SOUND BITES
UNO editor Hayley Barnett drops in on Med Lounge and Garden, where live beats and culinary genius are stealing the Village spotlight.
PHOTOS CHAD FERNANDO
If experiences are the latest craze in the epicurean world, then Med Lounge and Garden is right on trend.
Sitting in the middle of the Historic Village, the restaurant, bar and event space has become one of Tauranga’s most interesting hospitality hybrids. It’s partly a neighbourhood eatery and partly a live-events hub. But make no mistake – it’s very serious about food.
For co-owner Jose Lavin, the vision was to create a place where the food feels fun and fresh, and the vibe social. That’s easily achieved when you combine two of the best events guys in the biz.
Med is the brainchild of co-owner Mitch Lowe from Audiology Touring, one of New Zealand’s leading DJ touring businesses. Knowing Jose’s extensive background in hospitality and events, Mitch brought him on to manage things. Jose runs Euphoria, another festival business, and now Med, where he shaped its recent menu revamp.
“I think everything has a little bit of personality,” Jose says of the menu. “A lot of colours, fresh, healthy.”
Co-owner Mitch Lowe.
That philosophy shines through when the dishes arrive. Halloumi salad, falafel and house-made pita bread have already become favourites on the lunch menu. The bread is baked fresh each morning through a collaboration with the team behind Tauranga’s well-known Falafel Metro, whose Middle Eastern roots helped inspire Med’s original direction.
Since taking over the food offering earlier this year, Chilean-born Jose has recently designed the new dinner menu to become something broader and more exploratory, mixing Mediterranean influences with Spanish, Italian and South American touches.
“We’re trying to create a menu that gives an experience,” he says. That means retaining signature elements for the new dinner menu, such as hummus, labneh and romesco, while introducing shareable plates, like cheese and prosciutto cigars, octopus toast and Basque lamb.
Jose says the goal is to give regular diners a reason to return. “If you like a place, you want to go and probably have something new that isn’t on every other menu in town.”
Their approach suits Med’s setting, hidden among galleries, boutique businesses and heritage buildings. The Historic Village is one of Tauranga’s more eclectic precincts, and Med’s audience is largely creators and art lovers who love good food.
The sense of discovery is what drew both Mitch and Jose to set up this business hybrid. Their music backgrounds and impressive contacts have helped put Med on the map as an intimate live-music venue. Together, they’ve already hosted sold out shows there, including gigs from international DJs such as Carl Cox.
“To add value to a city, you need to give it something that it doesn’t already have,” says Mitch. “That’s our goal at Med, to create a unique social atmosphere with food to match.”
Med’s point of difference in the Bay’s dining scene is an important one, and highlights the lack of smaller venues in the city. But so too is the need for quality food.
As Med cements its place on Tauranga's foodie map, the Historic Village gem has become a destination eatery that feels genuinely unique and new.
