Eating in New Zealand -- North Island

[Genevieve M.]

Sorry you had a bad experience, I havent heard of that place.

Did you go to the downstairs buffet Fortuna or the Observatory at the top of the tower? Downstairs is quite average but the Obeservatory is excellent IMO and while I have heard the odd grumble, I have never been able to find out what was expected that didn't somehow happen.

The al la carte restaurant Orbit is a waste of time except for the view, I would never recommend it. Undertrained staff with average food for a big price.

Hope you enjoyed your stay here

[J_elias86]

Hey all,

I'm an aussie, been to kiwi land three times. I'm coming back again in two weeks.

Last time I was impressed by The french cafe, grove and white (which we usually go to). Also tried Dine at the sky city, thought it was good, not unbelievable. As you can probably tell, I'm lookin for high tier cuisine. But Don't get me wrong. I'm also looking for some good trattoria type fare if its available. (not Cibo, was not impressed) Went to Red last time i was there, also didn't do anything for me.

Is there anything new on the cars in NZ? If not, which of the regularls would be best to revisit.

Are there any restaraunts that take privde in local produce above any of the others? If so, I'd love to hear about it.

Thanks,

Regards

J

[J_elias86]

Come on guys, This time next week will be my first meal!

[Taubear]

I loved Pasha which is located down in the Viaduct just near the Hilton.

Beautiful pork dish there and the cocktails are great as well.

http://www.thenourishgroup.co.nz/pasha/

Enjoy

[Julles]

Try O'Connell Street Bistro (in the city), Euro (Viaduct), French Cafe (Symonds St) - best food in Auckland, or for more casual try La Zeppa - bar/fireplace/loud/tapas (Drake St behind Victoria Market), it's chilly here at the moment, bring your woolly socks!!

[beaker-boils-pots]

Come on guys, This time next week will be my first meal!

←

ok, geoff scott - formerly at white, is now at vinnies - worth a visit. Rocco on pons road is good, great bar too. French cafe named best NZ restaurant this year, and consistantly good. Molten is meant to be good too.

[MMerrill]

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showto...dpost&p=1184330

Check this link. We just returned from a visit to NZ. We were unable to get to The Engine Room, but I thought it sounded worthwhile. We did have some good meals outside of Auckland.

[J_elias86]

Thanks heaps guys, I will be sure to post back with reviews!

[J_elias86]

For future references:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=89120

Cheers,

J

[Kouign Aman]

The link above talks Aukland.

There's a grand big island out there, and its been a few years since this thread has been active. Which only matters to me because I'm headed NZ-ward in a few short months. :happy dance:

What else and where to eat?

Chish and fips, bakeries, restaurants, other... Any places to seek out as we wander along?

And then there's the Hangi.

Are any of them better tasting than the others? Its kind of a must do for tourists but I remember the food as almost painfully bland. (Worse than bland when accompanied by sulpher fumes from hot springs).

Edited March 25, 2009 by Kouign Aman (log)

[helenjp]

As for fush and chups, we stick to places we know are good - there can be huge differences!!!

Traveling via Waihi down to Tauranga (east side of North Is) we only stopped in Waihi for a jelly-tip, but there are several restaurants I know nothing about, including one called The Porch out on the coast.

Where I like to stop is Katikati, a bit further down the coast. It's been nicely plumped out by kiwifruit and other orcharding money, and has several restaurants that I've never tried. One reason is because the Busy Baker is so good! They have things like filled paninis which make a welcome change from endless meat pies, and the lemon and passionfruit tarts must NOT be left on the shelf - really tart and flavorsome, and far above the average smalltown bar cookie fare. The pastry was tasty if a tiny bit hard, but for picnicking, anything shorter or crumblier would have been a nuisance.

The only downside is the fact that the bakery lives up to its name - it is really busy, to the point where we had finished our lunch before the staff got away from the cash register long enough to make my coffee! The "cafe" is really just a seating area at present, they don't seem to have enough time or staff to develop the cafe side as a business...but the quality of the baked goods makes up for it.

Back in Auckland, if you go horseriding or winery-hopping in South Auckland, or head out to any of the beaches via Clevedon, the Woolshed has now become a sit-down cafe/restaurant, but the With Relish deli stocked us up nicely for an afternoon's riding. Enjoyed the range of fruit juices in particular.

If you picnic often, you might like to stop at a Warehouse (cheapest general goods dealers) and get a few plastic containers and a "chilly bin" (polystyrene container) and one or two cooling pads. That way, you can carry sandwich/wrap makings with you for times when you can't face another meat pie. Apart from cheese etc., I really recommend smoked fish or even smoked roe. I usually stock up at the fish shop in Manukau city, as it's not far from Auckland airport and handy as I drive south, but if you are heading into town, there is now a 24-hr supermarket along the main drag from the airport (George Bolt Drive).

[Kouign Aman]

We went up around the top of the island, then down thru the middle.

The winners were:

Eve - a bakery in Auckland. If ever I move to NZ, I need to be in driving distance of that place. If only it werent so far from :

the local bakery in Bulls which had a rosemary/honey bar-cookie I dream about.

Al Centro in Taihape - we had wonderful steak. Hat tip to the inn-keeper who suggested the restaurant to us.

Merkur Hotel in Wellington - a beef cheeks dish they are entering in a beef-recipe contest - quite good.

For the most part, we dined on meat pies and sausage rolls. We picnic-lunched a lot, and cooked breakfasts. When in doubt, a bowl of chips fills in the spaces nicely.

The Hangi food was much better seasoned (and probably less authentically ancient-traditional) than my previous experiences with it (Mitai, Rotarua).

If I can find addresses, I'll come back and post them.

Edited August 27, 2009 by Kouign Aman (log)

[Sentiamo]

We went up around the top of the island, then down thru the middle.

The winners were:

Eve - a bakery in Auckland.  If ever I move to NZ, I need to be in driving distance of that place. If only it werent so far from :

the local bakery in Bulls which had a rosemary/honey bar-cookie I dream about.

Al Centro in Taihape - we had wonderful steak. Hat tip to the inn-keeper who suggested the restaurant to us.

Merkur Hotel in Wellington - a beef cheeks dish they are entering in a beef-recipe contest - quite good.

For the most part, we dined on meat pies and sausage rolls. We picnic-lunched a lot, and cooked breakfasts.  When in doubt, a bowl of chips fills in the spaces nicely.

The Hangi food was much better seasoned (and probably less authentically ancient-traditional) than my previous experiences with it (Mitai, Rotarua).

If I can find addresses, I'll come back and post them.

←

It sure is a small world! My ex hubster is a friend of Pietro, the owner of Il Centro, I live 30kms from the bakery in Bulls and I have frequented Eve's Pantry often when in Auckland. Actually, there are 6 or 7 Eve's outlets in Auckland.

If you would like me to post addresses, let me know.

What a hoot!

ETA: I must get to try that rosemary/honey biscuit at the earliest opportunity.

Edited September 3, 2009 by Sentiamo (log)