Not to my taste
We found ourselves in Motueka at lunchtime on a fine winter day, and the name "Grape and Grain" appealled.

The place looked promising too. Sunny tables outside, and a light seating area inside with a log burner. An antipasto platter for two at $15.00 seemed like the ideal choice for two people with small appetites.

My partner had a beer, and I decided I would skip the alcohol and get coffee with the meal. It was a bad start when the coffee was delivered to the opposite side of the table and passed across. It would have been only a couple of steps more to bring it to my side.

The platter was not at all what we expected. There was cheese, quite a lot of it in fact, of 4 different types. We wondered if an eight year old had cut it up. Round the edge were snax biscuits (some oveseas readers might call these saltines). As well as this there were about six mussels and a few slices of salami. A tiny bowl in the centre of the plate held both chutney and pesto.

The waitress who served this brought us side plates, but speculated about whether we would want them. There were also cake forks provided, but no knives or the like. It was not clear what we should do with the spreads.

I am used to getting olives and maybe some marinated mushrooms, or at least pickled onions with this sort of platter, along with small quantities of a variety of meats, and a choice of breads. I normally nibble on the olives with a small amount of cheese and meat. I found little to take my fancy in this platter which better deserved the title cheeseboard.

I wouldn't recommend this establishment.    [27 Jul 2003 00:11:07]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 

     ­Olwen