The Cow Shed is a truly unique New Zealand restaurant.
They do things very differently here.
This place is a gourmet secret, deep in the countryside in the hills behind Mangawhai in Kaipara District down a 15-minute pot-holed gravel road.
You park in the paddock and are greeted at the door by the owners.
You need to book and select your main course 48 hours beforehand. The menu is simple – everyone gets the same entrée and dessert, and you select one of six mains.
And even though the restaurant really is in an old cow shed, there’s a vegan option, too.
The rooms, however, feel more like they're in an old farmhouse, with guests eating in the living room or other rooms, and boxes of dressups for parties.
A colourful courtyard has clusters of quirky chairs and tables and is bordered with roses, grapes and Abyssinian palms.
Sam and Amy Frater: doing things their own way. (Image: Supplied)
Husband-and-wife team Sam and Amy Frater do everything themselves (except when it is really busy over summer, when Sam is allowed some help in the kitchen). They even grow most of the veges on the farm orchard, right down to the garlic.
The busy couple also operate a stall at the Mangawhai Community Market on Saturdays.
The Cow Shed was originally opened by Amy’s parents. Amy grew up on the same road as the restaurant. She met Sam in Melbourne, where he was working as a chef.
And their food and indeed the whole experience? It is next level.
Our entrée is bruschetta (dipped in local olive oil before being cooked) topped with delicately cut tomato and cucumber and feta cheese. It disappears quickly.
For mains, I choose the chicken, which is a whole chook, marinaded and rotisseried. It is deliciously moist and far too much for me. Takeaway boxes are a big part of the experience here.
My wife has the whole roast cauliflower, which is crusted with a smoky rub and served on a bed of hummus. I try some, too, and it is the best cauliflower I’ve tasted.
Our daughter chooses the medium-rare steak, which again is perfect. It disappears far faster than when I cook steak.
Other options include spit-roasted lamb, roast pork and vegetarian lasagne.
Rotisserie chicken, cooked to order. (Image: Supplied)
Each dish is accompanied by a baked potato with little dishes of grated cheese, blue-cheese dressing, and sour cream. The table shares a garden salad brought to life with mint and a fruit-based dressing.
Dessert is an outstanding fruit crumble, with cream from a ceramic cow jug.
All this for $70 for adults and $35 for kids; there's no corkage for BYO.
The portions are verging on ludicrous (a whole chicken!). Although the welcoming and vivacious Amy tells us she has occasionally seen some people come back for seconds, she concedes it is not often.
The Cow Shed is not a spontaneous destination – you have to prebook, as I've said, and also plan how to use the leftovers the next day.
The restaurant is open at weekends, and in high summer it’s open most other nights, too.
Outdoor dining is optional during summer's fleeting visit. (Image: Supplied)
The Cow Shed is an antidote to those modern boom-and-bust, trend-inspired restaurants where tables are clumped together to improve yield and wine and beer are sold at crazy markups.
Pre-ordering minimises waste and allows Sam to cook only what is needed.
This feels honest and sustainable. Also, delicious.
I didn’t set out to write about this place, but I was so impressed I couldn’t help myself.
53 Pebblebrooke Road, Mangawhai
(09) 431 2354
