Meadow Introduce a Fresh New Spring Menu and Head Chef

With spring being known as a time for rejuvenation and renewal, it's pertinent that suburban restaurant Meadow kicked off the season with not only a new menu, but with the addition of a new Head Chef.

Kiwi-expat Stephen Smith joins the popular neighbourhood eatery from the across the ditch, where he assisted with the opening of The Roving Marrow, a westernised yum cha restaurant in Melbourne. Closer to home, the well-travelled chef has punched the clock with the likes of Parnell fine-dining experience TriBeCa, The Tasting Shed in Kumeu and Ponsonby’s Tin Soldier.

Supporting Meadow’s farm-to-table ethos, Smith has brought some fresh new ideas to the menu. The reinvention begins with a selection of house-made sodas, spanning flavours: black doris plum with vanilla, salted caramel with braeburn apple, and lemongrass with ginger and manuka honey. The cocktail list is equally as tempting and will bode well once the sun comes out on the outdoor pavilion; the eclectic Bloody Mary list will help you through the next day. We tried the Plummeting Mexican, a nectarous combination of tequila, agave, black doris plum, lime and mint; recommended as an alternative to your average Mojito.

Open from 7am until late (except Mondays), the kitchen’s food menu is open to all scenarios; there's something for those after a clean start to the day - house-made granola and spring fruits from the restaurant’s farm in Clevedon; a hearty lunch in the pulled lamb sandwich or inspired offerings from the pizza oven; afternoon drinking snacks of fried chicken ribs, beef skewers and fries, or the complete nine-yards with the refined dinner menu - here’s looking at you braised lamb shoulder.

During our midday visit we took advantage of two unsuspecting lunch mains: the angus flank steak and pan-fried snapper atop coconut curry and basmati rice. Both were generous in portion size yet managed to possess a light quality suitable for the time of year. Bravo Mr Smith.

For Meadow's full new Spring menu, visit their website.