The Cornerstone Bar, Blenheim

We found The Cornerstone to be a busy bar in Blenheim that was quite noisy due a Hens party whilst we were there, but it contributed to a nice relaxed vibe. We started with a plate of mussels (in a white wine sauce) and chips; the mussels were overdone and the chips were limp and soggy.

For my main I had the fish of the day, which was blue cod and was accompanied with prawns, mussels, salad and rice. The blue cod and prawns were nicely cooked and flavoursome. The mussels were also thankfully significantly better than the entree and very enjoyable. The rice felt a bit lost on the plate and the salad was basic but perfectly fine.

Jane had the Coq au Vin and found the chicken to be beautifully tender and falling off the bone. It was a basic dish that whilst okay, she wouldn’t order again.

La Veranda at George Michel, Blenheim

Lunch at La Veranda consists of a menu that mainly has platters. Jane and I both decided to have the Fruite de la Mers (i.e. Seafood platter).

The platter, had a fresh prawn cocktail, salmon dip, caper-berries, creme fraiche and dill and a salmon tartar. This was accompanied with bread. It was a simple but nice platter and I enjoyed all of the parts.

Not surprisingly, the platters did arrive very quickly once ordered, and other than the first platter having some difficulty getting to Jane and portions enjoying Jane’s dress the service was good.

Raupo, Blenheim

Breakfast alongside the river in Blenheim is a lovely way to start the day, and Raupo is perfectly positioned with a good quantity of outside seating to do it justice.

We were one of two tables in the cafe when we first arrived, so were able to chose an outside table with great views along the river. The decor inside, although we only briefly passed through, looked to be very stylish.

I had the Eggs Raupo for breakfast, which consisted of Poached eggs on Brioche with a Tomato Hollandaise with Smoked Salmon and Greens. I did wonder if it would be a bit too busy in terms of flavour, and it was slightly, although in general I enjoyed my meal. It was apparent that Raupo takes pride in the quality of their meals and the ingredients they use. The accompanying trim latte on the other hand was a bit burnt.

Jane had the big breakfast done with gluten free bread and found it to also be good, although the scrambled eggs weren’t great.

The service was pleasantly friendly and the food arrived in a timely manner.

Quench Restaurant & Wine Bar, Blenheim

We ate out at Quench restaurant on Boxing Day in Blenheim. Located at Chateau Marlborough this restaurant was one of the few that seemed to be open on Boxing Day in the area.
I started with a venison dish that came with a beetroot salad. The venison was nicely cooked, but was lacking in flavour. The beetroot salad was flavoursome and the highlight of the dish.



Jane started with a prawn, mango and avocado salad that was accompanied with fresh coriander and found that it was lacking in flavour, and would have benefited from better quality ingredients.



I had the beef fillet for my main and found it cooked to rare (as requested). The fillet was presented on a bed of potato and Portobello mushrooms. The dish tasted fine however it was lacking any wow factor and lacked any depth of flavour.



Jane had Salmon on bed of egg noodles and a few veges. The salmon was beautifully cooked but she found the dish was a bit ho-hum.



We had an accompanying salad that was heavily dressed although I quite liked the flavour of it, up until I found a hair in the salad. When we pointed out the hair to the waitress and asked her to let the chef know, she didn’t even attempt to apologise. Other than that the service was good and the food arrived very quickly.