Words Denise Irvine, Images Ashlee Decaires
Everyday Eatery head chef Jono Smith likes to stretch himself and his kitchen team with different flavours and ideas, and he says the cafe’s monthly Supper Club provides the perfect opportunity for this.
Everyday Eatery, in the entry precinct of Hamilton Zoo, Rotokauri, typically does breakfast, lunch and cabinet and kiosk treats, but on the last Saturday of each month it opens its doors to Supper Club, a pre-booked dinner with three courses at $65 a head, and the menu is only revealed when guests arrive.
“We keep it a secret until they come in,” says Jono. “It’s a fun night and I try to slip in a theme.” The June supper menu was based around a spicy fragrant sauce and mains were a slow-braised beef cheek rendang and a fragrant massaman chicken curry. July was a steak theme, and each club night sees plenty of creative stretching in the kitchen as staff put together entrees, mains and dessert for about 40 guests. An alternate plate drop offers variety and sharing, and there is a short but sweet wine list.
Rotokauri resident Kandy Noffke says she and husband Murray have only missed one Supper Club since they moved to the area about two years ago: “It’s incredible value, the food is absolutely spectacular and we love the surprise element of it. We bring friends and we’ve enjoyed every single one.”
Kandy and Murray are also regulars for coffee (local Rocket beans) and other meals. “It’s an everyday occurrence,” she jokes, and they count themselves lucky to have the eatery so handy to home. Kandy says they love the staff, and their coffee order is always underway as they walk in. “They are a fabulous bunch of people.”
Kandy and Murray are among the loyal locals who step into Everyday each week along with hundreds of visitors to Hamilton City Council’s Te Kaaroro Nature Precinct, which incorporates Hamilton Zoo, Waiwhakareke Natural Heritage Park, Hamilton Observatory and Everyday Eatery.
The cafe has three different service areas that reflect its unique location: there is the main space with extensive seating inside and out, a kiosk at the rear that is accessed only from inside the zoo, and a small quick-bite unit within the zoo.
Everyday opened almost four years ago under the Hamilton hospitality partnership of Mat Pedley, Alex Hudson and John Moughan, whose establishments also include Mr Pickles, Last Place, Wonder Horse, Reggie’s (on the rooftop at Made Market) and Neat (on the market’s ground floor).
On this Wednesday lunchtime at Everyday, Mat Pedley looks at the crowded tables and says that the world pretty much comes through here: kids, parents, grandparents, multi-generations. “The food needs to be fast, yum, and affordable for zoo visitors, and also for the community that lives around the zoo and has adopted Everyday as its local. People’s first experience with us is usually that they’re here because of the zoo and it needs to be solid. We want to give them good food, a warm welcome, a smile.”
Staff members are ticking the boxes as he speaks, with general manager Jody Hourquebie and his staff meeting, greeting and delivering plates, and my roasted eggplant sambal toastie with house-made focaccia is delicious and excellent value at $14.
Mat’s ordered the duck and beans from the menu, and this is chef Jono’s contemporary take on an old-school French cassoulet made with crispy confit duck leg, smoked bacon Boston beans, potato gratin, fried egg and green chilli salsa verde.
“Customers are loving the duck,” says Jono. He changes the menu every three months, aiming for interesting, good-value food that suits the wide audience. He says when he started at Everyday 18 months ago the most popular toastie was ham and cheese. Nowadays it’s the Japanese tonkatsu BBQ pulled pork: “It’s selling out the window.”
The Thai chicken curry and Korean bibimbap are also winning customers away from more traditional eggs on toast, and Jono says they’ve got some regulars who come at 8am for the winter seafood chowder to kick-start their day. “They’re mostly locals and others who know about it.”
The kiosk on the zoo side keeps them busy too: big sellers there are burgers, toasties, fries and nuggets, and a secret burger sauce is a big part of the success of the Wagyu smashed beef burger.
Everything’s made from scratch, and Jono has longtime friend and colleague Tom Wiperi as sous chef and Neil McBride is the in-house baker, responsible for the slices, cakes and savouries in the cabinet. Today he’s got cheese scones, salted cashew tart, lemon coconut slice and cherry ripe slice among the line-up.
Jono says he’s enjoying being part of the bigger hospitality group that runs Everyday, and on Supper Club nights he notes that guests often include those who regularly eat at its other establishments such as Mr Pickles or Reggie’s, along with Rotokauri locals like Kandy and Murray Noffke.
Kandy says she is always looking forward to the next one: “We can’t wait to see what they bring to the table.”
Everyday Eatery
183 Brymer Road, Rotokauri, Hamilton 3289
