An original Gastro-club

WHEN Rita and John Van Eikenhorst left Holland, they were looking for a place that offered them a more relaxed way of life and a chance for Rita to indulge her passion for cooking.
Since taking over the Club's 'Shakespeare Bistro' seven years ago, it seems that they found what they were looking for and continue to enjoy working with the club's clientele.
"The people here are good people, they're nice and now we know nearly everybody who comes you know, how they like their meals cooked, that sort of thing," said Rita.
When Rita and John took over, the bistro was already serving a good range of steak dinners and pub-style food and had a regular group of diners.
However, with Rita's love of cooking and willingness to experiment with food, she has gradually transformed the menu over the seven years and has brought a whole bunch of new taste sensations to local palates.
"Now, we have lots of steak and chicken meal variations, and international-style food with tandoori, Italian and Eastern European flavours.
Kiwis are really adventurous when it comes to trying new meals, which is great because I can try new things out."
Although Rita has brought in new food, she has never pushed people too far, realising that there is still a place for more traditional pub fare in the club."
"We brought in roast meals on Wednesdays because people still like them, and we offer half-size meals to cater for older people who often have smaller appetites."
Nowadays, the restaurant has a range of meals for people with special dietary requirements offering lower fat, gluten-free and vegetarian meals.
As well as restaurant service, Rita and John are responsible for in-house catering when the club has private functions.
"It's quite hard work working in such a small kitchen, but I have my daughters and an excellent team of 12 part-timers who help out in really busy times.
When you've done as much catering as we have, you know exactly what to do first and what order you need to do things in, so its busy, but not too overwhelming."
Although the Shakespeare Bistro has had a number of leasees in its time, Rita and John have always been keen to stay on and are looking forward to a few more years yet.
"We really enjoy it here and it's definitely a good option for families who want to take everybody out. Kids can come and enjoy themselves because we really are family-friendly being a little less expensive helps too."