Best of the West - Dining at The Falls ( @THEFALLSNZ )
I’m not a “foodie” but, inspired by Flickr friend Sandy’s food photographs & comments, decided to snap and blog about some of the great food,events & venues I encounter.The first is:
The Falls Restaurant - Café - Gallery
Mention fine dining and I suspect many Aucklanders would not immediately think of Henderson unless they have visited “The Falls”. As a kid I remember this former Hotel as a run down, virtually abandoned, building behind Henderson’s Railside Avenue shops. About a decade ago it was relocated & restored to become a landmark restaurant & café.
Now it operates, literally, from dawn till late in a number of guises. In the morning you can get anything from a coffee to go to full breakfast. It transitions into a quality casual Café for brunch/lunch, later a great place stop for afternoon tea or after work drinks. As the sun sets the pace changes to offer dining of the highest standard. I’d say “Fine Dining” but that term is often associated with a stuffy sterile atmosphere & service that you won’t find at The Falls. The food is fine, created & served with obvious care by a team who do it with a friendly Westie smile. The Gallery aspect refers to the quality local art featured in the dining areas which changes regularly.
Although the venue is a historic building The Falls offers an up to the minute menu and is at the forefront of social media. Although I’ve been an occasional customer for years it was Alan’s activity on Twitter caught my attention over the past year or so. He also does “Coffee Training” videos on YouTube and Gary occasionally adds brilliant “Garry's moment of Zen” comments to their Facebook page like:
"Stressed spelled backwards is desserts. Coincidence? I think not".
They hosted a couple of Tweetups but I didn’t manage to get to any as clashed with other events. I had lunch soon after recognised Alan @thefalls so introduced myself as @robincapper.
A couple of months later I booked for my Mum’s birthday. She hadn’t been well and “didn’t want a fuss” so it was just a low key dinner with her sister & a family friend (my American “cousin”, visiting from Taupo). I didn’t mention the birthday or Twitter when booking. We had a lovely, memorable meal which cheered my Mum up immensely and confused my Aunt. She couldn’t figure out how I knew Alan (Mr eagle eye had noticed my name in the reservation book) and telling her it was via Twitter didn’t really help! Later I showed her what Twitter was about, It made more sense but she now calls me a Twit...
I only snapped my meal (below) with the iPhone (click for the full images) but the others were equally impressed with their selections. I had an Oyster Entrée followed by a rare (as I love it) aged steak with vegetables.
This was followed with a Gelato Trio (with matching scrummy chocolate, Berry & Vanilla dipping sauces) and coffee that tasted as good as it looks. It was a great evening enjoyed by all.
For fine dining in a friendly atmosphere, experience the best in the West at:
The Falls Restaurant - Café - Gallery
The Falls Hotel is an historic jewel in Waitakere's crown. This first class setting has inspired owners Garry Bates and Alan Parry (ex London's Ivy restaurant) and Nina Parry to bring a quality dining experience and an award-winning menu to West Auckland…
Twitter @THEFALLSNZ - The Falls on Facebook - www.thefalls.co.nz
