It is unusual for me to travel without planning at least 2 days worth of meals so I felt somewhat apprehensive as we approached Queenstown. Luckily we were smack in the middle of the ‘CBD’ and food was in no short supply.
Impressed by:
Les Alpes
A French restaurant which we visited for breakfast. It was an inviting and cosy place by the wharf, run (I think) by a most friendly and energetic Frenchman. Their menu looked so good and their promise of free jazz that evening so inviting that I almost went back for dinner but unfortunately was distracted by other happenings. The waffles with chestnut puree and whipped cream was absolute heaven. I really need to find a bottle of that stuff! Will definitely be back! p.s. order a ‘trim cap’ if skinny cappuccinos are your thing.
16 Church Street, Queenstown
(03) 442 6060
Open: 8.00am – late, 7 days
Best Onion Rings Ever:
Frank ‘n’ Burger
Tucked away in a little corner, it has 2 entrances and post-it notes for décor. The portions are, like all the burgers here, massive and is pleasant enough though nothing to scream about. Worth mentioning, though, are the onion rings. Large and crisped to golden brown perfection; Burger King’s onion rings look like it was churned out by some roadside wallah compared to these beauties. Never have I had such satisfying onion rings. Interestingly, this place doesn’t feature in the ubiquitous ‘Queenstown Menu Guide’.
1/66 Shotover Street, Queenstown
(02) 442 8211
Kept Checking But Never Actually Ate Here:
Slurp’s Soups
This takeaway joint is a dieter’s nightmare. Not only is everything liquid; but it’s rich, fatty, cholesterol laden liquid. The extensive list of soups take turns being on the daily menu, where about 5 or 6 are featured and get sold out very quickly. The reason I kept checking was because I wasn’t particularly interested in what they were offering on the days I popped in. By the time they were selling what I wanted (Smoked Chicken & Mushroom Minestrone), I was thoroughly tempted by the colourful display of gelatos further within the shop and bought a gelato instead from Lick’s Gelatos. I will definitely try a soup the next time I visit though!
Slurp’s Soups/Lick Dessert Bar & Espresso
40 Shotover Street, Queenstown
(03) 441 8505
Really Wanted to Try But Wasn’t Open:
The Noodle Ninja
I wanted to eat here because I love eating out of noodle boxes. It makes me feel like I’m on the set of ‘Friends’. Also, there’s an inside joke between us regarding ninjas. Also, they claim to have rickshaw deliveries by trained ninjas! We spent a good half hour looking for this place but it turns out its only open at certain times. The other half of the time the venue turns into a guitar pub or something. Very strange…. Would still love to try this place out when I return.
The Noodle Ninja (Under Monty’s)
13-14 Church ST., Queenstown
(03) 442 7685
Open Mon-Fri 11am – 4pm
So Disappointed By:
Mandarin Chinese Restaurant
Being a Sydneysider you get really spoilt for good Chinese food. We decided to try out Mandarin Chinese Restaurant by the water. Perhaps this is the standard, I’m not really sure as we only ate Chinese cuisine at this venue, but I was sorely disappointed. I ordered a medium-sized combination chow mein – I expected it to be crispy and have a good assortment of “combination” – being char siu (roasted sweet pork), some seafood, chicken and an array of vegetables. However, what came out was a plate about the length and width of DL sized envelope (regular envelope for folded A4 paper) and had noodles which were pretty much soggy. Asian greens and carrots were sparse; there were a few pieces of char siu and two prawns. It was very much smaller than what I was expecting for the money (NZ$13+). We also ordered a bowl of rice and a sizzling hot plate, which was no larger and nothing exceptional. It was fairly bland and the bowl of rice was around NZ$3 for a small bowl of two scoops. Overall, I was fairly disappointed. It also made me appreciate the quality back in Australia.
Mandarin Chinese Restaurant
65 Beach Street, Queenstown Central
– ant – & /~Owl~\
Ant and Owl 