After returning from 5 incredible weeks in New Zealand, I thought it would be a good idea to summarise a selection of the fantastic food I devoured over there. I think you will quickly realise why I put on half a stone but as you will see from the pictures, some things were too difficult to resist!
One of many al fresco lunches
I had planned to post restaurant reviews ‘live from the road’ but I seriously underestimated the availability of free wifi which was pretty difficult to find. Hopefully this post will make up for the lack of New Zealand posts and rest assured we have now resumed our attack on the Liverpool restaurant scene!
Now, as I mentioned on our Facebook page, everybody loves a big juicy burger! So I figure that’s a good place to start.
1) Fergburger (www.fergburger.com)
Whilst visiting the adrenaline capital of Queenstown I had been advised by many to not miss the legendary burger joint known as Fergburger. I saw the crowds before I even got halfway up the street. No matter what time of day you go, Fergburger has crowds spilling out onto the street, just waiting to sink their teeth into Ferg’s juicy goodness. Open 21 hours a day, there’s no choice but to suck it up, get in line and wait your turn. I promise you it will be so worth it! Check out their menu:
Fergburger’s Menu
With enough choice to keep even the most serious burger aficionado happy, select anything from the ‘Sweet Bambi’ made from wild fiordland deer to the ‘Bombay Chicken’ made from grilled chicken tenderloins in a chilli, ginger and coriander yoghurt marinade. I went for the ‘Southern Swine’ – prime New Zealand Beef topped with American streaky bacon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, aioli and tomato relish. I will confidently hold my hands up and say that this was the best burger I’ve ever eaten in my life!
Digging in to our Fergburgers!
2) Giapo Gelato (www.giapo.com)
Strolling around Auckland one night looking for dessert, I was so lucky to stumble across Giapo on Auckland’s main thoroughfare, Queen Street. Hailing themselves as an Ice Cream and Research Kitchen, unusual flavour combinations such as Chocolate and Blue Cheese, Organic Green Tea and Apple and Wasabi Sorbet abound. Head Chef Gianpaolo Grazioli is a self taught ice cream maker and all ingredients are made from scratch and by hand. I defy you to find better gelato outside of Italy!
Chocolate and Irish Whiskey Gelato
3) Antipasti at Pub on Wharf (www.pubonwharf.co.nz)
Situated on Steamer Wharf in the heart of Queenstown is Pub On Wharf. The perfect spot to grab a seat in the sun outside and enjoy lunch while taking in the views of Lake Wakatipu and The Remarkables mountain range.
I ordered a wonderfully presented Antipasti Platter which came on a wooden board and included a selection of dips, crackers, toasted bread, meats, pate, olives and cheeses. They had run out of pate but provided an extra portion of meat which I was more than happy with. This could easily have been shared between two and I struggled to finish it.
Antipasti Platter
4) Cloudy Bay Winery (www.cloudybay.co.nz)
Now it wouldn’t be fun, if there wasn’t any wine to wash down all that food would it? So on that note, I headed to Cloudy Bay Winery’s Cellar Door to participate in a wine tasting. Lying in the heart of the Marlborough wine region, Cloudy Bay produce wines such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pelorus Brut and Riesling. I did a three wine tasting of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling. The Riesling was the standout for me!
Cloudy Bay Winery
5) Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
What’s a holiday without ice cream, right? On that note, the only flavour to try was a traditional New Zealand flavour. Hokey Pokey is the most popular flavour in the country after vanilla and consists of plain vanilla ice cream studded with solid lumps of honeycomb toffee. It is also exported to Japan and the Pacific Islands.
Hokey Pokey Ice Cream
6) Colossal Burgers at the Fat Dog Cafe (www.fatdogcafe.co.nz)
Another town, another burger and you can never have too many of those ;-). The Fat Dog Cafe in Rotorua has been around since 1995 and provides a colourful, quirky atmosphere. Displaying local artwork, it offers quality, home cooked food, albeit in colossal portions!
Check out the Cajun Chicken Burger – Grilled Cajun Chicken Breast with Bacon, Pineapple, Lettuce, Coleslaw, Fat Dog Aioli and Fries:
Cajun Chicken Burger
7) The Famous Stonegrill at the Brewers Arms, Merivale (www.thebrewersarms.co.nz)
A 400 degree stone served at the table seems like a novel idea hey? It definitely is but more than that, it gives you the opportunity to cook your steak exactly the way you like it. I’ve lost count of the number of times my requested ‘medium-rare’ steak has come out either under or over cooked so this was perfect for me. The fillet of beef is served raw with a choice of either new potatoes and vegetables or salad and fries and a choice of two dipping sauces. I went for garlic butter and peppercorn and started sizzling my steak to my hearts content.
Stonegrilled Fillet of Beef
8) L&P
L&P is a sweet soft drink only found in New Zealand and specialty overseas New Zealand Stores. L&P stands for ‘Lemon & Paeroa’ and was traditionally made from combining lemon juice with carbonated mineral water from the town of Paeroa. The drink is now manufactured by Coca-Cola. I found it to taste like a less sugary version of Sprite and it was very refreshing. Perfect for those long, hot summer days.
L&P
9) Tim Tams
Famous in both Australia and New Zealand, Tim Tams quickly became our snack of choice on the road! Made by the Australian company, Arnott’s a Tim Tam consists of two layers of chocolate malted biscuit with a chocolate filling and coated in another layer of chocolate. What’s not to love?
And you can’t eat a Tim Tam and not do a Tim Tam Slam! This involves biting off opposite corners and drinking coffee through it.
Tim Tam’s
10) Lindauer Fraise (www.lindauer.co.nz)
A fruity, refreshing drink of bubbly sweetness, Lindauer Fraise quickly became our drink of choice to accompany al fresco lunches. Lindauer is New Zealand’s biggest sparkling wine export and is sold in 14 countries worldwide. The Fraise variety has a subtle strawberry aroma and leaves a delicious lingering taste of strawberries. I haven’t yet checked if it is sold in the UK but if it is, rest assured I will be stocking up and sharing it with my fellow Scousescran ladies :-).
Lindauer Fraise
So there is my round up of the foods and drinks I enjoyed in New Zealand.
Which would you like to try the most? We’d love to hear from you!
scousescran 