Toastie Lords - Picton — Restaurant in South Island

Growing up in New Zealand during the 1980s, a staple snack as a child was a "Cheese Toastie", and of these I am a bit of a connosoire. There are a number of different variations on the cheese toastie, which are common in NZ. Cheese on Toast - This is the simplest form. A single slice of bread with the cheese toasted on top. Light and easy. Toastie Pie - Enclosed in 2 pieces of bread and sealed around the outside by the toasie pie maker. Can load with special fillings like egg. Grilled Cheese - 2 slices of bread with the fillings pressed in between. A very common type...and one of my favourites! So when a good friend pointed out that Picton has a dedicated Toastie outlet......off we went! Approaching the store we noticed a bit of a queue out the front, which is a great sign. Entering the store, the atmosphere was light and fun, with happy staff and an exuberant feeling in the shop. The Toastie and Drink options are clearly offered via signs on the wall so I proceeded to order the "Betty" Ham, pineapple and 4 cheeses while Roz ordered the "Pete from Picton", Salmon, Cream Cheese and Pickles. We also ordered an Ice Coffee each. The food came quickly, one of the benefits of a cheese toastie! Nice and quick. The toast was nicely grilled with a crisp finish on the bread and a sprinkling of grated cheese, and loaded with plenty of ham and a couple of pinapple 'pieces' per toastie. While the toastie was good, I would have preferred a little more cheese, but it was very tasty and a good size for lunch. The Salmon toastie was very good too, with nice fresh salmon. The iced coffees were the perfect addition to the meal. Even with my comment about the amount of cheese, I will still be...

Declaring yourselves the "Toastie Lords" is some chutzpah. So with an hour or two until my ferry boarding commenced, I thought I would see if they are indeed toastie royalty.

It's a small shop with a few tables inside and a couple of tables outside. I was able to wheel my suitcase in, find a perch and then amble to the counter to order. Several different options for sandwiches and coffees, but I stuck to the "Jane" which is just cheese. They also offer onion, ham, corn & bacon & spring onion, ham & pineapple and more. I think maybe I'd try the "Pete from Picton" which is salmon, caper cream cheese and pickle. I mean, how wrong could it go?

It did not take long for my sandwich to be assembled and grilled before the young lady brought it to me with my coffee. Crunchy bread, melty cheese and delicious. Presented nicely and ready to go but I enjoyed it in the shop.

Yes, they are indeed Toastie Lords. There are lots of options here in Picton for breakfast. Choose this one. Five...

A great place to stop by after transiting by ferry, visited with my partner between a ferry and train trip. Nice coffees, we had a flat white, and excellent toasties we shared a 4 cheese and onion one. A 5-10min walk from the ferry terminal, on the way we stopped at the i-Site. What's best is that just across the street you can walk along a park area with paths, down to a bit of a beach, touch the water, or go along the piers and view the variety of boats docked. There is a curiously high walking bridge that crosses over to some small hikes and into more boat docks. I am almost certain we saw a stingray or mantaray while looking down into the murky water from that bridge. Super convenient place to grab a coffee and explore the area, the staff were kind and helpful. I forgot I also got a small donut with custard in it! That was excellent, but the ducks were quickly after the sugar...