It was our favourite lunch, or should I say snack, to go for a steak and cheese pie in my high school days.
Fast forward to present, it still is one of my favourite food. Now that I am old enough, it goes with a cup of coffee.
Whenever I took a trip overseas, I was always missing this. It turns out, it’s quite a unique thing in New Zealand.
As I spend most of my daytime outside working, it became sort of a side goal to hunt out for a perfect pie and a perfect coffee.
For instance, if you are travelling South Island, New Zealand, don’t forget to try out one of the Sheffield Pies. It is right on top of my list. Whenever I travel to Sheffield or Oxford, this is one stop I never forget. You just gotta have that bite of venison pie or steak and liver pie or apple pork… I can just go on.
Fairlie Bakehouse is another place you just can’t miss.
I absolutely love their Pork belly with apple sauce and crackling pie. It is by far the best I’ve had in my life.
I mean if I was in my freedom age (if I was still in university) I would just drive down there just for that pie and come back up. Just for this.
Then there are local pie shops that I just can’t go past without stopping. Some are well known but what me and only few of my friends know of, are well hidden away. You could probably find my reviews in those places on Google Maps.
Then there is coffee. Ah coffee. I mean most of adults would appreciate a good cup of coffee. When I went to Italy, I put an end of searching for a perfect espresso. There was no competition.
Then the hunt for a perfect milk coffee has begun. I know many countries and cities have proud coffee in their places and some are definitely better than others.
What’s unique about coffee in Christchurch, where I live, though, is that we have generally very nice coffee but not many really fall short or do dramatically better. What I’m after is, that local coffee that just beats everyone around. I am yet to find this place. We are generally good.
Tasting coffee, not like pie above, is very different experience.
It’s not just the taste of the coffee, condition of the bean, how the milk was frothed. But the atmosphere provided, surrounded environment and the mood the place sets for the coffee to be tasted. Even the colour of the cup can change the coffee ingesting experience.
I’m not just talking about tidy place or great view of the ocean while having a cup of coffee. It wouldn’t hurt though…
As you can see, I’ve been hunting for a perfect coffee for a long time. In fact, the earliest photo I can find for my hunt is back in 2004.
Unfortunately, some places I’ve been to are no more, thanks to the after effects of devastating earthquakes we had back in 2011. But all new places opened up and now I have more than enough to go around to see if they have this perfect coffee I am looking for.