Hopgood's

Hopgood's was one of those places in Nelson that was on our “things to do after we get jobs” list. It was rated as the #1 restaurant in Nelson on Tripadvisor, had great reviews on a number of other sites, and won numerous awards including “Outstanding Chef,” “Outstanding Restaurant,” and “Outstanding Ambiance.” Needless to say, our expectations were quite high. As was the price tag. This is not backpacking on a budget (and it is probably a good thing we don't drink wine). But with Valentine's Day just last week, we had the perfect excuse/opportunity to go!

So we made reservations, got dressed up in the best clothes we had (which is not saying much... we are backpacking after all!), and went all out.

The interior of Hopgood's

(This one was taken after closing)

We started off with two amazing appetizers...

Bread selection, warm olives, truffle butter & 'Frogs End' extra virgin olive oil

 Crispy garlic & chilli prawns with a pulled pork quesadilla, spiced avocado & tomato salsa

... continued on to an incredible main course...

Andy's "Twice baked goat's cheese souffle with carmelised onion, pear & candied walnuts"

My "Pure Angus beef fillet with a mushroom & polenta crust, spinach pistou, fried garlic & red wine"

... and even finished off with some dessert!

Carmelised apple & almond tart with vanilla ice cream

Chocolate truffles

Most of the time we eat out, Andy and I devour our food within minutes. But this time, we took our sweet time and savored every last bite.  So much so that we stayed at the restaurant for almost TWO HOURS.

Our dishes at the end of the night

I'll just end this post by quoting Andy when he said “This might've been the best meal we've ever had.”