Luxe Lunch Board

Pepe's Mexican Grill On The Go

We were going to post a photo of our food but it was way too good. Pepe's Mexican Grill was the lunch date choice of the day. They specialize in burritos or wraps all made with your option of fresh salads, salsas and dressings.

I'm on the go so I'll sum it up: Great staff, fast service and a fuss-free environment make for a great fresh food option to satiate that midday hunger. 

This is their version of a churro below. A very traditional Mexican dessert. Freshly made and heavenly sprinkled with a cinnamon/sugar blend.

Your Midday Margarita

Let your eyes sip and enjoy.

#eatdrinkandbemerry

Lunching at Hinton's Resturant and Vineyard

Hinton's Restaurant and Vineyard was the latest location for our middle of the week lunch date and the dining experience could not have been better. The scenic location is conveniently located just minutes away from Christchurch Airport and a short drive from the city centre. It is the location of many events because of it's ideal surroundings of gardens, vineyards and buildings laden with history. Even our table was lined by aromatic lavender (pictured below). 

As recommended, we pre-ordered our meals. We were met by owner Dina Hinton upon our arrival and our first course was promptly served shortly thereafter. The staff was gracious and welcoming despite a fashion photo shoot taking place a few meters away which we were told happens quite often at the family owned property.

  Lunch time service is tricky because you want your food quickly but it still must be as fresh and delicious as dinner would be. Being attended to by a quality wait staff is a must have aspect of lunch dining especially. Everyone is busy and in need of a bit of a getaway come lunch time which is where attentive restaurant staff can make the food taste just that much better. Hinton's is the spot for this. Serving lunch Tuesday through Sunday starting at 11:30, their specialization in serving the midday crowd has paid off. The food was good but the highlight of our entire experience were the appetizer and the dessert. They were the Alpha and Omega of lunch that day. 

To start, our tasting plate featured chorizo, feta in basil infused oil and home-marinated Kalamata olives. Each savory bite was a new experience as we mixed and matched the selections to top our homemade crostinis.

Dessert was this cherry flan using local ingredients to create a decadent dessert that many don't do too well. We have dined at many a restaurant that presented us with watery flan molded into odd shapes to distract from the bland flavour. This was not the case here. The cherries were plump and fresh which matched perfectly with the silky flan. The crust was light and not too buttery or overpowering. This plate was finished off with fresh cream and a sprig of mint.

Detail of the sugared fruit that topped the flan.

Hinton's Restaurant and Vineyard is located at 750a Wairakei Road in Christchurch.
For reservations and bookings: +64 3 358 8599

A Risotto Resurgence

We dined on this rich pea risotto at Strawberry Fare. Featuring baby peas, mint, lemon, roasted almonds, goat curd, and shaved parmigiano this gourmet risotto was filling enough to keep me satisfied the entire day. I'm very happy to see so many savory variations of risotto being offered on menus lately. I am partial to the classic mushroom offering but seafood and chorizo have been spotted on our last few dinners out. Risotto lends itself to so many pairings in the food world because of its versatility and richness. What type of risotto is your favorite?

Zedric's Heats Up the Power Lunch

Every now and then we are lucky enough to find a co-worker that we can share interests with beyond what happens between the walls of our cubicles. The ties that bond may be sports, hobbies, or in my and my work BFF’s case – food. Since arriving in my department over two years ago, I can say that my friend and I have shared many memories over a lunchtime meal. Often, our fellow teammates marvel at just how much we can consume between the two of us. However, despite our seemingly monstrous appetites, we both share the desire to eat healthfully and maintain an active lifestyle.

Our most recent lunch outing was to Zedric’s, a local gourmet to go spot conveniently near our work place. Zedric’s specializes in creating chef-prepared meals that can be heated up and eaten at their location or taken home to enjoy at your convenience. All of their gourmet selections are quick-chilled and never frozen. They are simply refrigerated and then microwaved for the ultimate convenience of their patrons.


Other than great tasting food, I can honestly say that of equal importance to me is the customer service at any restaurant I visit - and Zedric’s delivers. I was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of the staff and their genuine willingness to assist me and every customer who walked into their doors, eagerly informing us on everything from the variety of meals, to available portion sizes.

Blackened Tilapia & Butternut Squash Puree

Upon walking into Zedric’s several large coolers line the walls near the entrance. These coolers offer a dazzling array of chef-prepared meals ranging from breakfast items to lunch and dinner meals, along with salads and sweet snacks. After perusing the cooler, I settled on the Blackened Tilapia and Butternut Squash Puree with a banana bar for a light dessert treat. After ringing me up, my helpful cashier Sasha heated up my food in one of the available microwaves. Honestly speaking, as I waited for my food I was unsure if the taste would measure up to my expectations. However, I trust my fellow food lover and friend who had promised that Zedric’s would not disappoint. I began with the fish and immediately enjoyed the zesty taste of the perfectly blackened tilapia. I was equally impressed that despite being microwaved, the texture stayed perfect, the fish moist and delicious. A small side cup of pineapple vinaigrette accompanied the fish and provided a perfect balance to the spice of the tilapia, adding a cool and refreshing finish. Not to be forgotten is the butternut squash puree, which was both light and buttery at the same time. The taste and texture was rich – minus the guilt. After gobbling up my main course, I set out to enjoy my banana bar. The portion size of this dessert is small enough to prevent a sugar overload, but the flavor delivers in a big way. Fresh banana bread envelopes your taste buds, with a light cream cheese frosting that melts in your mouth as quickly as it went in, and I am not ashamed to say I bought another one for the road.

Zedric's offers up healthy drinking options, too!

I can say firsthand that a busy lifestyle often does not lend itself well to eating healthy, but Zedric’s makes it easy with their extensive variety of low-carb, Paleo friendly and vegetarian options. Whether you are in need of a sit down meal or a time saving option for home – Zedric’s is a welcomed option for healthy convenience on the go.

Story & Photos by L. Carpenter