[SFvroooom]

Say you had a friend who has landed in NZ for the very first time. What would you suggest their first NZ meal to be? What food items would you advise them to expect on typical restaurant menus?

 

[topcat83]

Say you had a friend who has landed in NZ for the very first time. What would you suggest their first NZ meal to be? What food items would you advise them to expect on typical restaurant menus?

In Auckland? Something Asian.... we have some fantastic restaurants and food courts for everything from Chinese/Thai/Malaysian/Korean/Vietnamese/Indian and much more beside.... my favourite restaurant is Industry Zen, a Japanese restaurant on Customs Street West, behind the Viaduct. Go for their lunchtime special.

Or more typically NZ - seafood (fantastic fish and chips) or something from the Roast Dinner shop

 

[SFvroooom]

We recently went on holiday to the North Island and our first NZ meal was indeed fish and chips in the Mt. Eden area. It was delicious!!

 

[Jimaba]

Fish and Chips here are fantastic, I had never really had snapper before coming here and am absolutely hooked on it now. When my family comes to visit I always insist going to burger fuel at least once as well. It's like a gourmet hamburger shop, and I had never seen anything like it in the south.

Also...egg on your burger? Better than you'd expect...

 

[escapedtonz]

Fish and Chips here are fantastic, I had never really had snapper before coming here and am absolutely hooked on it now. When my family comes to visit I always insist going to burger fuel at least once as well. It's like a gourmet hamburger shop, and I had never seen anything like it in the south.

Also...egg on your burger? Better than you'd expect...

Ha ha. I love it how everybody has different ideas about what is good or not depending on what they are used to.
Makes for good conversation at work since it is multi-national
Fish & chips here - good ???
You must be kidding. They are awful.
Only found one decent battered fish so far in Wellington and surrounds and that was in a restaurant not a fish & chip shop. Unfortunately the chips weren't chips but small roast potatoes. Very good but not proper chips.........well what I would call proper chips anyway.
Yet to find a fish & chip shop that actually uses proper fish batter and batters fresh fish fillets and fries them to order or one that actually uses potatoes to make chips and cooks them fresh. So far it's all been frozen or pre-prepared McCain rubbish.
If I had the money and time it would be the ideal business to open up here. Yummy English fish & chips, with gravy & mushy peas. Probably the only thing I crave since arriving.
Not tried Burger Fuel yet. Walked past one with my toddler the other day and saw the produce n looked very good. Will have to visit soon.

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[Jimaba]

Ha ha. I love it how everybody has different ideas about what is good or not depending on what they are used to.
Makes for good conversation at work since it is multi-national
Fish & chips here - good ???
You must be kidding. They are awful.
Only found one decent battered fish so far in Wellington and surrounds and that was in a restaurant not a fish & chip shop. Unfortunately the chips weren't chips but small roast potatoes. Very good but not proper chips.........well what I would call proper chips anyway.
Yet to find a fish & chip shop that actually uses proper fish batter and batters fresh fish fillets and fries them to order or one that actually uses potatoes to make chips and cooks them fresh. So far it's all been frozen or pre-prepared McCain rubbish.
If I had the money and time it would be the ideal business to open up here. Yummy English fish & chips, with gravy & mushy peas. Probably the only thing I crave since arriving.
Not tried Burger Fuel yet. Walked past one with my toddler the other day and saw the produce n looked very good. Will have to visit soon.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum

There's a place in Auckland called Miro's Seafood, and it's Miro and his wife that own/run the place. He goes every morning to the fish markets and buys it fresh and you get to pick which fillets you want before he batters them and fries them. Absolutely fantastic.

Edit: Only link I could find: http://www.zenbu.co.nz/entry/1177652-miros-seafood

 

[escapedtonz]

There's a place in Auckland called Miro's Seafood, and it's Miro and his wife that own/run the place. He goes every morning to the fish markets and buys it fresh and you get to pick which fillets you want before he batters them and fries them. Absolutely fantastic.

Edit: Only link I could find: http://www.zenbu.co.nz/entry/1177652-miros-seafood

Oh that sounds wonderful!!!
Must try that one when I visit Auckland.

We've been told of a fish & chip shop in Plimmerton owned by a Greek couple that is supposed to be good. That will be the next attempt maybe this weekend.
Bit far to travel for F & C from home but no matter if it's decent.

Our local F & C shop back in England was owned by a Greek guy and they were the best in the area. Just hope this one in Plimmerton doesn't disappoint.
Tried one in Lower Hutt last week that had apparently won awards for the best in the North Island, Wellington etc over the years......
They were horrible but I knew they would be just watching them make the food. Such a disappointment.

I can see us having F & C every other day for dinner at this rate whenever we get back to the UK for a visit. We'll come back 10kg heavier!!!

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[anski]

Ha ha. I love it how everybody has different ideas about what is good or not depending on what they are used to.
Makes for good conversation at work since it is multi-national
Fish & chips here - good ???
You must be kidding. They are awful.
Only found one decent battered fish so far in Wellington and surrounds and that was in a restaurant not a fish & chip shop. Unfortunately the chips weren't chips but small roast potatoes. Very good but not proper chips.........well what I would call proper chips anyway.
Yet to find a fish & chip shop that actually uses proper fish batter and batters fresh fish fillets and fries them to order or one that actually uses potatoes to make chips and cooks them fresh. So far it's all been frozen or pre-prepared McCain rubbish.
If I had the money and time it would be the ideal business to open up here. Yummy English fish & chips, with gravy & mushy peas. Probably the only thing I crave since arriving.
Not tried Burger Fuel yet. Walked past one with my toddler the other day and saw the produce n looked very good. Will have to visit soon.

Sent from my iPad using ExpatForum

When next in Auckland, you must try the fish and chip shop in Kohimarama ( Melanesia Road)

They have big selection of fresh fish, you select a piece it is weighed & priced, you then have a choice of grilled or deep fried in batter or bread crumbs, they also do just fish & chips using portion controlled piece of fish (not sure of what type probably Hake.

This little business is a gold mine operated by same Chinese family in the 12 years I have been a customer. Locals pack the place every night, they do phone orders.

You have to be patient because everything is cooked to order a little at a time & I have waited in excess of 35 minutes for mine, but well worth the weight. They also hand cut the chips & not pre fried commercial rubbish either!

As well as fish & chips they do other seafoods oysters, mussels & crab sticks etc & hamburgers but I only stick to fish & chips.

They don't offer vinegar so either take your own or buy some from the convenience store next door. Bottle shop next door also handy if you want to buy a bottle & head down to the beach front & watch sunset as we have done many times.

Beware of the sea gulls they expect you to share:lol:

 

[topcat83]

...and try our local fish and chip shop too... in a village called Kaiaua. It's next to the 'Bay View Hotel', and a famous stopping off place for bikers on their drive down the coast. My favourite fish is Tarahiki - I find it a bit more delicate than snapper. Hubby loves John Dory.

I must say I prefer the fish and chips in NZ to that in the UK - even the cod tastes different. All a matter of taste, eh?

 

[anski]

...and try our local fish and chip shop too... in a village called Kaiaua. It's next to the 'Bay View Hotel', and a famous stopping off place for bikers on their drive down the coast. My favourite fish is Tarahiki - I find it a bit more delicate than snapper. Hubby loves John Dory.

I must say I prefer the fish and chips in NZ to that in the UK - even the cod tastes different. All a matter of taste, eh?

Topcat- That could be the one that my hubby was taken to years ago, he could never remember the exact location, but he raved about it & wanted to take me there.

If only he had a better memory!

 

[Jimaba]

I think we could all do with a little better memory!