a remarkable start to the day…

So, while I was in Queenstown I fell off my ‘be kind to my tummy’ wagon in a very big way.

It was pleasurably easy to do so.

The deal that I made with myself was that I wasn’t going to waste calories- if I was going to eat it, it had better be bloody good. And in pretty well all cases, it was.

I’m often a little hesitant about recommending places- partly in case you have a different experience to me, and partly in case your taste is different to mine.

So, with that fine print being declared, here are my recommendations.

Oh, one last thing- most of the places in Queenstown that do brekky do lunch as well- or brekky menus all day.

Vudu

There are two in town- one in Rees Street, and one in Beach St. My fave is the Rees Street larder.

I found this place accidentally one morning on a lakeside walk- there’s an entrance on the lakefront.

Anyways, I reckon this is the best brekky in town.

One morning I had the quesadillas, and another I had the house smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, real caper berries and dill cream cheese.

The coffee is strong, the display tempting and the service friendly.

Vudu also does a good lunch menu, although brekky is available all day.

Joe’s Garage

Queenstown has some wonderful little laneways.

Scattered through these wonderful little laneways are some great little spots for coffee, eats and drinkies.

Joe’s is one of these.

Located in Searle Lane, Joe’s can be a little tough to find, but is worth the effort. Besides, the Ice Bar is just a few doors down- you might need to know that for later in the evening…

Anyways, great coffee and a simple but well executed brekky. I had the eggs. That’s how it appears on the menu- one word eggs. In reality, it’s two perfectly fried eggs with toast and a small jug of foamy hollandaise.

Bob’s Weigh

Located in Shotover Street, this place has good coffee and good food. Combined with a sunny wall colour and a beat that makes you feel warm inside, Bob’s will get your day off to a cheery start.

Les Alpes

Located in Church Street, be very careful of the window display here- I’m hoping that the glass front was enough to stop the calories from bursting out of their confinement and onto my thighs.

With a French inspired breakfast and lunch menu, and patisseries for those coffee stops at other times, Les Alpes turns into a French fine diner in the evenings.

Pier 19

I had lunch here twice. I had to- not just because the food was good, but because the day was bright, the sky was blue and the lake was inviting.

Located right on the waterfront, on a sunny day it’s a little too tempting to settle in.

I’d been told to try V-Know, but didn’t quite get there. I had a craving for Bluff oysters that needed to be satisfied and that I found in Tatlers that night instead. Besides, they have a zodiac inspired cocktail list- you can check it out at www.tatler.co.nz/cocktails. And no, I didn’t have a sweet cocktail, but rather a glass of Central Otago pinot gris with my amazingly plump Stewart Island Pacifics.

I was also told to check out Ferg Burger and Ferg Bakery. This place had queues from about 11am and still had queues when I walked past again at 4. Given that I’m not supposed to be eating bread, and that I don’t do queuing, I gave Ferg Burger a miss. I will, however, confess to a sneaky pork belly and apple pie from Ferg Baker next door… I sat on the village green and ate it in the sun. It was so good that I could be tempted to queue….maybe next time.