Picky Piggies: January 2018

Fiddlesticks Restaurant & Bar is located in the heart of Christchurch. The atmosphere was chilled and relaxed, and the menu offered a wide selection of choices.

Wakanui Brisket Croquette NZ$15

These croquettes were crumbly on the outside, and the inside was packed with potato mash and soft beef brisket that had a nice touch of smokiness. The chipotle mayo on the side introduced a nice kick.

Big Breakfast: Italian Sausages, Bacon, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Eggs, Ciabatta NZ$24

Speaking of cafe food, big breakfast for sure made it to our list. The portion was decent and every element was enjoyable.

Today's Tailor-Made Pie NZ$21

Flaky is the word for describing this pie's crust. It had the perfect crunch and wasn't overly oily. The centre was filled with mushy pork, not my first preference for pie fillings (I prefer the meat to be chunkier). Flavour-wise it was a little bland.

In a nutshell, the food was good, albeit not very fancy. Not a bad choice for tourists looking for a decent cafe in Christchurch.

Food: 6.5/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:

Good location

Lowlight:

Slightly pricey for Christchurch

Website: https://fiddlesticksbar.co.nz/
Address: 48 Worcester Blvd, Christchurch Central, Christchurch 8013, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am till late
Sat-Sun 9am till late

Phone: +64 3-365 0533

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Beautiful wooden panels across the restaurant floor and traditional Japanese decor quickly make you fall in love with Industry Zen's Japanese vibe. At lunch time the set menu offers a variety of raw dishes including sashimi and sushi as well as cooked dishes that are wonderfully affordable. Mr Piggy and I have been a big fan of this place for a long time and return every time we visit Auckland.

From the details in the room to the presentation of the food you can tell the owner put in a great amount of effort in the design and planning of the restaurant to make it inviting and welcoming. This is also one of the reasons that keeps us from coming back again and again.

OK, on to the food...

All lunch sets come with salad, miso soup, rice and dessert. Make sure you ask for the chicken/fish rice, otherwise the plain rice is good too. The salad was refreshing and crunchy.

"Teppan" Hotplate - Yum Yum Prawns w Sushi & Sashimi NZ$29

Everything on the menu is delicious, you can literally order with your eyes closed. I have a rather special connection with this place, and it is part of my ritual now to always get the yum yum prawns which is my all time favourite. The prawns were served on a sizzling hotplate and topped with Zen's secrete sauce. The sauce was rich and creamy almost like a Japanese style mayo, and the prawns were flavourful and had great texture. On the side there were small plates of salmon, kingfish and tuna sushi and sashimi that were fresh and tender. The cooked salmon and chicken rolls were lightly dressed in a sticky teriyaki sauce.

Zen Combo - Tempura & Teriyaki Chicken NZ$25

Mr Piggy got the Zen Combo with teriyaki chicken. The chicken was tender and succulent, and each piece was coated with a glaze of sweet and savory teriyaki sauce. The prawn tempura didn't disappoint either. The golden batter was light and super crispy while the prawn inside was still juicy. If you are wondering what was inside in wrap, well good news for those who love teriyaki chicken because there's some more of that (just inside a wrap)!

"Ju" Lunch Box - Prawn Tempura Box NZ$23

The Ju lunch box was similar to the Zen Combo, it's got the tempura prawns, but replaces the teriyaki chicken with teriyaki salmon, nigiri and sushi rolls. Although we didn't try this lunch set (because our friend got this one), it still looked amazing.

Teriyaki Salmon

Nigiri

Wagyu "Menchi" Katsu Select - Menchi x Chicken NZ$29

Menchi Katsu x Wagyu

Chicken

Another friend got the Wagyu Menchi set. Menchi katsu is a breaded deep-fried meat patty. There was also a slice of top grade Japanese wagyu, and a generous portion of teriyaki chicken cooked on hotplate and two sushi rolls. For all the meat lovers out there, if you love meat then this will give you 100% satisfaction.

Choux (dessert of the day)

As part of the meal set we got this choux with vanilla ice cream centre. Maybe because the choux had sat in the fridge for too long the pastry was a little soggy, but the flavour was still good.

As always, the food was elegantly presented and more importantly delicious. We look forward to coming back next time we are in Auckland.

Food: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Atmosphere: 9/10

Highlight:

Consistently great food and experience at an affordable price point (dinner is at a higher price point)

Lowlight:

We are going to miss the food here for some time

Website: http://www.industryzen.co.nz/
Address: 104 Customs St W, Auckland, Viaduct 1010, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Thu 12-3pm, 6-11pm
Fri-Sun 12-3pm, 5:30-11pm
Phone: +64 9 3070936

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Located just off the main stretch of Arrowtown The Chop Shop found themselves this rooftop space where they oversee the main street. The dining space was decorated in a casual rustic style, and the menu had it's take on Asian flavours.

Crispy Beef Cheek NZ$24

Just like the name suggested the beef cheek was really crispy, and well seasoned. The fresh greens added a crunch element, and all everything sat on this soft bed of homemade roti.

Spicy Nasi Goreng NZ$25

Nasi goreng is something that I always order when I see it on the menu, there is something about it that I can never resist. This nasi goreng surely didn't disappoint. It had all the right flavours, and the rice was cooked perfectly that each grain was beautifully separated. There was also a nice crunchy texture from both the peanuts and the bean sprouts.

Food: 6.5/10
Service: 6/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:

Good vibe & a modern menu for a small town

Lowlight:

A little pricey for good but not great food

Website: https://www.facebook.com/thechopshopfoodmerchants/
Address: Arrow Ln, Arrowtown 9302, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Sun 8am-3pm
Phone: +64 3-442 1116

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Influenced by traditional Malaysian hawker food, Madam Woo first open it's doors in 2013 in Queenstown and then expanded to 4 more restaurants that are now scattered across NZ.

Beef Murtabak NZ$10

This stuffed pan-fried bread was filled with curry flavoured beef mince and potato cubes that had absorbed all the beef flavour. The bread was super crispy and flaky, you could hear it sing when biting into it. We found it enjoyable solo or with the accompanying creamy curry dip.

Prawn & Coriander Dumplings NZ$11

To judge whether a dumpling is good or not, you simply need to look at the skin/pastry. I could tell Madam Woo didn't take their dumplings seriously enough by using these store-bought dumpling skin. For the prawn filling, it was ok, but nothing special.

Madam's Beef Rendang w Coconut Rice NZ$29

Beef rendang is a traditional Malay/Indonesian style curry that cooks the beef using a range of spices and herbs for hours. The meat was moist and fork tender, it was creamy and buttery. The coconut rice was simply amazing, and we loved the shredded coconut on top.

Pork & Prawn Sui Mai NZ$10

Again the siu mai was OK, but no "wow" factor.

Char Kway Teow NZ$24

Char kway teow literally means "stir-fried rice noodles strips". It is usually cooked with prawns and Chinese sausages. This dish was simple, but well executed.

Roti Doughnut, Kaffir Lime & Ginger Ice Cream NZ$10

Can't find the doughnut? Don't be surprised because there was no doughnut. This dessert was suppose to come with a roti doughnut and a scoop of ice cream, but we didn't feel like doughnut that day so instead we got two scoops of ice cream. The ice cream was smooth and the kaffir lime flavour really shined through, not sure where the ginger was, but it still ticked all the boxes for an ice cream.

Food: 7/10
Service: 5/10
Atmosphere: 6/10

Highlight:

Beef murtabak
Char kway teow
Ice cream

Lowlight:

Dumplings

Website: https://www.madamwoo.co.nz/
Address: 5 The Mall, Lower Ballarat Street, Queenstown 9348, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Sun 11am-11pm
Phone: +64 3-442 9200

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