Carnivores who find themselves hungry on Riccarton Road in Christchurch, New Zealand, should consider stopping in at Velvet Burger. I know that I will return if I’m ever back in the neighborhood.
This might be where I confess that my husband believes our elder son was built entirely from hamburgers based upon my eating habits during my first pregnancy.
Velvet Burger does offer a Vege option, and their fries—both potato and kumara sweet potato—looked pretty darn good, but I would think being around so many meat eaters might be less than appealing for the Vegan set.
Eat down the road at exclusively vegetarian Dux Dine instead if you are offended by sharing space with the omnivores.
Gluten free buns were available for an extra charge.
Here’s my Velvet Lady chicken burger, sliced in half because I wasn’t sure I could finish it. I ordered it without bacon.
If I eat here again, I’ll order from Velvet Burger’s list of Mini menu items. A 3/4 size sandwich would suffice for me.
The bun for the regular Velvet Lady was nearly the size of a luncheon plate and a bit flatter/thinner than I’m used to back home. It had the mild taste of other New Zealand white sandwich bread I tried. I suspect they use less salt in the baking, as a rule, but I don’t have the supertaster skill set to say this for sure. The bun had no seeds, which is what I prefer.
Velvet Burger offers vege, chicken, pork, and lamb burgers.
For the traditionalist, of course, they offer beef patties, too.
Menu Velvet Burger beef pork
You’ll order at the counter, then take a seat with your little numbered flag to help the staff find you when your order is ready.
As with most New Zealand cafes, drinking water was self serve and both glasses and larger refillable bottles were available to take to your table. It’s an easy nation in which to stay hydrated without increasing your carbon footprint.
The restaurant wasn’t crowded when I stopped in during the early afternoon. Though the finishes weren’t overly plush, there was no din such as one finds in some industrially styled public spaces. Both booths and tables were available.
Restrooms are tucked away in the back hall. They were clean, and there were several. No complaints here.
I happened upon Velvet Burger when I went in search of the bus depot. I wanted to find my bus stop first to be certain of its location, then eat a late lunch before heading into the suburbs to meet DH after work. You’ll find this Riccarton restaurant very convenient for a quick stop before boarding public transit in Christchurch.
♦
In the USA, I tend to avoid motels when traveling alone or as a solo mom with children in tow. I prefer the greater security of indoor corridors and staff at a centralized front desk. It’s absolutely true that there’s a lot of convenience to unloading from the car straight through a motel room’s door. It’s also true that crime, both violent and petty, makes that same easy access doorway a risk in many places.
The entire property presented a welcoming and cheerful aspect. The central car park wasn’t overly busy, and it didn’t create any noise
There’s an electrician’s shop on beachfront property. Industrial spaces like these have been gentrified in every seaside town I’ve visited in the USA. Driving along Highway 6 from Greymouth, you’ll see cows in a pasture with a view. More than a view, this is 100% ocean frontage, and the cows don’t even appreciate their prime real estate. They just stand there nibbling the ever-growing grass as the Tasman Sea churns beside them.
Having arrived on the TranzAlpine train to an hour of heavy downpours in Greymouth, we learned immediately to appreciate the sun when it showed its face. Make hay–or make merry!–as soon as the sun shines.
The primary car park at Hokitika Gorge was full by 10 AM, but the overflow lot had plenty of space when we arrived. Parking looked a bit more difficult closer to noon, but there were definitely still spaces available. I’ve found that most popular tourist destinations are best seen either early or late in the designated hours, and that seemed to hold true here.
Really Wonderful Things 