A look inside New Plymouth's elegant new eatery
Karyn Grant, Kevin Gibson, Kate and Craig MacFarlane are behind the transformation.
Walking in to 33 Gover St in New Plymouth, you'd never know it used to be a classic pub where many a Guinness was downed on St Patrick's Day.
You'll still be able to get Guinness on tap but The Black Harp has strummed its final note and transformed into Gover St Bistro after an elegant makeover that cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The people behind the transformation were once competitors - Karyn Grant and Kevin Gibson with Steps, and Kate and Craig MacFarlane with MacFarlanes Cafe - but now they work together, having known each other since their teenage years more than two decades ago.
The business partners had always wanted to open a finer establishment and noticed a gap in the market for one.
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They've transformed the west end of town with West End Precinct, Monica's Eatery, and Social Kitchen, and are now transforming the east end of town with Joe's Garage, Little Glutton, and Gover St Bistro.
"To attract young people we've got to offer these things, if we get it all right the city is going to go from ear to ear," Craig said.
The group were very happy with the makeover and spent many an evening in there themselves already.
"The Black Harp had been trading for about five years and we really enjoyed it and we were proud of what we delivered," Grant added.
"We'd always wanted to do something finer and thought it was a gap in the market."
"There was nothing wrong with The Black Harp, actually," Craig said, "but people were moving away from that sort of establishment. We could have just sat there for next few years and got away with it but we're better that that and this city deserves more than that."
They were once competitors, Grant and Gibson with Steps and Kate and Craig with MacFarlanes, but now work together on some of New Plymouth's most successful restaurants.
Kate said even they were impressed with how well the space had turned out.
"The week before it opened we had about three meetings here and were here till about eight o'clock because it just felt so nice sitting here and it's not like we don't have nice homes to go to but it's just really nice in here."
Opening night, last Wednesday, had lived up to the expectations of people marking a range of occasions, the owners said.
Grant said it shouldn't be considered fine dining they've got a burger, a pasta, and a croque monsiuer (toasted sandwich) on the menu.
"We had people in for dinner, someone else came in for soup later on, and then a group of women came after the movies for a cup of coffee and another couple in for a drink," Gibson said.
What used to be a classic pub with dark walls, minimal lighting is now an elegant eatery with bright lights and greenery.
- Stuff
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