Best dining in New Zealand?

[Julles]

You can go diving for lobster - though we call them crayfish, also for scallops, paua (abalone?), - though within quota. Not so sure about the bugs in the rivers!! Trout fishing? Foraging for native greens - puha. NZ very good for horticulture, I am a lazy gardener, but still have tomatoes, herbs, lettuce. My parents grow beans, potatoes, spinach. My grandparents had the full garden - potatoes, sweet corn, the works, even chickens. We tend to use the supermarket...

[Julles]

You are going to be busy! We just had a late lunch on the beach at Onetangi yesterday (Waiheke Island), just a glass of wine and a few plates of basic pub food - very nice, looking out over the beach. Charley Farleys - just under new ownership.

[Cedreena]

Don't eat in Rotarua. The place stinks. I certainly couldn't have eaten anything while I was there.

[Pat Churchill]

Be assured, you won't starve. I'm a food writer and I've moved from New Zealand to Melbourne and I've found you need to get out there, find your local market gardens or farmers' markets, ask about on forums like this, read your local newspapers and just drink in the local culture.

Kiwis and Australian are more than happy to blow their own trumpets - and make you feel at home.

Welcome Down Under!

[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)

[Judy Wilson]

I'm taking a vacation to New Zealand next month and was wondering if anyone has any restaurant recommendations. I was thinking of trying The White House when in Wellington, as they do some Modernist things and have Heston's Mock Turtle Soup as well as Sous Vide Duck on their tasting menu.

Anybody else have any suggestions? I'm looking forward to going to a hangi and eating some seafood as well.

[Anonymous Modernist 353]

I had my honeymoon in New Zealand in Dec 2009 and a lot of it was focused on food. The French Cafe in Auckland was the best meal I have ever had anywhere. Even bought the cookbook after dinner hoping it would have the creme caramel with passion fruit tapioca recipe in it (It didn't). I don't recall too much modernist stuff there though.

Another favourite was Pescatore in Christchurch. It was modernist focused from what I remember. One dish was dehydrated pizza served in an envelope which was basically dehydrated spices and pizza toppings and tasted amazingly exactly like a piece of pizza.

In Wellington we were trying to decide between Logan Brown and The White House as we were only there for one night. Ended up at Logan Brown as it had just won an award for best restaurant in New Zealand. It was quite good although we tend to prefer long many course tasting menus and Logan Brown was more a large portion only order 1-2 courses type of place. If you can only pick one I'd try The White House. Logan Brown did have the best olive oil I have ever tasted though. I asked to buy some but it is specially made just for them.

Also check out Herzog's in Marlborough and Amisfield Bistro in Queenstown. Make sure you try some whitebait if you've never had it.

[Anonymous Modernist 18828]

The New Zealand restaurants you shouldn't miss are-

1. Coco's Cantina

2. Grove

3. Depot

4. Black Barn Bistro

5. Logan Brown

6. Amisfield

[SamanthaH]

Heres my list of absolute favourite restaurants at the moment in New Zealand:

 

Sid at The French Café (Auckland) – legendary fine dining, consistently rated among NZ’s best

Ahi (Auckland) – modern New Zealand cuisine, heavy focus on local produce

Depot Eatery (Auckland) – casual but world-class, oysters and small plates are a must

Community Burgers (Napier) – world class burgers in the middle of Napier city, the vibe is awesome

Black Barn Bistro (Havelock North) – vineyard restaurant with a strong regional reputation

Amisfield Bistro (Queenstown) – famous for their “Trust the Chef” menu and Central Otago wines

Rata (Queenstown) – owned by Josh Emett, polished but approachable

Logan Brown (Wellington) – set in a historic bank building, creative NZ cuisine

Ortega Fish Shack (Wellington) – fun, unpretentious, and excellent seafood

Riverstone Kitchen (Oamaru) – regional favourite, great paddock-to-plate ethos