Rush to Arrowtown’s near surefire winner
It’s an idyllic spring day in the historic gold rush village of Arrowtown, a few clicks from New Zealand’s pleasure-filled action paradise of Queenstown.
High above us, the final vestiges of winter snow dusts the mountains as we make the 20-minute journey from Queenstown and pass the tiny Lake Hayes with its otherworldly still waters perfectly reflecting the clouds, sky and mountains above. Part of me gets the urge to dive into this perfect sky and immerse myself in the crisp, invigorating clear waters as I’d done in Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu the day before but I fight the urge as our destination is lunch at relatively new local luncheon favourite Swiftsure.
Arrowtown’s quaint main street lined with miner’s cottages reflects its historic golden past and on weekends fills with tourists keen to gawp at its picture-book beauty as well as locals catching-up for coffee and a chat. It’s all very serene and the fresh mountain air fills you with energy.
We slowly venture up to Swiftsure Restaurant which sits just above the main street on Arrow Lane and into its three tiers of hospitality.
Swiftsure is the South Island offshoot and brainchild of Waiheke Island’s Man O’ War winery team and features wines from its northern sibling as well as from Swiftsure’s own wines from the Marlborough and Bannockburn both led by chief winemaker Duncan McTavish. As for the restaurant, it borrows from both locations and its tiered construction reflects its mountain heritage – right down to the greywacke rock that adorns the façade.
The melding of the maritime beauty of Waiheke Island and the striking alpine landscapes of Arrowtown is faultless and summed up in their own words… “from the sun-soaked shores of Waiheke Island to the dramatic peaks of Central Otago, the Man O’ War team bring alpine and adventurous flavours to the table in the historic Arrowtown.”
The entry into the restaurant is steep and the restaurant is perched at the top above the bar and café but the views make it all worthwhile with a sweeping vista of the surrounding mountains. It feels like you’re sitting atop the world yet in purely geographical terms we’re pretty much at the bottom – but if this is the bottom, then bottoms up!
To begin, a glass of crisp Man O War Valhalla Chardonnay combines majestically with an entree of cured Akaroa Salmon with caper crackers and dill. The freshness of the salmon with the light and crispy crackers is refreshing, zesty and leaves your mouth yearning for more.
And of course, the Lunch Mag team is happy to oblige.
My partner orders the Savannah Angus Eye Fillet with mash, red wine jus and bone marrow. The dish is a marvel. Slow cooked but with the utmost respect to the wonderful protein at play, it is soft, succulent, delightful to cut through and even better to eat. The jus is just the right consistency and the marrow is quite exceptional – adding context and flavour to a dish that epitomises New Zealand cooking at its best.
The special of the day is a lamb rack. And of course it would be rude not to partake of it. The lamb is delicious, an unctuous mouthfeel and delicate sweet meat means it has been rendered to perfection.
The seasonal greens go nicely with it and even better again is the Swiftsure Pinot Noir.
The meal finishes with a couple of desserts which we share. A banoffee pie with white chocolate, banana (obviously) and Werther’s sauce which is creamy and comforting. Not the best banoffee but brought up to scratch by the surrounds and relaxed vibe.
The same applies to the coconut pannacotta with passionfruit. Anywhere else and I would have been disappointed but in the fresh, clean mountain air on a gorgeous weekend, I’m contented. Perhaps it could have been a little less tart as the passionfruit cut through too dramatically but overall, a fine dessert.
The meal ends with deep sighs of content. The location is marvellous and while the restaurant has work to do, it’s of its time and place.
As Gandalf says, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” and this time was spent just right.
And there you have it, a piece on Arrowtown and the region’s majesty and just one single gratuitous mention of Lord of the Rings… who would have thought!
