make an excuse to get here

My husband and I went to Waiheke Island for my best friends wedding (a couple of blog posts to follow from that incredible place - watch this space!), and then stopped off in Queenstown on the way home for a couple of nights. Queenstown is one of those places where you literally could come for a weekend. If you book enough in advance all the major operators such as Qantas, Emirates and Air New Zealand offer really affordable rates.

We arrived mid-morning and my husband is a huge coffee enthusiast, so naturally he googled the best coffee. TripAdvisor gives Vudu Cafe 4.5/5 stars, which in my book is pretty good! As soon as we had checked in to our accommodation we made a beeline for Beach Street.

Vudu Cafe is the epitome of "Melbourne cool meets Queenstown charm". It's quaint, has it's own distinct personality with very personable staff, and plenty of seating both indoor and out to suit all occasions. Opening in 1997, owner Michelle Freeman sources local and organic products to create her hard-to-choose-from menus.

We arrived at the perfect time - still serving breakfast (my favourite), but early enough for lunch. The menu is seriously hard to choose between. Every single item listed sounds mouth-wateringly tasty. We, of course, started with our much needed coffees. A 'trim' latte and a double shot 'trim' cap. Worth noting that all their coffees have two shots in there (not that you can taste it), and are locally roasted by AllPress and delivered daily. The coffees were great for NZ, but not up to the same standards as Sydney coffee. Was slightly bitter and could have been a little creamier.

I ended up choosing the Brioche french toast with crispy bacon, banana, strawberry and goji berry puree and my husband ordered the Pulled pork and fried egg roll with relish, coriander and jalepeno slaw. They came out relatively fast, and we were the envy of the entire courtyard. Everyone was wishing they ordered our dishes and we were told by all, including the waiter, we had 'chosen well'.

The presentation was immaculate, taste of both was delectable, but that pulled pork roll. Is seriously. the best thing I have tasted in a long long time. The flavours just complimented each other so well. The egg was cooked to perfection. The relish was ridiculous. And that bun! It was almost like a bagel, but because everything is made fresh in the store each morning it was super fresh, and soft, and tasty. I would order this 1000 times over and never get sick of it. The french toast was really good - could have done with a little bit more bacon and even more 'crisp', but the pulled pork was seriously out of this world. Make an excuse to get to Queenstown. Vudu Cafe is expensive, but it needs to be on your foodie bucket list. You absolutely need to try this!

Cafe: Vudu Cafe
Total price: Food: NZ$36.50; Beverages: NZ$8.50
Hours: 8am - 10pm
Must order: Pulled pork and fried egg roll
Coffee: AllPress