as a visitor to christchurch i decided to take my mum out for lunch. i goggled deli cafes and Terra was what came up so we went there! beautiful setting and the most helpful and friendly staff!! the food was OK but the prices for what we received left me shocked as i payed $4.50 for a single poached egg to go on top of my green side salad and the egg came after i had eaten half of my salad! as a chef i am more than happy to pay for quality but when i do decide to go out i expect it be AMAZING! Anyway the coffee was nice and most of all the wait staff were very good.

We went for the Tapas menu on Friday night – the best part was the Lindauer… um which means the food was pretty average and expensive. We had the salt & pepper squid which was oily, squid rings with a garnish of salt & pepper, the sizzling prawns were not sizzling and lacked texture, the gorgonzola mushrooms were good – the bacon helped. The staff were friendly but the wine list was missing the dry sherry – which I would have thought for a tapas menu was a must!

We have dined here many times and found the food to be generally very pleasingly prepared and presented. Last night, we decided to try the new tapas menu. Unfortunately, it was very disappointing. The salmon and polenta balls arrived with the chef’s apologies and the information that there would be no charge, as the chef was not satisfied with the way they had turned out – very professional, and much appreciated; but, we must also say, quite justified . They clearly had not worked – mushy texture and falling apart even on the plate.

However, the chef was struggling with some other items too. The calamari rings were somewhat limp and oily, lacking texture and taste.

The other disappointment was the chicken livers – greatly overcooked to the extent that the crumbed coating was charred in places, and the livers themselves dry, grey and grainy.

The other items we had were acceptable, but by no means great. The service, as usual, was friendly and efficient.

We could not help comparing the quality and variety of the tapas with those of the ex-Crumpet Club, and the current Almeida’s Tapas Bar in Sumner. Almeida’s range and quality are considerably better. The Terra Viva chef should dine there and see what good tapas can be like.

It is a pity that this new menu has let them down, as Terra Viva is a very pleasant restaurant with an enjoyable ambiance, but the tapas need considerable improvement before we will have them again.

We dined at Terra Viva today and had a fantastic meal. The place is very busy so we were very glad we booked. Be prepared for a little wait as it’s so busy, but well worth it.

Me and my father went for a coffee here a few weeks back. The lady at the counter seemed irritated at our presence and was quite rude. There was no tables left inside, so we were told to sit outside – the chairs were still chained to the tables, which made for an uncomfortable sit – we were promised someone would come out and fix this, no one showed. Our coffees were good, but came without spoons, the lady who brought them out told us they had no clean spoons left, and she would get some for us as soon as possible, she also never came back. So not to impressed.