Rustic French cooking with robust flavours

The brainchild of award-winning chef John Lawson, Mr Hive offers superb French-style cuisine with a luxurious modern twist. Lawson is not afraid to be adventurous, and it's this playfulness that has made his food so popular.

Guests enjoy unique dishes with names that are just as quirky as the flavours - for instance, the popular Crispy Little Pig comprises golden cubes of crumbed and fried pork served with beetroot-stained watermelon and a barbecue-style sauce.

Signature dishes include a modern twist on the nursery favourite, boiled egg and toasted 'soldiers' - Lawson's interpretation is a duck egg with sourdough toast. There's also Saltbush lamb belly, slow cooked for 16 hours until it literally melts in the mouth and served with peas and mint. Another slow-cooked favourite is the Marlborough King Salmon Fillet, served with a creamy bed of crab and sweet corn. And you can also sample roasted Canadian scallops on cauliflower puree with rice and spice.

Mr Hive's famous dessert bar, overseen by pastry chef Daniel Fletcher, offers a number of mouth-watering desserts including delicious pastries and a selection of old-fashioned candies including fresh fruit jellies, salted caramels, berry gob-stoppers and other treats that bring back childhood memories.

For the more adult among us, there's a lively bar area with a world-class selection of cocktails that one can enjoy with snacks and shared platters.