Take a seat and be spoilt with locally sourced food and wine whilst you enjoy people watching and the activities happening on the water. Let all of your senses be awakened and aroused.

Words by Veronika Makovey-Carafa

Queenstown is a pretty magical place, there are no ifs or buts about that. From the jaw-droppingly beautiful scenery that you are constantly surrounded by (no matter how far you roam), the fresh air, the food and wine scene, the abundance of activities to engage in, to the strong emphasis on sustainability and design embedded in the psyche of the residents and council. It’s a holiday destination that you can return from feeling truly invigorated and inspired (relaxed perhaps, yet not a likely possibility from the activities galore).

The beauty of travelling to Queenstown is you can stay the entire time just roaming around the city centre, or hire a car and venture out for one or a couple of days. If you’re after a cosy nook to dip into, in between all of your activities, or as an evening plan to be excited about, look no further than the Rodd & Gunn lodge. It’s located in the very heart of Queenstown city centre, along some of the most prime real estate and walking tracks for pedestrians meandering along the footpath overlooking Queenstown beach and the Main Town Pier.

Upon walking up the pathway and being greeted by the enormous black steel framed windows, the lodge is inviting in every sense of the word. From the chairs sprawled with soft sheepskin furs, armchairs with tartan patterns, fur bar stools, earthy material choices like the stone and oak floor, timber wall feature and brass accents, fireplace, full wine wall cabinet and super friendly and warm staff. Every detail of the lodge has been thought through; not just the delectable food, which was truly exquisite (more on the food shortly), but the drink and wine selection, down to the iconic Rodd & Gunn logo embossed into the tables and even the ice cubes in your cocktails.

We were fortunate enough to secure the window table, I can’t say it was the best seat in the house because each seat in the lodge has it’s own special flavour and view of Lake Wakatipu, but the little steel framed glass cubicle certainly felt VERY intimate and secluded as we completed our best people and water watching whilst devouring the delicious food and wine which came our way. When the wind behaved the doors were opened so we could really enjoy every element of the moment and location. The whole experience was truly piquant. Executive Chef Matt Lambert’s menu was innovative, creative and appeased all the senses. Everything brought out was a visual masterpiece and left our taste buds intrigued and wanting more mouthfuls. Each flavour was carefully considered and matched perfectly with Master Sommelier Cameron Douglas’ wine choices, it was a perfect pairing.

For our evening we enjoyed the:

Market Oysters flavoured with Rhubarb mignonette, citrus olive oil, as well as the playful twist on ‘Fish & Chips' kombu cured fish, battered chip, tartare sauce and the 'Kiwi chips and dip' as a starter.

An Entrée of Market crudo pickled with celery and cacao as well as the Fritto misto fried calamari and the Lake Ohau wagyu carpaccio, egg yolk jam, chives, chips

For our Mains we chose the Lumina lamb shoulder tomato ragù, casarecce, parmesan and the NY strip on the bone, steak jus, confit garlic. With sides of Pan roasted asparagus with roasted yeast flakes, roasted garlic butter and Mixed leaf salad sprinkled with ricotta, toasted seeds, basil dressing. My goodness!!

Our cocktail choices were very clear winners; the THYME AFTER TIME with Rosemary & thyme infused 1919 gin, cucumber, wasabi, fresh lime juice, sugar syrup was the refreshing hit I was chasing, not to mention so visually alluring and the BLOOD ORANGE ROYALE Campari, Mancino Rosso vermouth, Rodd & Gunn 'Royale' Methode Traditionelle, blood orange was bold and beautiful.

And although we were at capacity with very content hearts and stomachs, our neighbouring table ordered the Sticky toffee pudding served with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and it looked incredible. Judging by their enjoyment levels, I’m sure it tasted that way too.

Absolutely nothing could be faulted, it was all so delectable that we had to restrain ourselves from licking the plates clean. It was the perfect evening to soak up the dramatic views (it’s wonderful it gets dark close to 10pm in January, so the mountains could be enjoyed for longer), reflect on our favourite moments of the trip so far (which definitely included this dining event) and what else we’d like to see and experience for the remainder of the time we had left (a visit back to the lodge for the Sticky Date pudding was on the list!).

Ensure the lodge is on your Queenstown bucket list, it’s a showstopper.

Book your table HERE

Lakeside, 2 Rees St, Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown 9300 | tlqueenstown@roddandgunn.com | +64 (0) 3442 9426

https://www.roddandgunn.com/au/the-lodge/queenstown