On Sunday I went to Palmerston North with my parents to visit my sister Emily and take her out to lunch during a well-deserved break from nursing studying (so proud!) We ended up at The Bent Horseshoe Cafe, tucked in the foothills east of Tokomaru, which Mum had heard about online.
The building is an old schoolhouse, complete with a classroom blackboard for a menu and high windows on one side so as not to distract the students. But the opposite wall is all glass doors, opening out onto an outdoor dining area with grass beyond that and a view of the cafe's namesake Horseshoe Bend Reserve.
Emily and I ordered pancakes with berry compote and cream. Dad had the bacon and egg pie, while Mum was a little more adventurous and had kumara fritters with bacon, avocado and salad. All was delicious, coffee was good, service was perfectly pleasant. It's rather a distance from much of anywhere (unless you count Palmerston North... haha) but it seemed well worth the drive to me (forever passenger) and the live music nights they advertise are intriguing.
I'd definitely love to return in summer, to sit outside, and take a walk down to the river. Oh, and possibly the best bit - a table of crafts and giftcards and handbags for sale. I picked up a black glomesh purse in lovely condition and a decent size for only $20.
