Welcome
to the New Zealand
Coffee Guide
let us introduce:
The Packingshed Cafe
Coffee Roast
- Underground
contact information:
phone: 03-322-1770
fax: 03-322-9754
email - packingshedcafe@xtra.co.nz
Hours
Tues - Thurs 10am - 4:30pm
Fri, Sat, Sun 9am - 5:30pm
Reservations recommended
Directions to find the
cafe - On the road to Akaroa, out
of Halswell, on the left you will see a sign to the
Rossendale Winery and the Cafe on past (the Old Tai Tapu Road).
Continue
along until on the left you come to Early Valley Road.
Continue until
you come to the cafe entrance 1.5 km at the SJ Orchard.
Owners
-
Cafe review by Ron
& Paula -
Following the signs into the unknown! One of the thrills of us coffee
lovers is the discovery of a new cafe that dishes out quality in
not only coffee, but in the food and pleasant staff.
The peace and quiet of this cafe nestled in the back blocks of this
region is overwhelming. Everything is done with great class and style
but
remains funky. Take the time and make the effort to search this one out
when in this area. We had the apricot, plum and lemon tart with our
Underground flat whites!
Simply delicious and well presented.
In addition you can grab a bag of fresh picked summer fruit grown
there at th orchard.................Bonus!
Cafe
News and
Information:
Although
it’s only been
open for two months, word of mouth has got around so quickly about the
fresh,
delicious food at The Packingshed
Café in Lansdowne Valley near Tai
Tapu that it’s already
recommended you book if you’re thinking of visiting during the weekend.
And
it’s not just the
food that’s attracting people from Christchurch,
but also the exquisite, calm microclimate in an orchard setting.
Tucked away from the hustle
and
bustle of Christchurch yet only a 15
minute
drive from the city centre, just off the Akaroa highway,
the Packingshed Café is easy to find. This
gem is
nestled into the valley just past Rossendale winery, on Early Valley Rd.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous
out here. It’s usually two or three degrees warmer than in Christchurch and
we’re sheltered from the
easterlies. It can be raining in the city but not here,” says Jo Blake,
manager and co-owner with her
partner,
Shane Coakley.
It’s
very pleasant
sitting either inside the converted
Packingshed with
the polished wooden floorboards and rustic theme or outside on the deck that catches all the afternoon sun.
If you
prefer a sheltered courtyard there is the lawn out the back, with the
lean-too
for the guys to enjoy a beer at while the ladies shelter under the
verandah. The
Packingshed is a fantastic place to
relax with
a coffee, or to enjoy a nice glass
of wine with
your meal. There’s even a sandpit for the kids to play in.
As the name implies, The Packingshed was used for packing fruit
when the
property was still known as the Townshend Orchard. Originally a
raspberry farm,
it is now a summer-fruit orchard for peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots,
quince, pears,
and gooseberries.
And
this is just the
right time of the year to try the freshly picked fruit in many of the
dishes on
the Summer Dessert Menu, including a trio of sorbets, glazed baked
fruit,
apricot tart. They have also created a
dessert platter
that is already a winner “People love it” says Jo. “It’s a
selection of
bite sized treats with fresh fruit on the side and it is perfect to
enjoy with
coffee at the end of the meal or as you sit with friends and just enjoy
a lazy
afternoon treat.”
In
fact, the head chef, Karla Roddick,
insists on freshly grown produce for
the entire menu, which includes salmon straight from Stewart Island and
prime Hereford
beef. Karla
has worked with chefs such as Jimmy
McIntyre from Tiffanys and Peter
Thornley at Te Papa restaurant in Wellington.
She has recently worked at Le Monde in Timaru, and 19th in Queenstown. Her latest challenge is to create the new
homemade
range of product soon to be available through The Packingshed
Café, using all
the fresh spray free produce grown on site.
The
Packingshed is not
just a café but an upmarket restaurant that focuses on
fantastic presentation. “We
aim to serve
every meal to the highest standards possible. Everything on the orchard-spray free
and the eggs are fresh straight
from
free-range chickens that live among the plum trees,” Jo says.
“The
main focus is on
fresh, clean flavours. Even our herbs are fresh – we grow them, as well. The main
menu
changes seasonally and there are daily
specials that
focus on what is fresh that day.
The
lunch menu, which is
served from midday to 3.30pm, includes Simply Salmon, salmon lightly grilled with a potato
fritter, salad greens and
pickled cucumber
salsa ($22.50); and the Orchard platter
($16.50)
or a Corn and Feta
Stack that can easily be gluten free for those that need it to be.
The special of the day was Seared
Venison with plum compote
and kumera roesti on salad greens ($20.50). The
breakfast menu was mouth water with
the
selection. “The Mellow Morning
(sautéed
mushrooms and blue cheese) is already a firm favourite with our
regulars”, says
Jo.
Fully
licensed, the
Packingshed serves a wide range of wines and beers. The first-rate
coffee comes
from local roastery Underground and the Packingshed aims to serve fantastic
coffee every
time.
Also
available at The Packingshed is the
range of homemade chutneys, jams, savoury
& dessert
sauces and antipasto dishes. As well as
that, in
season, there are paeonie roses and orchard-fresh fruit on sale
at the
café, which also features a range of contemporary art work by local artists show casing their work.
Open
from 9am to 4.30pm
Tuesday to Sunday The
Packingshed is also available for
corporate
functions and private parties, including birthdays and small weddings.
Joh
The
Packingshed Cafe
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