Where can you go for a relaxing and refreshing lunch or coffee break away from the hustle and bustle of Katikati’s main drag? The only answer is Twickenham, Twickenham, Twickenham! The former homestead situated on the beautiful spacious grounds combines a welcoming and homely atmosphere. Don’t be fooled into thinking this place is only alive in summer, it’s the perfect place in these winter months to meet a friend and warm your hands around a nice hot cuppa.
I went in last week as it re-opened after it’s annual holiday, and had a delicious, filling and competitively priced lunch. As a Coeliac, often it’s hard to find great food when eating out, but that isn’t the case with Twickenham. The smiley, knowledgeable and helpful staff willingly cater for people with special dietary needs, and even after you’re full, who can pass up a piece of Orange and Almond gluten-free cake for dessert?
When I’m out and about, Twickenham is my go-to place, and even now, it has become my reason to go out! =)

Eating out is an expensive business, so you really want to be sure of a good experience. Sadly, this doesn’t always happen Here I’m going to sum up what I feel let Twichenham Restaurant down, Fine dining is what I booked in for casual during the day and “fine dining” in the evenings okay nice idea BUT! this was so far away from fine dining i would of had a better time getting fish and chips from up the road,
for the entrée we boat ordered the award winning scallop and avocado dish witched sounded amazing but this was all that sounded amazing to start we had 6 scallops each which were half the size of your fingernail, rubbery because they were overcooked no color just poached overcooked scallops (from China). they were served on “dainty potato and avocado cakes” this was a nice idea apart from the fact that they had all broken up over the plate so it was mashed potato with avocado. and served with avocado moose, the moose was brown and very discolored and well if i had doped it in the floor it would of bounced back onto my plate, there was so much gelition it made me fell sick. and the garnish was lemon triangles and wedges which had looked like they had been laying around for weeks they were all soggy there was more pith than lemon and the wedge was covered in some black dirt looking stuff, they must of been picked from the garden. I did note that later on in the night when we payed that the waitress was the one that was putting the stuff on the plate she was using her bare hands to put the micro green’s on the plate only after doing something with the till then walking straight into the kitchen without washing her hands. YUCK!

For the mains
I ordered the stuffed pork fillet
thinking they will have some amazing spin on this but no
it was a lovely pork fillet that had been completely butchered.
It was stuffed with apple and cranberry, with fried apple, this dish was defiantly precooked it was dry incredibly over cooked no color no salt which made it horrible. To top it of it looked like just was thrown on the plate no thought of creativity with it, and a side of veggies which were microwaved to the point they were grey and flavorless.
my Wife had the duck Brest, it was served with bok choy and a sweet orange glaze and grilled orange slices, if you go out and order duck it must be great but this duck was again over cooked until it was grey not medium rare (as we also specified) and the skin was all jelly like (not crispy).

at the end of the night we did ask the waitress about the duck and the pork, apparently you cannot have duck medium rare because its like chicken and can make you very sick “this is not true duck Brest should be served medium rare i have always had this and never been sick” and the pork the waitress told us that it was meant to be like this. we did not bother staying for desert as we remembered that the supermarket would still be open and we would be able to have an amazing ice-cream.
sorry Twickenhan this was the worst meal i have ever had and i will defiantly discourage people to stay away and not eat there.

Had the birthday special, a 5 course chef selection with a glass of bubbles on arrival. What a delicious meal! Beautifully presented with clear explanation of each dish by the waitress when she brought it to the table. Also the waitress kept the cutlery on the table in line with the next dish, we didn’t have to ask for anything.Well done to the chefs and waitress. Please have more of these special menus.

What a Gem!!!!
Called in at the weekend on our way to Tauranga
The children played on the slide while we sat in the lovely garden. I had the venison pie with a side salad, while my husband had a smoked fish croissant, they were both delicious. The staff were excellent and the food arrived quicky even thought they were very busy. We will certainly be going to call in agian when we pass.

I had a Twicky Chicky Filo for lunch at Twickenham at the weekend and it was delicious.
Apparently they won a Avocado award for this dish. We found the staff very efficient and helpful.

Had my birthday party at Twickenham Restaurant.
The food was excellent and the staff went to so much trouble to make my special day wonderful. I love their idea of a seasonal menu. We sat out in the lovely garden in the sun.
Will certainly go back again.

I had a terrible dining experience at this restaurant.
We were there with a group to celebrate a birthday.
The waitress dropped a glass of beer down my back. I literally had to go home and get changed, I was soaked.
The manager’s only acknowledgment of this was to not charge for the drink!
Oh, and also the “birthday boy” had a spider in his salad. Yummy!

Everything about Twickenham is excellent.
The food is meticulously prepared and absolutely delicious. The service is warm and prompt. The environment is comfortable, clean, and peaceful whether you choose to eat indoors or out. My favorites are the muffins, coffees, salads, and quiches. My husband and I eat there 2 or three times a week and always leave with a smile.