The Freeport Tavern and Eatery brings the popular family and gastro-tavern theme to Bayfair's new Dine restaurant precinct which opened earlier this year and has been buzzing ever since.
The Freeport is owned by Aaron Hodson and Tim McLaren — the business partners also own the adjacent Cleaver & Co which Aaron runs while Tim is at the helm of the Freeport.
With a huge airy dining and bar space, the Freeport is themed with the Port of Tauranga in mind, inspired by the tax-free ports that sailors would meet at, exchanging tales out at sea, says Tim.
"Situated close to the port itself, Freeport is our little nod to this integral part of Tauranga."
There's a mural of a container ship on one wall and even the restrooms are nautical themed. The menu is reflective of both local Tauranga produce with a nod to different nations the port serves, says Tim.
"So there's good old Kiwi fish and chips and fruit pavlova, but we also have Italian pizza or spicy Mexican fish tacos."
The duo wanted to create a place where all feel welcome — whether it's a couple of cold Little Creatures beers after work, a wine with friends in the sunny courtyard, a dinner spot with the whole family or a coffee destination for the Mount mums.
The menu
There's a wide range of sharing plates to tempt shoppers taking a break from swiping their credit cards, or the perfect accompaniment to after work wines and beers.
We tried a starter of wood fired bread with garlic sauce — it was a generous loaf of delicious home made bread which you could add as much or as little garlic to as you like.
The crispy fish tacos with siracha mayo had a surprising chilli kick to it which we loved — I enjoyed surprising my dining partner who naively thought he was biting into your average fish fillet. If you love spice you will love these — and Tim says they are among the tavern's most popular menu choices. Have some water at the ready for the faint hearted.
We also dug into a huge salad of zucchini with ricotta, pomegranate, mint and hazelnuts.
An explosion of taste and texture sensations with the soft salty cheese contrasting with the sweet crunch of the fruit and nuts and the refreshing mint leaves.
We followed these with a pizza, freshly made in the pizza oven by chefs that are in view of diners — again a very generous size, great for sharing.
The dough takes up to five days to prove, then is hand-stretched. Tim comments that they "keep the flavours simple with only four to six ingredients per pizza". This is to ensure that each ingredient can be tasted to complement the dough.
There is everyone's favourite margherita, or another vegetrian option with artichokes, mushroom, zucchini and olives but we opted for the Proscuitto with rocket, fior de latte (soft cheese like mozzarella) and pecorino (Italian sheep's milk cheese like Parmesan). It was huge, and very authentically Italian.
We also tried a vegetarian dish of crispy eggplant and grilled tofu with spinach and pine nuts. The eggplant was juicy and succulent adding delicious flavour to the tofu, also perfectly golden brown on the outside and tender on the inside.
There are also large plates of dishes like grilled scotch fillet in red wine sauce serviced with broccolini and fries, Freeport fish and chips with Little Creatures batter, fries, lemon and tartare sauce; market fish with white beans, grilled lettuce and romanco salsa, or a choice of burgers.
Desserts
Not defeated yet, we were tempted by the scrumptious sounding desserts, trying a salted caramel brulee tart served with vanilla cream, and a white and dark chocolate mousse, with a biscuit crumb and sour cherries — an indulgent combination of sweet and sour.
Drinks
On the drinks side of the menu, Little Creatures has made its way to The Mount. Some of the beers have previously only available in the Hobsonville, Auckland brewery. The offerings include the Little Creatures IPA, the XPA which was brewed for the Little Creatures 18th birthday, Dog Days Session Ale and Rogers, a lighter 3.5% option.
Service
We were there on a busy Friday lunch time and were impressed by the energetic and attentive staff. Tim and Aaron say staff across both restaurants were chosen on "attitude rather than a polished CV".
The kitchen is run by top-notch head chef Toby Worthington. Toby, originally from Kerikeri, has spent the last 11 years abroad working in the UK and Australia with some outstanding chefs and in some highly regarded restaurants such as Est. (under Peter Doyle), Dinner by Heston in London and Merivale group sites in Sydney. Toby moved to Mount Maunganui with his partner Avril early this year. Both Tim and Aaron's wives have been helping to cover shifts and set the venues up.
The verdict
With a friendly vibe, delicious, great value food and great service, the Freeport has something for everyone and we will be back.
the details
The Freeport Tavern and Eatery
Shop 0704 Bayfair Shopping Centre,
19 Girven Rd, Mt Maunganui
Facebook: www.facebook.com/thefreeport