Lunch at The Cider Factorie

The Cider Factorie

Cuisine: mainly sharing plates

Address: 50 Oikimoke Road, Te Puna, Tauranga

Phone: 07 552 4558

Website

Drinks: Homemade ciders & a few wines

Reservations: In summer and at weekends definitely

The Cider Factorie has gone from strength to strength in the couple of years it has been open. The seated area has expanded and been part covered and the cider itself has got better and better as the growing collection of medals on the walls attest.

      

It really is a lovely spot with a small, well-chosen menu running from pate and charcuterie through small plates, a few stand-alone meals (duck confit, burgers), and sides. (A shout out for the fact they do Poutine, that wonderful Canadian mess of chips gravy and "squeaky" cheese!). 

We checked out a few ciders. I'm partial to the fiejoa and apple, Cohen liked the plum (not too sweet) and we both enjoyed the straight apple. There are several others and they also have half a dozen wine options. 

From the selection of small plates we chose:

Miso Roasted Cauliflower, sauteed chickpeas, on creamy hummus with fresh herbs, olive oil, flatbread - $15

Japanese Fried Chicken, slaw, pickled ginger, kewpie mayo - $16

Pan-fried Prawns, shallots, garlic butter, white wine, lemon - $17

and a side of

Stir-fried Green Beans, garlic, whipped feta - $8.5

 

And everything was very tasty. The Chicken Karaage was moist and gingery, and crisp without being in any way greasy, the sauce on the prawns was rich in onion and garlic and butter, and the beans were still crunchy, with nutty hits of fried garlic scattered on top and feta underneath.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cauliflower was also very good, with fresh flatbread to scoop up the hummus and a crunch from the chickpeas. Like many cauliflower dishes these days I thought it could have done with slightly higher temperature roasting to accentuate the nutty char on the cauliflower but it was pretty damn close!

It was a lovely day so we sat in the sun for a while and looked out over the water with a couple more ciders. Now that there are no wineries to visit in the Bay we're lucky to have somnewhere like the Cider Factorie, with its beautiful setting and laid-back friendly vibe.