Restaurant Review: RSVP of Cherrywood

On the menu: There are great lunch and brunch options on the RSVP menu but we are here for an evening meal and find ourselves absolutely spoiled for choice. I was pleased to see that RSVP uses olive oil for pan frying and cottonseed oil for deep frying. It's a healthier as well as tastier choice.

There are plenty of seafood options and some very interesting salads listed, too.

Meat lovers will enjoy Scotch and eye-fillet steaks, lamb rump, pork and venison. There are platters to share and if you feel like curry, pasta, or pizza you won't be disappointed. Interesting gluten-free and vegetarian options can be found on the menu, too.

To drink: Every meal on the menu has a wine match so selecting the right one is easy, with many quality wines including local, elsewhere in New Zealand, and international. The drinks list includes specialty coffees, and coffee-and-rum balls, which are a great way to finish a meal.

An extra: Waiter Gordon brought out a small plate with hors d'oeuvres before our meals arrived. These are complimentary for all dinner guests and include some of RSVP's home-made spreads and relishes. Owner Suzanne Edmonds explains that they offer guests a little snack, in case they have a bit of a wait for their meals to arrive since everything is prepared fresh on-site. The restaurant was fully booked but none of the tables had to wait long at all.

I'll have: Scallop and bacon wraps. This entree of fresh scallops wrapped in honey-cured bacon with bearnaise sauce was excellent. As a main I had the Cherrywood Duck. It was a perfectly cooked half duck roasted with morello cherries, cherry brandy and orange sauce served with a baked apple.

He'll have: The Soup of the Day - a vegetable soup big on flavour. His main was the Steak & Prawns and he chose Scotch fillet. It was a generous portion, cooked to perfection. The vegetables that accompanied the meals were scrumptious, too. We both had the recommended wine match as Suzanne suggested and thoroughly enjoyed the combination.

We shared: The cheesecake, also home-made, served with fruit and cream - absolutely delicious.

For the adventurous: Chef's Exceptional Salmon on a bed of watercress with seared scallops and a chilli and lime sauce.

The buzz: We very much enjoyed the homey yet sophisticated atmosphere at RSVP. Suzanne and her team really know how to make their guests feel special. We visited on a Wednesday night and the restaurant was packed - make sure you book a table. This restaurant is out of town, however, it's popular for all the right reasons.

The verdict: This was dining with a difference.

The food was excellent. The service fantastic and well worth the trip out to Cherrywood.

We can't wait for summer so we can enjoy a meal there again in the courtyard. I am also very impressed with the programme that RSVP runs to support local charities. This is a team who understands true hospitality and shows great community spirit, too.

The details:

What: RSVP of Cherrywood

Address: 47 Cherrywood Drive

Contact: (07) 570 3262

Hours: Seven days, 10am-2pm; 5pm-late

Price range: Brunch: $7-$18. Lunch: $16-$26. Light meals: $15-$24. Entrees: $6-$19. Mains: $30-$60. Desserts: $6-$18.