try Eden Noodle Cafe just down the road from my workroom. We've been too shy to try it out but queues always stretch out on to the sidewalk. Also, I'm desperate to find where to buy Nori chips. I have scoured Asian supermarkets and have no idea where to get them from. If anyone has a recommendation on where to buy them, let me know!
Queenies, 24 Spring St, Freemans Bay, ph (09) 378 8977.
Discovering ...
Zamora sausages in Queenstown. Their pork and blue cheese sausages are like nothing I've ever eaten before. You've got to try their smoked cheese, too. I brought back a huge cooler box on the plane from Queenstown last week as my carry-on. Also, the steak sandwich at the Queenstown Farmers' Market.
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Queenstown Farmers' Market, Anglican Church, cnr Church & Camp Sts.