Winter Dining Deals in Nelson – Nelson Mail 26.05.15

Winter is a tough time for any hospitality business but in a relatively low population area like Nelson most try and make enough money over busy summer months to be able to survive through very slow winter months.

Sometimes that is a real struggle but business owners who work hard to tempt you and I away from the warm comfort of home during bleak winter months can make some money during this time too, rather than just surviving.

In the last few years some restaurants have been offering deals during the winter months that are just too good to turn down and this year there are some beauties on offer. Some are letting us bring our own wines on certain nights of the week and others are offering set menus for a set price and some are organising events to try and drag you away from home.

To see what is happening each week either follow the restaurants on Facebook or check out their websites.

This winter you don’t need to stay at home. Believe it or not all of the local restaurants have heaters and in Nelson we are lucky enough to have a wide range of high quality food styles to choose from. Here are some of the best deals in town this winter.

Harbour Light Bistro & Restaurant

www.harbourlightbistro.co.nz

www.facebook.com/pages/Harbour-Light-Bistro-Nelson

What better place to enjoy a dinner with a winemaker than overlooking the stunning Nelson Harbour. On the 10^thJune Harbour Light Bistro will host the first of their winter winemaker’s dinners. Kahurangi Estate will be serving a range of their wines with Steve Croyne’s beautiful food.

Hopgood’s Restaurant

www.hopgoods.co.nz

www.facebook.com/HopgoodsRestaurant

At Hopgood’s they have had BYO Monday for a few years and it is proving very popular. Don’t bother bringing a cheap wine from the bottom shelf at the supermarket, you are better off buying something nice from their extensive wine list. However if you do have a few bottles you have been carefully cellaring for a few years then for a modest corkage fee of $10 this is an opportunity to enjoy them with great food.

On Tuesday and Wednesday they have the ‘Chef’s Choice’ menu. This is two courses of the chef’s choice with a glass of wine for $45 per person. The dishes change weekly and they do offer choices if you are vegetarian. Last week’s dishes were fish cakes and pork belly.

Kahurangi Estate

www.kahurangiwine.com

www.facebook.com/KahurangiEstateWine

Live in the Moutere area or want short trip to a winery? Then as well as during the day, every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night Kahurangi are serving their delicious wood-fired pizzas. Dine inside with a huge open fire to keep you toasty warm.

A recent Grab One deal of $23 for two pizzas was an offer not to be missed. Follow them on Facebook for their next great deal.

Urban Eatery Restaurant & Bar

www.urbaneatery.co.nz

www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Eatery

You need to make friends with Urban on Facebook because they are always serving up new and exciting flavours in imaginative ways. Last week during Happy Hour on Friday they offered $12 cocktails and you got a bucket of ribs with a $20 spend at the bar.

Monday nights are BYO nights so you can dust off those old cellar bottles & pop the cork at Urban for $10! And then on Monday to Thursday night they offer a tasting menu, you get five small courses for $50 per person and the food changes depending on the mood of the chef.

Urban is a very cool bar that serves outstanding small plates of restaurant quality food so let them serve you food they love too. Check out the soft-shell crab dish, it is delicious.

Morrison St Late Night on Hardy

www.morrisonstreetcafe.co.nz

www.facebook.com/pages/Morrison-Street-Cafe

Morrison Street Café isn’t open at night except for the Late Night on Hardy event on the last Thursday of each month and they are starting to roll out some special dinners for those nights. At the end of June I will be hosting a wine and food dinner, I have selected wines to match with their food and will explain why I have selected the wines and will try and answer any of your questions.

Kay will be serving four small courses, I will match wines with each course and all it will cost you is $55 per person. Check out their Facebook page for details or phone them to book one of the strictly limited places.

This dinner will be followed by other deals and treats on the last Thursday of each month.