“It’s the details that count” I find myself saying to Mr NQN. We’re at our second destination on our New Zealand holiday and staying at the Otahuna Lodge, a 5 star luxury resort just 30 minutes out of Christchurch. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of New Zealand Lodges, grab a cup of tea or coffee and settle in. Lodges in New Zealand are heavenly places and this is a place I find myself nodding and clucking with approval at a lot. You see I could be called a pedant when it comes to hotels but a nicer way to describe me is as “detail oriented” and the thing I love the most about places is the little details (and it’s what I find distinguishes 4 star places from 5 star). When we pull up behind another car of visitors, each party of guests in this seven suite hotel is greeted by one of the owners. Co-owner Miles greets us with Jimmy the chef  and our bags magically disappear to our room and we are taken on a short tour of the Queen Anne style building.

Formerly a house built in 1895 for Sir Heaton Rhodes it’s had a rich and varied history and among the numerous owners, it also served as a commune where six families lived until it was recently purchased by owners Miles Refo and Hall Cannon. Miles shows us the library where guests can enjoy their dinner (or you can dine in the sunken wine cellar or turret room).

Bedroom

Pachelbel’s Canon in D Major is playing on the Bose system when we walk into our room (the Verandah Suite) and I’m so delighted and smile (although I doubt the details went so far as to researching the music that I walked down the aisle to ). It’s huge, at 1000 square feet and there are two fireplaces, one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom.

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Baaaah!

“A hunting we will go, a hunting we will go…” I sing quietly to myself. Never mind that my version of hunting doesn’t quite involve a rifle but instead involves a different kind of activity. For this day Mr NQN and I are following Liss and her husband A and their adorable troop of girls on their monthly Farmgate pilgrimage to find the freshest meat, fruit and vegetables. Every month they visit the following farmgate producers and through smart shopping they manage to find food at very competitive prices with the produce lasting them for 3-4 weeks. It would be an adventure for us and we would end it off with a session of apple, lime and fig picking!

Awards upon awards

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NQN readers are wonderful people. I’ve said this several times and some comments and emails really make me chuckle. Take for instance Kristy who sent me a photo of a fancy pants foil swan when I queried whether people get doggie bags. Another reader Anne recently sent me  recommendation (and thankyou for all of you that do, I will get to all of them one day!) to go to Bitton Gourmet in Alexandria. It’s a place that we pass every time we go to the Inner West or Newtown and one of those places where I always say to Mr NQN “Oh we should really go there!”. Then one day Gina, who is now a lady of leisure, and I were deciding on where to go to lunch and I knew instantly where we should go. The only thing is that Gina and I are both directionally challenged and she doesn’t know her way around the East and Inner West and I just can’t remember the way exactly. We get there by sheer miracle with all of the road signs pointing our way.

We’re seated outside and we get the menus. Our eyes widen and we coo “Oooh all day breakfast!” and we both agree to share an order of the poached eggs and a club sandwich. The menu items that have a Bitton product used in them are bolded.

Latte $3.40

Cappucino $3.40

The Grinders coffee is aromatic and silkily smooth without any bitterness at all. And you can order these in bowls too – how French! Speaking of French, the owner David Bitton comes out from the back and says hello. He uses that famous French charm on people.

Poached Eggs served with Black Forest Ham, Spinach, Potato Roesti and Hollandaise Sauce $18.50

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