South Island is a great destination for food lovers. Fresh produce, secret recipes and amazing interiors amongst the panoramic views of mountains, lakes and rivers, South Island offers a delightful experience. The below write-up is a list of eateries and bars I visited recently in New Zealand. Barring the exception of one or two, the others won my taste buds completely.
Day 1 to 2 - Queenstown
Fergburger
Within minutes of landing into Queenstown, we made our way to the burger joint that was described to us as an institution. A must for visitors to Queenstown. The Southern Swine burger is one of their most popular burger. For the one's who enjoy Chicken, their Cajun chicken burger is pretty good.
Patagonia Chocolates
Indulgence at its best. Whether you want to enjoy some sweet treats, a cup of coffee or one of the best ice-creams in NZ, while enjoying the sunset, Patagonia is the place you need to visit.
Madam Woo
The recent talk of the town has been Madam Woo. Embodying a tiny, cosy bar on the top with views of the marina and serving Malay and Chinese style fusion street food in its funky yet modern restaurant downstairs, Madam Woo is quite an interesting place to dine. My recommendation would be to definitely try their Roti Canai style hawker rolls and 'Nonya Chicken Curry'.
Vudu Cafe and Larder
Without a shred of doubt it is the best cafe in Queenstown and would easily give any Sydney cafe a run for its money; if it ever opened here. Numerous awards to its credit, waterfront views, great coffee, neat and upmarket decor, it has everything going for it. A place to visit before you pay adieu to Queenstown. For the health conscious, try the 'bowl of goodness', for the rest 'grilled haloumi with free ranged poached eggs' is amazing.
Winnies
Another iconic Queenstown restaurant is Winnies. It delights you with one of the most New york Style cum industrial architectures while you enjoy gourmet pizzas in a fun and relaxed environment. You'll feel 80's are back, in a good way! Go half-n-half with a mix of Zucha (spinach, roasted pumpkin, feta and almonds) and Montonaro (chicken fillets, sundried tomatoes, brie and spring onions, sweet chilli sauce and pistachio sour cream).
Gibbston Valley Winery
The Central Otago region offers one of the best varieties of Pinot in the world and the Gibbston Valley Winery has an attached winning Pinot Noir to it's name. Wine and chocolate tasting, wine cave tours and a cheesery in its hub, you are bound to have an awesome time.
Day 3 to 4 - Wanaka
Boaboa Food Company
For a quick hunger fix as soon as you arrive in Wanaka is to grab a burger, fish and chips at Boa Boa. Cheap comfort food that'll keep you happy and satiate your starving.
The Spice Room
The most promoted restaurant in Wanaka, from hotel staff to shop keepers to tourist guides, all couldn't stop raving about this place. Giving into the hype we ended up for dinner at this restaurant and to our surprise we were delighted by the quality of the food. It was indeed a fresh and healthy take on authentic Indian flavours. Try their Mixed Tandoori platter and 'Bhuna Ghost' (lamb) to entice your senses.
Sargoods Restaurant
For a post meal dessert fix head to Sargoods restaurant based at Edgewater Resort situated next to Lake Wanaka. Their ice-cream trio is delectable.
Thai Siam
Unless you are really craving for Thai food or coconut curries visit Thai Siam. Under normal circumstances I will give this place a miss. A bit disappointing.
Day 5 to 6 - Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers
Cook Saddle cafe and Saloon
Looking for a break post a 4 hour journey from Wanaka to the glaciers and need to kills that winter chill, Cook Saddle cafe offers a hearty soup to do that. Western style architecture and friendly locals, it is a great place to absorb the friendliness atmosphere of the Fox township.
The Landing
A townships of 300 odd locals and probably more tourists, Landing seems to be tapping the market brilliantly. It plays all the sports on multiple televisions, has both an outdoor and indoor dining area combined with a full fledged bar. Their philosophy is to make you feel at home. The vegetarians can grab the 'Penne Trio pasta' and the other might consider enjoying the soft and moist oven baked Monk fish.
Cafe 88
Funky, bright and colourful, it even shines on a gloomy and overcast day. Serving Asian fusion food from Teriyaki chicken to Thai curries, this eatery offered outstanding customer service. The food was yummy and the host was very accommodating. Nice place to grab lunch.
King Tiger Eastern Eating House
This eatery had me smiling. A new eatery in the hood, we had lower expectations. First steps in and we were simply astonished and bowled over by the amount of effort, detailing that has been invested into this place. Easily the looks of a high-end fine dining Asian eatery (Indian and Chinese) in a town of less than 1000 people and packed with tourists, we were impressed. The food was exquisite, service was impeccable and the decor was mind blowing. And the Gents toilets, sorry I have to mention this separately. It was so unconventional, a translator machine and Asian movie posters, it definitely caught my attention.
Day 7 - Hokitika and Greymouth
Fat Pipi Pizzas
Lonely Planet rated this eatery as its top choice so it was a good stopover. The pizza had a lot of ingredients and the restaurant's backyard had Tasman Sea views. The ocean breeze definitely rejuvenates you after a long and tiring journey.
Monteith's Brewery
A great new experience was to get a brewery tour, understand the end to end beer making and packaging process. I enjoyed the learnings, tasted premium beer and ciders, understood the history of the place and tried some nice local delicacies, like the 'White Bait'. Greymouth doesn't have a lot to do otherwise, so spending a couple of hours at the Brewery is not a bad idea.
Robert Harris Coffee Roasters
Enjoy your morning caffeine fix at Robert Harris while you wait to catch the scenic train to Christchurch. A decent brekkie, good coffee and relaxed place to enjoy free internet and read some magazines.
Day 8 - Christchurch
Mexicano's
The last night in NZ, it had to end on a high note. Mesmerizing Margaritas, tantalising tapas, a great vibe, abstract art symbolising Mexico and a friendly staff. This place was amazeballs. Amongst the Margaritas's we tried the one with Mango and mixed citrus and the other one being Te de Fumar, loved it!! The best part about the place was its reasonable prices, you can try a variety of dishes without breaking your pocket. The Adobo chicken and the ceviche were the highlights for us. The other one's were the Tuna Tostado and the fire grilled chorizo sliders. The most interesting dish was the dessert, popcorn sundae with salted caramel ice-cream. Totally yum!
Fergburger
42 Shotover Street
Queenstown NZ 9300
Tel No: +64 3 441 1232
Website for more info:
FERGBURGER
