Little Black Bird

The talented Ben & Lucinda will always create a super-tasty vegetarian option. Actually no matter what your dietary request is I know they will go the extra mile to accommodate. I haven’t got a favourite. It’s all scrummy, tasty and super healthy. Ben says he tries “not to do the generic thing, but create something a little more refined”, based on gluten free, vegetarian and dairy free options, and on what’s in season. “There’s more flavour this way and you can actually taste the vegetable,” he says. Most of the food is organic and sourced locally from The Chefs Garden at Epicurean supplies grown at Waipatu.

Orchestrating beautiful flavours and textures from fresh local produce is at the heart of creative super talented chefs Ben and Lucinda. How about ham hock broth with rainbow chard and pearl barley, or a celeriac and roasted Jerusalem artichoke soup? Ben says he tries “not to do the generic thing, but create something a little more refined”, based on gluten free, vegetarian and dairy free options, and on what’s in season. “There’s more flavour this way and you can actually taste the vegetable,” he says. Most of the food is organic and sourced locally from The Chefs Garden at Epicurean supplies grown at Waipatu.

When you get two talented chefs with shared health concepts and a combined talent for healthy food it’s an instant recipe for success. Local chefs Ben Cruse and Lucinda Sherratt conjure up daily colourful, textural, tasty and guilt-free eats for the lunch crowd using organic local ingredients and suppliers where possible. Using top-of-the range ingredients it’s a bit on the pricey side, but what value do you place on health and Red Rabbit is my most-loved coffee in town.

The beautiful silky Red Rabbit ‘Hopper’ coffee from recently-opened Little Black Bird is among some of the best. Along with local, seasonal, nutritional, freshly-prepared food, all made onsite by owners Ben and Lucinda, it’s a cool welcoming place to hang out.

A super-cool urban café on Market Street, recently opened by experienced chef Ben Cruse and yoga teacher, chef and clinical nutritionist Lucinda Sherratt, so you’d expect some good healthy food and that is exactly what you get. The coffee is Red Rabbit and it’s chocolately, silky and super-smooth. They’re open until 7.30pm on Friday evening for snacks and cocktails – expresso martini and gin and tonic with kaffir lime, cucumber and mint, which will fill a gap in an often-barren after work street scene. It’s also home to Outfit catering.