Joes Garage, Queenstown

This delectable coffee and date cake is only $6 - it's a combo package in Joe's Garage, Queenstown.
The cake is nice and moist. I hope they keep it that way. I've not visited Joe's Garage for a while because the previous cake I had with a coffee was dry and too sweet. However, as I leave Queenstown, I visited Joe's again to reminisce wonderful and relaxing coffee breaks in this cafe - apparently a local favorite.

So long Queenstown, till we meet again in the future. You're a wonderful holiday place however not big enough to live yet.

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Hamill's Banana Pizza in Queenstown

mouth watering banana and chicken pizza

Every Wednesday night, at least when we were in Queenstown, Hamills Restaurant in the Remarkables Shopping Center would have a Buy 1 Get 1 free pizza promo if you eat in the restaurant. My partner and I would go for the banana and chicken pizza with lots of broccoli and eat in even if it's not on special... that's how much we loved this gourmet pizza!

Of course I would order something different to try out their other gourmet pizzas. Seafood and Meat lovers were quite good as well. So this is a quick shout out to Hamills for delivery a really good gourmet pizza selection ;-)


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Les Alpes Queenstown

Les Alpes Queenstown

This is a nice little French cafe in Chruch Street, Queenstown.

Quite reasonably priced - $4.5 for a mochaccino and $10 for a ham and cheese croissant with salad side dish. The quality of the coffee is good and I think I will be back just for it. The $10 croissant - ham and cheese, is almost like a meal in itself for a small eater like me. Their french cakes and pastries don't like too expensive either but a bit too sugary for me.

The place has a good central location. The staff are not in too much of a hurry to kick you out. We spent just over an hour in this cafe. It's quite cosy... though I can imagine that they'd turn on the fire when there's more people.

They have some nice mellow music... I would have loved some more French background music (instrumental) though... I thought for a few minutes I heard some Indian music which I thought was a bit odd especially if everywhere around the cafe seemed French enough -ie from the plaids as table cloth, the style of furniture.

HQwifi doesn't work in this cafe... then again HQwifi works only 10% of the time when I am in Queenstown... apart from the high cost of this wifi service, once you get logged in, if ever you can get logged in, please expect the most unreliable and slowest connection. So do yourselves a favour and don't waste your money trying to login and just enjoy the coffee :-)


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Queenstown's Patagonia

Wet and chilly these days in Queenstown. Then again, this beautiful piece of paradise has something else to offer in a weather like this. What soothes the cold and loneliness could be a comfort mochaccino with special Patagonia chocolate. This doesn't come cheap at $5.5 per cup but it's all worth it. Patagonia has fortunately improved to have the fastest free wifi in town. No it doesn't offer free 'charging' of laptops but I guess newer models of laptops now allow up to 4 hours of battery even under heavy usage.

Seriously, the joy of working on emails while having a view of the Lake Wakatipu is beyond compare. It's one of the things I will remember most in Queenstown.

Today I talked with an Indian (born) lady who grew up in NZ. She was lovely and very fluent. She lives comfortably in Auckland but she said that Queenstown is where she and her husband want to live in the future. Queenstown is a small town in NZ - it is actually the most expensive place to live in New Zealand because of lesser jobs available and high cost of living.

For what it's worth, I'll enumerate issues with living in Queenstown... not that they all matter because I think once you try living here, all the nuisances might be worth it:
1. There's only one real grocery store - New World - over at Remarkables park. Sure there are others in town which I wouldn't even mention! They are too expensive.
2. The lack of jobs ... if you're a chef or manager of customer services, you might get a chance to live here... otherwise, you need to be really wealthy or you need to have substantial inheritance!
3. There's a lack of activities for residents. Sure there are a lot of things to do for tourists! Queenstown is living on tourism! But those who actually live here? All year round? Too quiet in May - June.  If you're adventurous and love walking, riding, running, then this is the place for you. If you love culture... sadly that's what Queenstown and pretty much the rest of NZ doesn't have... (expect Rotorua where there is a strong presence of indigenous culture...)
4. Food is very western... Not much options in terms of good value fruits and vegetables
5. Too far from other countries - it's located at the edge of the world... unless you have good friends and family around, you can get a little too lonely.

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Best Muffin in Queenstown

This is the tastiest, best value banana, blue berry muffin I have had in my entire life! This is just $3.80 from Rees St Deli cafe, 2nd floor.

Cnr Shotover And Rees Street
Queenstown East
(03) 441 3050
www.reesdeli.co.nz

I just have to recommend this cafe to everyone. It's very cosy. It has comfortable seats. The coffee was great but the muffin was unbeatable. I think it's because banana has been added to the regular blue berry muffin.


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Surreal Bar, Restaurant Queenstown, New Zealand

This fire was just lovely! It single-handedly convinced us to have a cosy lunch in a very wintry weather in Queenstown, New Zealand. This restaurant had a fantastic ambiance!

The pricing is not overly blown out! They do have specials like this chicken and potato meal for $15 and fish and chips meal for $10. The servings are not huge... in fact very modest. I think you can get a lot more for an $18 fish and chips somewhere else. However, of course, you pay for the ambiance.

Tourists might be delighted to know that they offer 30 minutes free wifi.

Would I come back to this place? I wouldn't mind.

Note that the lady who served us today March 3, (lunch time) had a really great personality which is not very common in Queenstown especially when they deal with guests from Asia. It's just my observation and many people might be defensive, others may agree with me and others will totally deny it.

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Another Trip at Vudu, Queenstown Cafe

On a cold wintry weather, Vudu is such a cosy place to be in central Queenstown.
The only issue is that there's really a lot of people going here. Table turnover seems like every 30 to 40 minutes...

Coffee and rolls are reasonably priced. Cafe treat for 2 would be around $20.

For your information, I wanted to order a chicken burito, it would have been great but it would be around 600 calories at least. I also would have loved a muffin but that would have been at least 450 calories. So I settled with a sausage roll and what looks like 400 calories with chutney and tomato sauce.


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Post Office Cafe Queenstown

I like bird seed slices... but this one isn't particularly great

I love Friands but not this one... This one needed the butter that came with it... 

I heard this cafe has the reputation of having the best coffee. I don't know which type of coffee though - flat white, mochacino or long black. I have been here several times as they are one of the few cafes offering free wifi. Post office cafes offer 30 minutes free wifi via the super slow and almost useless HQwifi network.

Ballarat Street  Queenstown 9348, New Zealand
(03) 442 8238

The price of coffee and muffins (pastries etc) are slightly more expensive than other local cafes. The taste is not significantly better. It's simply not better. It's comparable. However, when you weigh price and taste, you might want to go to other cafes. Patagonia Queenstown would be a good choice but only for a chocolate drink.


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Cafe LaVina, Queenstown

Relaxed environment. Coffee is the same as other cafes, nothing distinctive. I really didn't like this mint flavored slice but I can't have too much sweet and fatty foods... I just enjoyed the settings a little bit.


Location
Shop 101, 42 Hawthorne Dr, Remarkables Park Shopping Centre, Frankton, Queenstown, New Zealand 9349
About  Breakfast, Lunch & Take Home Dinners - Supreme Coffee

It's a good alternative place to relax in the Remarkables park, especially before you do some grocery shopping.



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Joe's Garage, Queenstown

This is a local favorite. Ask for their specials and free wifi access.

Usually, they have coffee and cake combo for $6.

I personally prefer the carrot cake and chocolate date cake.

The ambiance is casual and some wait staff are quite friendly. If you do not have health problems, try their famous sausages and mash combos.

They have really good coffee!

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Tin Goose Cafe, Queenstown

Tin Goose Cafe is tucked in an almost unnoticeable location in Frankton, Queenstown. After trying the coffee and muffins once, we came back over and over.

This cafe is reasonably priced. A lot of locals seem to frequent it. The muffins are good - very tasty and moist unlike most cafes where muffins are dry and grainy.

The ambiance is cosy enough and business travelers like myself would find some time to concentrate on important emails. I would definitely visit this cafe if it would offer free wifi - possibly stay longer and order more.

It has a lot of parking space at the back. This cafe is worth trying.


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J's on Glenda Drive, Queenstown

We've discovered a new cafe in Queenstown, in Glenda Drive.
Glenda Drive is Queenstown's industrial area where we got our car fixed.

This cafe - J's on Glenda - has a nice outlook - even on a cloudy day.

Coffee is quiet nice and we had a little cookie as well. $4.50 for a mochacino.

For all those wondering if coffee is good for you... you might be interested in this article:
Coffee’s unhealthy reputation stems partly from older research linking coffee to an increased risk of heart disease and pancreatic cancer - but without accounting for the effects of any cigarettes which might have been smoked with the coffee. Newer studies following tens of thousands of people over many years, have found coffee drinkers have no greater risk of heart disease or stroke – and appear to have a slightly lower risk. Overall, research shows no extra risk for cancer either, Davis says – but a lower risk for Parkinson’s disease. Still, caffeine has been linked to a higher risk of miscarriage, although up to 200mg of caffeine in pregnancy daily (one or two cups) is generally considered safe. Moderation makes sense too – more than three cups daily is linked to bone fractures in women who get too little calcium.   

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/blogs/chew-on-this/why-coffee-isnt-bad-for-you-20120220-1tias.html#ixzz1n3xydvrC


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Yamaha Cafe, Queenstown New Zealand

You might not know this but there's actually a motor bike shop in Glenda Drive, Lower Shotover. There's also a cafe. They sell a few scones, some wraps and muffins, ginger bars. Pretty nice furniture, big TV. It's not a cosy one. It's probably somewhere you'd go if you need some breakfast and you work in the area. The coffee is priced like other coffee shops in Queenstown. For a mochacino and a long black, total bill was $8.

Not a place that you would visit without any other business in the area though. However, its market are the business owners and people who work in the area - it's the industrial section of Queenstown.

Mochacino was pretty good... but I would just like to have a brewed black coffee and this one isn't brewed...

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Farmer's Market Queenstown

If you're looking for handmade, artisan food, visit the Queenstown Farmer's Market!
I love the Smoked Salmon from Stewart Island - Just melts in your mouth!

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McCafe $5 coffee and cake deal

Mc Cafe offers $5 for coffee (regular size) and any cake.
Pretty cheap! Free wifi and no pressure how long you'd stay.
McDonald's Queenstown has a fantastic location at Frankton. Great view of the mountains and you get to walk along a beautiful lake on your way.

The coffee is pretty good - this is a mochaccino. I probably would have a plain coffee next time.

The carrot, walnut muffin is nice. That's the only nice muffin though and it's a terrible 471 calories, with 36g sugar/carbs and 28g fat. :-( Not a good decision.

The bigger cup is $5.5 for a coffee so you have to pay a dollar to "supersize" your drink.

I visit Mc Cafe regularly when I need a break from working. Good value. Just need to choose the meal.


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Coffee Club at the Remarkables Shopping Center

Coffee at The Coffee Club is slightly more expensive.
The apple pie was also tid bit pricier - 30c at least.

However, I love exploring new cafes and this cafe is a joy as well. I enjoyed the apple pie so much!
I loved the hot sun and cool breeze as always. This little cafe is actually a franchise ... so you can expect the same type of quality and menu everywhere else. It's an Australian coffee chain. Yes they know their business.

I like it a lot and would go more frequently if it were a bit cheaper. :-)



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The Lake Counter, Queenstown New Zealand

These French Macarons are from $2.5 to $5 at The Lake Counter, Cafe, Grocery, Deli - at the Hilton Queenstown, New Zealand. The more expensive ones are much bigger - 2.5 x the size of the little ones.

I found this place very weird as there are overly priced items which are both commonly seen and artisan made. I can understand hand-made, boutique products to be overly priced... however I am shocked to see common noodles which can be bought a regular grocery store to be stocked at a higher price as well. Given that this cafe is attached to the Hilton Hotel in Frankton, Queenstown, I understand why they want to charge premium... but it seems that the products sold do not have integrity... well I am just being nit picky... :-)

There's nothing real special about this cafe-deli. The New World grocery is just about 8 minutes drive from the Hilton and you can get much more value for your money from there.

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Jack's Point Cafe, Queenstown, New Zealand

Jack's Point, Queenstown New Zealand

This cafe has one of the most ravishing views of Queenstown. It's absolutely stunning!

If you fancy a posh coffee experience, visit Jack's Point. I highly recommend that you visit this place even just once. The lunch menu has meals from $25 to $30... (30 dollar pasta...that is). However, the coffee prices are reasonable and comparable - $4.50 per cup. 

The entire family can enjoy this trip - there's canoes for rent which can be used in the lake. Fishing is allowed - fly fishing - 1 fish per person. You can also play golf! 

We hiked on the hills around the area. 

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Patagonia Chocolates Queenstown

What's going for this cafe?
1. It is unique. It has a unique taste - it has a specialty. It's not just another cafe out there.
2. It is in front of the remarkable view Lake Wakatipu and the mountains. It is centrally located...Superb location is an understatement.
3. It has FREE wifi. It has Fast Wifi! Well, as long as not a lot of people are using it...
4. It has the best ice cream - another unique strength.
5. It has outdoor areas - perfect to be under the sun in any season...

This is an icon in Queenstown. They also have a shop in Arrowtown. Kudos to the owners. :)

Thank you for this superb experience in Queenstown. I will definitely go back - regularly :-)

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