Summer dining: Union Fare Eatery
Dining al fresco on a perfect summer’s day or evening has to rate right up there in the top 10 of favourite things people love to do.
Not every eating establishment has that seamless indoor/outdoor flow, so it is a sure bet that when one such restaurant is discovered,
it soon becomes a favourite destination.
Union Fare Eatery is a spacious and handsome villa, that has been tastefully refurbished to provide a delightful ambience in which patrons can enjoy the ultimate dining experience.
This semi-rural restaurant offers both a brunch and lunch menu, with lunch dining hours extended for the season until 3.30pm.
The idyllic garden setting makes for the perfect place to relax with friends, sipping a glass of bubbly or a cocktail or two while feasting from a shared platter.
With the evenings also now extended, from Thursday through to Saturday, now is the perfect time to get in early and book for corporate functions, family celebrations or that special intimate dinner.
Owner and Head Chef Tom Hiddlestone has put a lot of thought into creating his new summer menus for brunch, lunch and evening dining.
Coconut chia pudding; sesame duck hash; the big breakfast, and the scrumptious blueberry and dark chocolate hot cake, are but a few of the delectable dishes available on the brunch menu.
The lunch menu boasts soul-food to savour, such as hot smoked salmon, venison fry and bacon, fennel and coconut chicken salad, fried chicken and cornbread, and ground beef burger.
Evening starters are mini smoked salmon fish cakes, rosemary and garlic polenta fries, buttermilk fried chicken, and fried squid with mango, pepper and charred peanut salsa with avocado. For mouth-watering succulence, the choice of mains offers a 200gm beef fillet, chicken Ballantine wrapped in streaky bacon, grilled hapuku (groper) or a pan-seared cauliflower steak.
Tantalising desserts for sharing are dark chocolate orange and almond brownie with blackberry compote and vanilla bean whipped cream, house-made cheesecake, and dark chocolate, lemon sorbet and vanilla bean trio ice-cream.
Christmas Day is also well in hand, with Tom and his team donning their aprons to bring a prodigious Yuletide five course feast to the table, at $150 per person. Three seating times of 12 noon, 2.30pm and 5.00pm ensure plenty of freedom to plan around opening of presents and catching up with family and friends.
The dining time is allocated for 120 minutes per sitting. Regular updated Christmas Day information can be found on the restaurant’s Facebook page. Tom is proud of how the business has grown its place in the community.
“Union Fare Eatery is my first business after 20 years in hospitality. I love this business and the community that supports us so strongly, it’s a privilege to be in this position.”
“I want my customers to be able to trust that everything we do here has the customer experience in mind. The staff here are a collective of people passionate about what they do. They really do strive to deliver quality, authentic product and service.”
“The environment here is warm and welcoming, with a beautiful established garden outside that is a picture in spring. We love seeing people come down for a cocktail and relaxing with something to graze on during summer afternoons. The place has a great vibe in summer.”
Union Fare Eatery, 597 Springs Road, Prebbleton, Christchurch. Call 03 344 0559.
