Weekend In Queenstown: Foodie Diary

Hey Everyone!

It's now the Monday after a weekend trip away to one of New Zealand's most famous tourist spots, Queenstown. I haven't made the beautiful drive (and I mean absolutely stunning) down to that part of our country since I was 6 or 7 years old. But every year my Mum and I look at the marathon events they run and decided to finally make the move to give it a go. We just completed the 10km run and in a great time too. The track was so stunning as you got to run by the lake and surrounding mountains that give Queenstown it's fame. All of us are planning on completing the half-marathon next year and I'm really looking forward to it! 

But enough about running, here's all the delicious food we found!

A south island trip is no complete if you don't start with a Wild Bean coffee from the service station. It's pretty much NZ's equivalent of Costa in the UK, so it has to be done. 

We had no luck the first night of our arrival in QT. Just boring Mexican that will NOT make it to the blog. Not every foodie stop is a winner!

But on race day we lucked out big time! 

At the end of the finish line there was really nothing I felt like eating. They only offered pizza, toasted artisan sandwiches, and empanadas, Which on a normal weekend I would be first in line for, but after a run all I want is some goodness to keep those healthy vibes going. After a quick search on my phone, I found the perfect spot for us: Rehab. 

It's one of those super-smoothie stores that offers fresh wraps, salads, rice paper rolls, even broth bowls! And I couldn't get enough of it. They even had raw treats for us to try out ( I HAD to get the raw tiramisu that was incredible.) 

Mum and I both got mango sprout salads that really hit the spot nicely. There were so many more items on that menu that I wanted to try, so next year we will have our post-marathon recovery sorted. 

Our lunch stop was a recommendation from Steve's Dad and he did well!  

We found another new favorite at Vudu Larder:

It doesn't look like much from the outside, but this bustling little cafe has a lot to offer. At first we thought they would be too busy, however, the waitress assured us a table would be ready once we go through the cue to the till, and sure enough we were able to get a seat. The cabinet food itself is to die for with GF, vegan and vegetarian options being available. As a vego myself, I was grateful for the selection. The sweet treats were almost too good to resist, so we had to try a raw snickers slice (10/10!) and their blueberry, kiwi, and lime raw cheesecake. Both were incredible. 

Josh ordered the burger and Mum and I shared the spiced pea, agria & turmeric cauliflower flat bread that came with yogurt and a mango chutney. It was a stunning meal with a good kick of heat for me.They offer some really different options on their menu to a regular cafe, so this place was my kinda scene for sure. 

Dinner that night was an obvious choice: Ferg Burger. 

This is the famous burger joint that everyone recommends you come to in Queenstown. You can usually find a line out the door during busy hours, although we went around 4pm and only had a 20 minute wait. This was something the boys really wanted to try so we were happy to join in. 

All of the burgers were pretty generous sizes and had some mouth-watering fillings that almost made me wish I ate meat. I went for the tofu burger that came with a satay sauce and I have to say that it was pretty good, not OMG-amazing, but still pretty good. Their onion rings are up there too!

So we were staying in the beautiful Arrowtown (10 min out of QT) at Steve's parent's B&B, and of course me and Mum had to go for a morning wander through the town. And hunt for coffee like always. 

Being a Sunday there were lots of little market stalls around. We couldn't resist the stand selling cherries, a favorite for me and Mum. They're a special treat this time of year and so we had to grab a bag to snack on for the journey home later. We do make some pretty tasty fruit here in NZ.

Our final meal of the trip was back at Vudu. I know we should have tried somewhere new, but we did get a seat by the lake front to watch everyone go by. It was a beautiful way to end our weekend. 

I was very jealous of my Mum's buckwheat pancakes and the coconut whip that came with it...

I decided to go for the black bean quesadilla and was pretty happy with my choice. It tasted super-fresh which is exactly what I wanted. But next time I am definitely going for those pancakes! 

We couldn't leave without trying the Cookie Time Bar! It's New Zealand's most famous cookie and they've made it into the coolest dessert bar ever. You can go for ice cream, a shake, or our choice of an ice cream sandwich. 

I got the dark chocolate ice cream and Steve went for cookies and cream. A mini one was definitely enough for me, especially with a long car ride ahead of us!

Well there we go, a fabulous weekend away with good company and great food. I'm really happy with the spots we found and will be coming back for more this time next year (or maybe sooner if I can!) Just another reason why Queenstown is one of NZ's most popular places to travel. 

Steph x. 

Have you had any foodie finds recently?