An occasional column by Rodger on dining in Raglan
When the brick chimneys were shortened at the Harbour View Hotel as an earthquake safety measure, the double brick fireplaces in the restaurant were converted to gas. While a gas fire doesn’t have the full charm of a log fire it still looks good and it keeps you nice and cosy. Only ten years ago, the Harbour View Hotel restaurant was empty on winter nights, but now it is well patronised all year round. The ambience of this heritage building is always good to enjoy.
The original Harbour View Hotel was built in 1866 when the first proprietor, George Moon, moved from Te Uku to Raglan. Until the 1890s when other buildings began to block the view, the harbour could be seen from the dining room side entrance. After a fire in 1901, the Harbour View Hotel was rebuilt, burnt down again in 1904, and rebuilt similar to the 1901 design. The hotel is registered by the NZ Historic Places Trust as a historic building.
The table next to the fire looked good to us so we settled down there. The waitress offered some water and took our drinks order. I ordered a glass of Jacobs Creek Shiraz ($6) which was delivered promptly. It was priced right for the quality. The Harbour View is best known for its seafood chowder, but it has a full café style menu and a restaurant menu with meals that are a little fancier and a bit more expensive. We both ordered the beer battered gurnard off the cafe menu. The gurnard was cooked perfectly and the batter was light and crispy. The fries were out of the freezer but cooked well. The meal came with a fresh garden salad.
One of the Raglan’s best kept secrets are the cookies that are homemade in the Harbour View kitchen. We each had a lemon shortbread cookie fresh out of the oven with our cappuccinos.
Overall on Value for Money I gave Harbour View Hotel a Seven out of Ten for a well cooked and presented meal and very good service.
The Harbour View Hotel restaurant is quite large and they can usually fit you in somewhere although in the peak holiday season there can be a wait.
Harbour View Hotel, 14 Bow Street, Raglan. Phone: 825 8010