Dunedin: Scarfing it down in scarfie town

Vogel Street Kitchen. Photo / Supplied

Hungry, and perhaps a little thirsty in Dunedin? Anna King Shahab discovers 10 great places to sate your appetite.

1. The Otago Farmers' Market is held in the railway station carpark every Saturday - come sleet, snow or shine. It's one of the best farmers' markets in the country. There's a plethora of locally grown and raised produce, much of it spray-free or organic, at prices to shame the supermarkets. A few favourites are the flavoursome tomatoes grown in the mineral-rich soils of Kakanui, crisp Central Otago pipfruit and Cardrona merino lamb. There's a swag of very good local artisans: seek out Quick Brown Fox's decadent coffee liqueur, bean to bar chocolate maker Ocho, the authentic Beam Me Up Bagels, ethereal Blueskin Bay Honey and the sweet treats at The Tart Tin. Some folks reckon a visit to the Bacon Buttie Station is mandatory, and it also pays to know that next to the market, in a little shop on the railway platform, is a very good bakery called Peasant, home of slow-proved sourdoughs and marvellous croissants.

2. Havoc Farm in Waimate is one of the most ethically managed pig farms in the country, and its shop on High St boasts an array of porcine products, from fresh cuts to bacon, sausages and cured chorizo. Photos of happy Havoc piglets watch over you at the counter.

3. The name Marbeck's has long been synonymous with music, but the new Marbeck's Foodstore in the CBD's Wall St Mall shows that, when digital puts paid to vinyl and CDs, there's new life in food. Equal parts cafe and deli, it has delicious things to eat in or take home, including Emersons beer and olive oil on tap.

Havoc Farm. Photo / Supplied

4. The Highgate Bridge Bakery is more commonly known as The Friday Shop, because that's the one day of the week it's open. Chef Jim Bryant - Dunedin born, Albert Roux-finished - prepares a stack of fresh croissants, pies, meals and slow-cooked stocks, which eager fans snap up each Friday morning. Go early - really early - and prepare to queue.

5. The area around Vogel St known as the "Warehouse Precinct" is fast becoming a hotspot worth visiting; its beautiful historic buildings are being restored and occupied by interesting businesses such as Vogel St Kitchen, open all day with great food and coffee. And, admirably, they donate $500 a month to local charity.

6. Best Cafe - unpretentious and unaffectedly retro, is a must-visit; order the blue cod and chips, or anything really, it's all fresh and tasty. More than 10 species of fish are filleted daily, and the chips are hand-cut.

7. There's no better way to top a brisk walk on the beautiful St Clair beach than cosied up inside Esplanade, on the promenade. Because, pork and beef meatballs. Moreover, said meatballs and other hearty Italian fare are perfectly complemented by friendly service and stylish yet warmly inviting surrounds.

8. Make like a starving, skint student and head for Miga Hako, quickly gaining fame for its pork buns - a mere $3.50 worth of pillowy dough hugging a centre of five-spiced pork.

The Portsider pub. Photo / Supplied

9. Craft beersy types make haste to Portsider in charming Port Chalmers. But wait, there's more: its fish is fresh and locally caught; the vegetables come from a really neat, small local grower called Potato Point Produce; it does great steak night Wednesdays, and you can fill flagons with the lineup of tap beers.

10. There's plenty more to Plato than seafood (including a stash of kitsch bric-a-brac lining the interior brick wall) but it does prepare lovely fishy things. The paua fritters are the ideal light meal and the fish pie is pure comfort food.