For our actual anniversary evening, Kay from A Culinary Experience, a fantastic Nelson B&B, booked us into Hopgoods which she said was the best place to eat in Nelson and if you can’t trust a foodie’s word, I don’t know who you would listen to. She and her husband Joe eat out regularly in order to keep on top of the food scene here. In Nelson, restaurants close down and change hands more often that you would think so eating out and sampling food is a necessary evil. OK I wouldn’t call eating out an evil at all, who am I kidding?
Kay had warned us that Nelson is a more casual sort of place. People don’t get really dressed up here and walking into Hopgoods, it’s unstuffy looking but still retains elements of fine dining with brown wooden chairs, white tablecloths and cute decorating touches. Kay warns us that the meals are a little on the small side here but since we’ve had some of the gorgeous Kikoranji blue cheese, apple and aged gouda back at the B&B, we’re not as hungry as might have been so we opt to share an entree and have a main each. The menu is not strong on native New Zealand food although there are a couple of NZ items.
Smoked Marlborough Salmon with Greek style salad, hot feta croutons and lemon infused olive oil $19.50NZD
The entree, smoked Marlborough Salmon with Greek style salad comes out fanned on a plate, sashimi thick. We delve right in and are rewarded with a delicious taste sensation. The salmon is gorgeous, and the salad , although not one you usually see matched with salmon, is a delicious match for it with the creamy feta, sweet cherry tomatoes and salty black olives a not overly strong foil for the delicate salmon. The crispy feta balls are perfection and just what the dish needs.
Olive crusted lamb loin and slow cooked shoulder with herb mash, ratatouille and salsa verde $34.50
We’re waiting quite a while for our mains, in fact the other trio of people staying at the B&B are waiting even longer. They waited 2.5 hours to receive their mains so I suppose in comparison ours is a relatively short wait. The Lamb arrives with 4 delicate slices of lamb loin on top of a ratatouille and some slow cooked lamb shoulder and a salsa verde. It’s perfect. The shoulder is fall apart soft with a lovely sauce and the soft ratatouille matches the softness of the lamb shoulder. I offer to not swap this with my husband but he’s smarter than that. I should probably learn how to act disgusted instead of looking so over the moon with happiness and food lust.
Pure Angus beef fillet with mushroom gratin, bacon rosti, organic carrots and truffle jus $35.50
Creamy mash $6
The beef with mushroom gratin is soft and delicious and comes on a bacon roesti with organic carrots. It is lovely although anything preceded by the lamb is going to look less stellar simply by comparison. Whilst the service may be a bit on the casual side, the food is absolutely serious.
Ricky, the special needs tufted capuchin
The next day we visited Natureland Zoo, Nelson’s main zoo. Natureland was actually one of our original reasons for visiting New Zealand as we had seen an episode of Wild Vets on television and fallen in love with the special needs monkey there called Ricky, a tufted Capuchin. Although this is a food and travel blog I just had to share my excitement at meeting Ricky with you.
Ricky happy at having his tummy tickled
Allow me to briefly share Ricky’s story. When he was only a few hours old his older brother who was at the time the youngest of the group, hurt Ricky very badly giving him brain damage. As a result Ricky has epilepsy and can’t live with the other Capuchins as they would probably kill him. However what Ricky does have is a very gentle nature so that he can walk around the Zoo without harming anyone and can be carried like a baby.
He is incredibly well looked after getting daily baths and teeth cleaning, twice weekly massages and physical therapy sessions and walks. His favourite food is carrots and strawberry and banana Eskimoes (NZ sweets) and even though he is special needs, he knows exactly how to get his favourite treats.
We were very lucky indeed when Gail from Natureland hears that we have come all the way from Sydney so she brings him out and lets us play with him. Being a complete monkey lover this was one of biggest highlights of our New Zealand trip and I can’t thank the people at Natureland enough for looking after Ricky so well and for letting us see him.
Hopgoods
284 Trafalgar Street, Nelson, New Zealand
Tel: +64 (03) 545-7191
Natureland Zoo
Tahunanui Beach, Nelson
Tel: +64 (03) 548-6166
http://www.natureland.co.nz/
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30 Comments | Add your own
Oh my gosh he looks like such a sweetie.
i just read your post! aww. ricky is adorable
Lorraine, that is so sweet. Makes me want to jump on a plane and go give him a cuddle. I can’t watch tv shows like that about animals. I just end up bawling my eyes out.
Ricky looks so cute! Aww gosh how wonderful to be able to pat him up close =)
Look at that face! Ricky is the sweetest. I’ve neber seen a monkey that you could carry around like that.
The food looks soo good. it’s making my mouth water. But people had to wait 2.5 hrs for their meal!? That’s incredible. I would have been so angry I would have walked out.
BTW, I have an intense fear of monkeys…so I skipped over that part >_>
wow wish to visit that zoo
The photos are amazng the food looks delicious 
Happy Easter!
Food looked good, the monkey was scary!!!!!
That salmon looks wonderful. Nice presentation too. Thanks for the nice story about Ricky
What, no pudding?! Lovely pictures of Ricky – sounds like he gets better treatment than a lot of special needs humans!
Happy Easter xx
You had me at simian.
I was expecting for the dessert as well, but seem you were not asking for it as you were not too hungry.
Monkey is known as a rage tempered animal who usually will go “wild” at any time, however seem Ricky is very quiet and tame?
Poor little monkey! I like the hand-holding shot.
Sounds like the food was good even if it was slow. Lucky you weren’t hungry. The fetta balls sound awesome.
I must get back to NZ pronto!!!! Their salmon, lamb and other produce is just magnificent.
Happy Easter Lorraine (if you indeed celebrate it at all!).
I’m here trying to guess what amazingly delicious foods you cooked up for your hubby/family. I bet it was tasty!
Oh and I’m still wanting to visit NZ – your posts keep fueling that flame
Hi Belinda-He was! He had the sweetest face you could imagine
Hi Reemski-Me too, he is such a gentle sweetheart of a monkey and they way he looks at you is with total
innocence and trust, it’s quite remarkable!
Hi Brianna-Absolutely! It was such a highlight!
Hi Aubrey-It’s so unusual, normally they’re so strong and can be very naughty/violent but he is so gentle!
Hi ArtemisIII-I know, they were very unhappy when they came back, poor things! They were more uspet that there
was no sort of amends for it too. Oh no really?
Hi snooky doodle-It was such a lovely little zoo. Thankyou!
Hi Libby-It was so delicious and soft! YOu’re welcome!
Hi Angela-The main took so long and we were already quite full! He is treated so well, his food looks better
than a lot of what is sold in food courts!
Happy Easter! xxx
Hi justJENN-Hehe cool!
Hi Lilia-No we had cheese and all sorts of goodies that afternoon just before we got there. Yes they can be
but I think with his special needs he just doesn’t have that propensity. He walks around the zoo around kids
all the time and I don’t think they’d let him do that if he were a threat. He’s just so lovely and gentle!
Hi Arwen-Thanks! That’s my favourite shot too along with the one tickling his tummy as he was so happy
Yes it was good thing we weren’t hungry or we would’ve been rather annoyed!
Hi Cakelaw-Definitely! The food is fantastic!
Hi red neon hearts-Happy Easter!
We don’t really do a lot of big Easter things, in fact this weekend involved a lot of eating out and the Easter Show and eating all of the goodies we bought in our Easter Show deli bag 
If you can, definitely go. It’s so lovely! 
Poor Ricky, but it sounds like hes been looked after well.
That Lamb dish sounds awesome! Even though it took ages to come out. I can see why your husband wanted to try it!
Eek, monkey! That is also an AWFUL long wait for food, but as long as it’s time spent preparing the dish and not just the kitchen forgetting you, then it’s acceptable.
as usual, everything looks freaking delicious. you must have a very happy belly indeed.
that monkey is precious! I love the pic with you holding his hand!
Hi there thank you very much for the great review .Just one important point for us, point no one has ever waited 2.5hours,the max anyone has waited for a main is 1hr. How do we go about correcting this please? I work every night and know no one has sat in the restaurant from (for example) 7.30 to 10.00pm waiting for their mains to come out after their starters as I handle evey order that comes through and the computer (not us) puts the time on them.
Thanks for your help clearing this up
Hi Maria-I think he is treated very well, the sweet little thing! It was worth the wait
Hi anna-Yeah we weren’t that hungry (hence no desserts) so it was ok for us.
Hi Sophia-We did! Nice to have a great meal for our actual anniversary
Thanks, that’s my favourite pic too!
Hi kevin-Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that’s what they told us and they returned to the B&B very late that night. When we left they hadn’t gotten their mains and they were seated a little before us. If it helps the meal was on the 4th of March this year and both our reservations were for 7.30pm.
Who’s Simion?
Hi Ridves-He’s a very hairy guy.
Hi Lorraine
Great to meet you when you were at Natureland. We loved your story about Ricky and thanks so much for the photos of him. Ricky says THANKS HEAPS for the lollies. He felt pretty special getting a parcel all the way from Australia!
Hi Gail-Nice to meet you too and thankyou so much for bringing Ricky out and for spending so much time with us. It was really wonderful to visit the zoo!
Just wanted to share with our special spot should you ever return to the Nelson area!
Hi Lorraine
Sadly, Rikki the capuchin had a heart attack in May, and dies (aged about 15 I think)
A memorial service was held at Natureland for him, attended by many who enjoyed seeing him there.
Hi Pauline-I hope to return one day in the not too distant future!
Hi Heather-Thankyou so much for letting me know. Mr NQN and I fell in love with Ricky and were very, very sad to hear of his passing
RIP Ricky.
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