Blue Kanu is a Pacific Island themed restaurant nested in the heart of Queenstown by Lake Wakatipu. Upon entry into the restaurant it's deep cultural root can be sensed immediately from these wooden carved Maori masks on the wall as well as the distinctive graffiti. The soft blue lighting and the smooth background music also sets a lively and relaxing mood. The food is inspired by both Pacifica and Asian flavours. 

Mocktail - Made to Order NZ$10

Given the beautiful atmosphere, it would be a shame if no drink was ordered, so we asked for a fruity and pretty mocktail (not on the menu, just ask). When the drink came, I found myself mesmerized by the beauty of this drink, and could stop looking at it. However, when it came to the taste test it wasn't really my kind of mocktail. It was more like a milkshake with extra sweetener. With that said, I still appreciate the effort that was put into the presentation.

Pork Ribs, Chinese BBQ Sauce, Hot Mustard, Peanut Crumble NZ$18

When you see pork ribs and BBQ sauce together, there's really not much that can go wrong. It was a perfect balance of crunch on the outside and tender on inside. The sauce was so heavenly and sticky, and the best part was to lick your fingers clean at the end.

Prawn & Herb Dumplings, Ponzu NZ$14

These siu mai looking prawn dumplings had a nice herby tone, what we really liked was the bouncy texture of the filling. Each one was airy and plump. 

Shitake Mushroom Egg Roll, Green Goddess Dressing NZ$9

At first glance, this looked nothing like the kind of egg roll that we were expecting (layers of rolled up egg that's soft and fluffy). Rather it was more like a spring roll that's stuffed with vegetables. It would be nice if the veggies were wrapped in eggs, but the chef had chosen to wrap it with this bread-like pastry instead. So there was no sign of an egg element, which wasn't like the name suggested. It was a dish that was hard to like especially when the pastry was quite oily. 

Golden Shrimp, Chili Mayo, Puffed Rice, Shichimi NZ$16

Have you ever had honey (or popcorn) prawns before? Well this dish was very similar to that except it was more savoury than sweet. The prawns were coated in a light batter and fried until golden. The first few prawns were good, but soon we were finding ourselves reaching out for water as the chef was perhaps too generous on the salt. 

Crispy Chicken, Pineapple Bun, Green Leaf, Kimchi Mayo NZ$9

The name pineapple bun (which really means something else) was a bit disappointing when it was just a slice of pineapple on the bun. This burger was pretty standard, patty, lettuce, sauce and brioche bun. A simple burger isn't a problem, but we found the chicken patty soggy, and not the most appetizing let's just put it that way.

Goat Rendang Bun, Hazelnut Crumble NZ$11

This goat bun was nice, the bun was soft and airy and the meat tasted like it had a good amount of spices and seasoning. On the side there was this chili lemongrass sauce for dipping the bun in. There was only one thing I wasn't sure of, which is the goat part. I'm pretty sure it tasted more like lamb than goat, as goat has a more distinctive taste that's hard to mistaken with. 


In general, the food wasn't bad and the pricing was reasonable considering Queenstown is a touristy place. We did find out later that most restaurants are pretty affordable relative to Sydney. 

Food: 6/10
Service: 7/10
Atmosphere: 7.5/10

Highlight:

• Pork ribs
• Friendly staff

Lowlight:

• Burger and egg roll

Website: www.bluekanu.co.nz
Address: 16 Church St, Queenstown, New Zealand
Hours: Mon-Sun 4pm-late