The Raft
65 Chapel St, Tauranga
As a keen food enthusiast, I am always on the hunt for a great spot for an affordable treat and a great place to take friends and family.
The Raft was just that.
After taking over the Chapel St spot from Zaggers last year, The Raft has managed to put their own spin on the building and create a friendly vibe.
With a spacious and quiet interior, there is a feeling of calm as you walk in and a great choice of seating.
Whether you're there with one other for a meal, a few for a drink or a larger group for a celebration, there are a range of seating options.
For sunny days there is outdoor seating on both sides with thoughtful umbrellas and a view out to the Daisy Hardwick walkway and estuary.
Its location out of the city centre is a relief from the usual car park battle as there is plenty of free parking in the Chapel St shopping centre.
Open from 7am to late, seven days, The Raft caters for all occasions. From breakfast, lunch and dinner to every snack and drink in between including bar food and a great wine and beer selection. Every Thursday is pizza night and there are live jazz performances every Sunday for a nice end to a weekend.
It is a regular for my family for a smoothie and some curly fries after a walk around the estuary.
I took my Mum in for brunch last week for a change and we were not disappointed by the service or the food.
Offering all the brunch classics, Mum went for The Land Bene, eggs benedict with bacon and spinach. They also have The Garden Bene with spinach and mushroom and The Sea Bene with salmon and spinach, all served on an English muffin.
She loved that they provided hollandaise sauce in a separate dish as well as a small amount on the meal because the perfect quantity of hollandaise is one of those things in life that people may never agree on.
I opted for the Mushrooms on Toast which I find a risky choice for brunch because of the usual creamy sauce often being very rich. However I was nicely surprised by its different flavours, which included the more refreshing components of garlic-herb butter, lemon, rocket, parmesan and a strong olive tapenade on sourdough.
Important note: make sure you are a fan of olives before ordering this dish.
We ordered a hot chocolate and a mochaccino, however staff were keen for us to try their special chilli hot chocolate. For those braver than us, I would recommend giving that a go.
All in all, a great morning out and I will definitely go back to try out the bar scene and maybe even some jazz.