The Resident Cafe

In between a Saturday of open house inspections, D and I managed to duck in for sneaky brunch between all the house hunting commotion. Resident is located on High Street Rd in Ashburton, right next to a bike trail (perfect for the pit stop feed). It's a cosy, slightly hipster, local cafe with a flare.

As soon as we were sat down, the staff were very attentive and made sure to take our drink orders immediately and then giving us time to snoop out the menu. D decided to be on the healthy side and ordered the red juice, while I opted for my usual soy latte and a coconut crush as well. The coffee was smooth and a good brew. I loved my refreshing coconut crush and I think D got a bit of drink envy too.

I got the muesli with yoghurt panna cotta. This was beautiful when it came out, it was served with clusters of nuts and muesli as well as generous amounts of berries and banana. It was probably on the guilty side but the fruits and muesli made me feel good about this dish and all elements fitted together nicely. You got the crunchy, the tangy, the smooth all in one dish. I would order it again!

D got the deconstructed fish pie. This was an assortment of fish and prawn in a bouillabaisse stew and a stick of pastry. I honestly had no idea what bouillabaisse was prior to this dish and for those of you who don't know, it is a seafood stew where the fish/prawn/shellfish is cooked in a broth made from an assortment of vegetables, herbs and normally served with bread and pepper. Anyway facts aside, the fish pie didn't really feel like a fish pie but more just a stew with a stick of pastry. The fish stew packed a punch in terms or flavour but it just didn't feel like a pie to me in any form or taste. I think it can be renamed to better reflect the nature of the dish, because it caused D some confusion. He had imagine something of a creamy nature (he didn't know what bouillabaisse was either) or something thicker that would resonate typical pie fillings. Naming aside, the bouillabaisse had a intense taste with a generous amount of fish and prawns. I would imagine that someone who likes to order spaghetti marinara would really enjoy this dish.

Since we were feeling moorish when we were ordering, we got a side of chips with paprika ailoi, I loved the perfect crunch to fluffy ratio of these chips and the kick in the aioli was a perfect partner.

Overall 16/20 I think the resident is a great addition to local cafe selection in Ashburton. They execute their dishes with skill and refinement. Love their innovative presentation and menu options.