Dish Day Out – Waiheke Island

When it comes to putting together New Zealand’s favourite food and drinks title, it is a small, fiercely passionate team that gets the job done. Made up of a core group of five we have Claire Aldous (Food Editor), Bel Bonnor (Commercial Manager), Chrisanne Terblanche (Art Director), Caitlin Whiteman (Digital Editor), and me (CEO and Editor).

When we’re at work we’re 'noses to the grindstone', but every once in a while it’s important to take some time out and recalibrate. Which is exactly what we did last week on a day out to Auckland’s beautiful Waiheke Island.  Having taken the car ferry from Half Moon Bay to Kennedy Point we arrived at the perfect time for a morning coffee stop at Island Coffee (or more formally, The Waiheke Island Coffee Roasting Company) a boutique coffee roastery and café in Ostend owned by Stephen and Jane Burn with help from sons Finn and Tom. And while there are cafés aplenty on the island, this one is a Dish-team favourite for exceptional coffee, warm friendly service and great pastries.  Utterly charming!

Next up was a leisurely stroll along stunning Onetangi Beach, enjoying the perfect autumn weather.

We did just enough walking to whet our appetites for the subsequent stop – lunch at the always popular eatery and distillery, The Heke. Fortunately for us co-owner Roanne Parker was on hand for a warm welcome and a chat (and a quick peek at the award-winning-whisky distillery), before drinks were chosen, the menu pored over and the feasting begun! We were keen to try as many bites of different things as we could manage, and the delicious line up included In-house Pickled Vegetables, Fresh Fish of the Day (in this case Kingfish, served raw with roasted capsicum, red onion and kiwifruit salsa), The Heke Margherita Pizza, Heirloom Tomato Salad (with creamy stracciatella), The Perfect Grilled Salmon (with miso corn purée and watercress), Moreish Roasted Carrots (a totally triumphant combination of maple and cumin roasted baby carrots, with hummus, dukkah, coriander sauce and pomegranate molasses), Summer Vegetable Salad (with cucumber, pea, pea purée, mint, feta and chilli oil) and New Zealand Lamb (shoulder slow-cooked overnight with The Heke beer, served pulled with skordalia mashed potato, jus, rosemary garlic oil, dressed courgette and mint).

The Heke’s Romanian-born head chef Andrei Rotar certainly knows his stuff, serving up plate after plate of perfectly seasoned food, mixing flavours and textures brilliantly, using the best, fresh seasonal produce. Magic. Combined with the relaxed and welcoming surrounds The Heke is a must-visit casual eatery on the island – it’s easy to see why it was awarded Most Outstanding Local at the prestigious 2024 Lewisham Awards last June.

As you might imagine, the Dish team aren’t shy of heartily enjoying a good meal, and so even though we had tucked in fulsomely at The Heke, and we could definitely have lingered longer, there was more to come. We headed across the island from Onetangi to Oneroa, to the renowned Mudbrick Vineyard and Restaurant. Given that it was a beautiful sunny day, we opted to sit outside in the picturesque Archive bistro, soaking up the spectacular view – in the distance the glistening Hauraki Gulf, and right in front of us the absolutely enchanting, picture-perfect potager garden.

With the liquid encouragement of a bottle of fantastic Mudbrick Reserve Albariño we loosened our belts and found room for Sago Pudding (served chilled with drunken pineapple and a coconut crumb), a gorgeous, classic Tiramisu, a cleverly intriguing Miso Pannacotta (with black Doris sorbet and sesame) and a delicious concoction featuring sponge layered with mascarpone and limoncello lemon curd, dotted with meringue. Executive Head Chef Mrinal Ghosal’s Michelin star experience was on show with the stunning array, mixing both classic techniques and innovative techniques to create his too-tempting-to-say-no delights.

And so, completely replete, after a fun-filled day of laughter, camaraderie and spectacular food and drinks we waddled back to the car and headed toward the car ferry homeward bound!

If you'd like to read more about the Waiheke Island spots we love, click here.