Plume Restaurant has introduced a new menu as of the 19th of February. You will find that the tastes have changed a little, they are lighter and less rich, but no less delicious. I like to let the natural flavours shine through, the taste is always paramount.
Close to home there are some delicacies to be had. We are delighted to be using Leigh Fisheries for our new Akaroa Salmon dish. We can see that they are well served to have local outlets selling their wares, and how fantastic the quality is that they bring to us!
Everything is traceable, the consignments come with the date that it is caught, what boat it comes from, and who is the skipper. Their long lines have a lesser amount of hooks per line and all fish are caught in the “Iki” way – a sustainable method, which is a philosophy I like to subscribe to. This method was introduced about 25 years ago and preserves the freshness. The fish then get exported to top restaurants around Australasia. We will have this generally available as a special most weekends.
Many local suppliers are providing us with artisan products. The Matakana Village butchery sells lovely sausages to the café. The mince we get for the burgers is a premium product from the “Farm butchery” in Warkworth who only use meat from farms that work on the organic principals, and in time we will gain other suppliers goods as we are waiting for their crops to ripen. We also get several products from the local Matakana market, which runs each Saturday.
We try to work with what is in season and from the local regions, however there are some exceptions due to the quality available through the wider nation. Salmon simply has to come from the South Island at Akaroa (just a hop, skip and a jump away from Christchurch). There is a great ocean run salmon selection, and whatever we order gets supplied to us the day after being harvested, still very fresh. A friend of mine has fantastic organic Wiltshire ® lamb legs (or at least he sells them) that we will have available on a special order. This breed is known for its quality, and the farm they are sourced from has herbs infused within its pastures, meaning the flavours are naturally exsquisite.
I can’t wait for the moment when the figs are ripe in our garden. We have 9 trees laden with fruit, I can think several items we will be able to produce with them either in the bakery or in the restaurant once they are ready.
Heiko has great Hot Cross Buns. I know it’s a bit early, but Easter comes and goes very quickly and it’s simply not enough time to taste these delicious morsels in my opinion. Make sure you pre-order these if you want them for Easter to avoid disappointment when it comes down to the crunch.
Our first project for the café is producing pies. This is a project that we are developing, and I hope to have them available as a weekday special, but if you are interested in seeing them around during the weekend please do let us know.
We look forward to see you at Plume Café and Plume Vineyard Restaurant
