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Matt and Rachel Macfarlane have spent the past month transforming the former Thai restaurant overlooking the Mahurangi River into a stylish wine bar and dining venue that will be open every evening from Thursday to Monday.
They first moved to the area two years ago, having previously owned and run Fernilea in Coatesville and the Bella-Monte cafe in Belmont for several years.
“We had always holidayed out at Leigh and toyed with moving up here for years, with the coast and country,” Rachel says. “We like the rural schools, too, our kids are at Matakana, and we bought a house in Warkworth a year ago. We think it’s a great little town with really friendly people and a great community, and it deserves a good restaurant in the heart of town.”
Matt and Rachel have travelled extensively in the past, cooking and working everywhere from 5 star resort hotels in Canada to English pubs and a cafe in Wanaka.
Now, chef Matt is planning a flexible menu of classic bistro food with a modern New Zealand flavour.
“It will be good food, well cooked, using local produce whenever I can,” he says. “It will change often and be seasonally relevant.”
Matt and Rachel both have experience in, and a passion, for design, which shows through in the bistro’s smart new look, with its deep blue walls and eclectic retro details.
“It’s nice to do something to be part of the community,” says Rachel, who manages Brick Bay’s Glass House as her day job. “We want people to know they can just come for a drink – we’ll have local wines and beers – or you can have a three-course dinner in a comfortable, welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy.”
