Rachel Dobbs
Less than a year ago Monica Loves was just an industrial warehouse tucked down one of the many laneways of Napier’s historic precinct. That was until Dan Tosswill, co-owner of neighbouring bistro Mister D, fell in love with the space. He imagined it transformed into a world-class wine, cocktail and craft beer bar, and enlisted his wife and business partners to make it happen.
A trip to Casa di Giulietta (Juliet’s House) in Verona, where visitors leave love notes and graffiti on the wall, inspired the bar’s name and aesthetic: a juxtaposition of urban edge and sophisticated style. As you wander down that laneway, past rusted steel and layers of old paint and corrugated iron, and into the softly lit ambience of Monica Loves, you could be anywhere in the world.
The beverage menu spans eight pages, the food menu just one. The stars here are the catalogue of internationally acclaimed wines, the curated cocktail menu and the craft beers. Which is not to say that the food is an afterthought by any means; it’s in fact a premium-quality selection of global flavours and local ingredients designed to match whatever you’re drinking.
We enjoy juicy prawns wok-fried with black beans, coriander, garlic and chilli, accompanied by a Celery Mare, a piquant, savoury cocktail made with an artisanal Spanish gin distilled from olives, basil, thyme and rosemary. Our plate of prosciutto Emiliano is matched with a 2012 Cambridge Road La Luna De Te Muna Pinot Noir (Martinborough), a wine flush with cherries and fresh-cut roses. You can order plates of cold cuts or cheese individually, or as a selection of three.
We also try a gooey Italian gorgonzola, which matches spectacularly with the peach, citrus and honey aromas of a 2009 Mountford Estate Riche Riesling (Waipara Valley).
Wine is by the bottle and there’s also a rotating selection of whites and reds by the glass, so you can try something new and very special each time you visit. The wine list includes Monica’s Favourites, to help you in choosing, although the staff are on hand to make recommendations, sharing fascinating stories behind some of the international selections and more obscure local vintages.
French mixologist Damien Barte designs a new cocktail menu each season (we tried Fire Spice, a winter tipple to leave you feeling toasty), and there are over 20 craft beers on offer from all reaches of New Zealand.
Monica Loves is located on 39 Tennyson Street, Napier.
Open Thursday–Saturday, 3-11pm.
Story by: Alana Broadhead
Photography by: Rachel Dobbs
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