Get your summer foodie escape without leaving Auckland...
16 Dec 2022
16 Dec 2022
Anyone in the know around here in Queenstown will tell you to head out of town and get on the road to Jacks Point. Not only are the views mind blowing (especially in Winter) but the food and drink at Jacks Point Restaurant rival anything you might find in the city lights.
Using only the freshest ingredients the team out there whip up a storm in the kitchen. From local produce, to Central Otago wines, to mouth wateringly good seafood there’s nowhere better to be on a good day. And let’s be honest, every day is a good day in Queenstown.
Flax blowing in the breeze, a warm summer’s glow on my skin, my lunch guest and I settled into a lovely lunchtime Summer menu at Jack’s Point Restaurant. The mountain’s were there to keep an eye on us (have you seen the view?!) and first up was a little Amisfield Pinot Gris to get us started.
The Summer menu is filled with light dishes with a few well rounded ones tucked in there. We began with a pumpkin seed and thyme oat biscuits filled with goats curd and local honey (I could have eaten this for dessert), heirloom tomatoes bursting with ripeness, blue cod and a watermelon terrene. The chunkiness of the cod and the light burst of watermelon alongside ripened tomatoes and the crunch of the oat biscuits and local honey was a perfect starter to get us in the groove.
Next up their signature dish that everyone cries for (and I now know why) black foot paua bolognese with kelp pappardelle and native spinach. It’s a big tasting dish so the big glory bay king salmon, miso, spring carrots and beets, Summer beans with labneh, pine nuts, capers (salty bite!) and raisin slotted right in there alongside. Bowing down to the big flavours but also punching alongside holding their own.
We slouched in our chairs (posture went out the window) and patted our happy tums. But not to be left behind a little strawberry, raspberry cremeaux, lavender, honey creme and charcoal meringue to finish. Coffee? Go on then.
Put a fork in me I want to eat this every day. Jacks Point Restaurant has got to be on top of my list every time. You can play a round of golf, go for a bike or hike and then settle down to one of the best meals (in my humble opinion) in Queenstown. There’s no pomp or circumstance just good good food, amazing views.
A chance to stop, slow down, unwind, eat, smile and relish. All wrapped up in the knowledge the Remarkable mountain range is ever constant. Ever present.
