Moreish Morsels on Mandeville
Mandeville Street Kitchen, a new café in Christchurch, will have you captivated from the moment you walk in the door.
Sarah-Jane Garden’s passion for food began aged three as she helped her grandmother create culinary delights. Today her philosophy is simple: ‘Everyone needs to feel special and special begins with great food.’ Now, finally, after years of working in hospitality, Sarah-Jane has opened her very own café. Tucked away at the end of the Mandeville Centre in Riccarton, Mandeville Street Kitchen is Sarah-Jane’s new venture.
Getting everything just right is a challenge. Some customers want the perfect coffee, others want to try the latest food trends that they are unable to perfect at home, and an entirely different type of customer wants food like their grandmothers made for them. For Sarah-Jane, meeting these diverse challenges is both exhilarating and satisfying.
Great coffee is assured. Years spent teaching budding baristas has honed her skills to perfection. Perfect coffee begins with the perfect beans so Sarah-Jane has teamed up with Prima Roastery, a Christchurch owned and operated roastery. ‘Supporting local is important for both our economy and for sustainability,’ she says with a warm smile.
Which brings us to the food, where she applies the same principle. ‘My food is prepared each day on the premises using the very best of fresh, local ingredients. I aim to offer variety, and I love it when my customers feel special.’ Choosing from the cabinet is difficult. Will it be a frittata, a delicious-looking pie, a bagel (home-made) or that 10-hour pulled pork and apple slaw on Turkish pide? What about a vegetarian or vegan tart? Or perhaps a late breakfast is just the thing. Her take on the ubiquitous avocado is divine.
And to finish, Sarah-Jane’s baker Tash, of Shortcrumb bakery fame, has filled the cabinets with an assortment of sweet irresistible delights including sticky ginger loaf and salted caramel brownies, again baked fresh each day.
So why did Sarah-Jane decide to open her café in this commercial area of Christchurch? ‘I don’t think that great food should only be on offer in the city,’ she explains. ‘Mandeville Street Kitchen caters not only for those leisurely dine-in customers, but also offers excellent takeaway coffee and moreish food for those racing to work or on short breaks with limited time. Everyone deserves to feel special.’ And walking in off the street it is hard to disagree with this. This is a café you can’t help but be impressed by.
Looking at the happy lunchtime customers eagerly awaiting their food is proof that her philosophy is paying off. So where to from here? ‘We offer a catering service which is tailored to fit individual requirements and that is proving to be really popular. Last week we catered for a business meeting, a birthday celebration and a large dinner party, which was so much fun. I’ve got an amazing team here and together we just want to continue as we began, serving Cantabrians fresh, local produce prepared with passion and a smile.’
Sarah-Jane Garden has long had a passion for local, fresh produce – her new café is the culmination of this. One visit won’t be enough!
Mandeville Street Kitchen is open Monday to Friday 7 am – 4 pm at Unit 4/57 Mandeville Street, Christchurch.
