Cooked in real time.

Salmon Sashimi ($15).

Lunch Time Special – beef? ($13.80).

Gourmet Lunch ($23.50).

Salad and Miso Soup.

Overall, pricing is the usual Japanese price. Kinda expensive. But the gourmet lunch (beef) was very nice especially the yum yum sauce. Salmon sashimi is great and the sides are good too. The lunch special (beef) was kinda average but not horrible.

Worth trying to see the “show”. Expect high-ish prices for the food. Rating = 7/10.

First impression for this place; loud drums banging and some Japanese guy saying something when you or anyone comes into the door (welcoming?), and good-looking chicks.

Some samples below:

Salmon & Avocado Sushi ($14).

Karaage Chicken ($9).

Okonomiyaki ($12).

Grilled Prawn Skewer ($8).

Overall, the range is good. Pricing is a little high but of good quality I think. The environment is noisy and lively. The food is tasty especially the salmon & avocado sushi roll. Be prepared to pay $25 per head or more, since the portions are not huge. Worth a try.

Rating = 9/10.

Nutmeg Cafe is located at the intersection of Remuera Road and Middleton Road, near Dick Smith Electronics. I decided to go because it’s near where I live and I had a Living Social voucher. Samples below:

Big breakfast with four sides ($23.00)

Eggs Benedict with Cured Salmon and Spinach ($17.00)

Mocha in a bowl.

To be honest, fantasic food, delicious and I think reasonably priced for the quality and service. With the voucher, it just makes it even better. Highly recommended for a try.

Oh it’s organic too. Rating = 9/10.

Some samples below:

Tofu Salad ($8)

Nasi Lemak with Beef Rendang.

Satay Chicken on Rice.

Beef Murtabak

Teh Tarik.

I didn’t keep track of the prices, but they are around $13 per meal. The tapas are around $8. It’s located in a nice place. If it’s not too cold or windy, it’s a great place to eat outside. In terms of pricing, the dishes are a bit on the high side, especially the tapas for its rather small portion size. The staff is friendly and the dishes are not bad. The laksa, mamak mee goreng, beef murtabak and curry chicken dishes are recommended.

Have a go. Rating = 8/10.

Anyway, if you’re keen on some Indian food – you can go for Masala. If it wasn’t for the $10 lunch special, I would not have spotted this place. It’s on the 2nd floor which make it difficult to spot. So I guess a little marketing helps.

As usual, samples I tried are shown below:

Butter Chicken ($10 lunch special).

Lamb Saagwala ($10 lunch special).

These $10 lunch specials always come with a catch – don’t expect a lot of meat and expect plenty of sauce. Naan wasn’t too bad. I thought the paper-based table cloth was a bit strange. I have had dinner here before, and the portions were reasonable. Overall, not the best Indian in town but it’s in Mission Bay – so you could say the atmosphere compensates. They have live bands apparently, which is a bonus.

So if you’re in the mood for Indian in Mission Bay, it’s a good try, but don’t expect too much in terms of food satisfaction. Rating = 7/10.

Eel on Rice ($12)

Yellow plate – $4.50

Blue plate – $3.50

Red plate – $5.50

The dishes have different prices from $3.50 to $7.50 depending on which plate colour you choose. I thought the variety was somewhat average. In fact, the best thing to do here is to order. So, the concept of choosing the dishes from the “train” is kinda pointless. If I wanted variety (immediately that is), I’d rather go to Umi Sushi at Atrium. Sushi Train just seemed pathetic compared to it.

However, if you do happen to pass by and wanted to try it out. I’d say go for the “Chef’s recommendation,” for e.g. grilled scallop and grilled salmon. It’s also open at night compared to Umi Sushi.

My rating is 6/10. Sushi Train lacks in variety, especially since this is suppose to be a “sushi train”. The staff seemed distracted at times on my visit there, so service was so-so. If you want sushi with variety, save your money and go for lunch at Umi Sushi in the Atrium.

I’ve been pre-occupied as usual. One of my recent favourite visit is the Auckland Fish Market. It’s now very nicely done up – thanks to the Rugby World Cup. There appears to be lots of eateries there, and Market Seafood Braisserie caught my eye. It was the obvious cafe as it’s smack in the fish market. The menu looks good with easy-to-pick choices. Some samples below:

Crumbed Salmon with Baby Caesar ($14.90).

Crumbed Snapper with Salad Green ($15.90).

Gourmet Fish Burger with house tartare and fries ($14.90).

Great price and great taste! Good variety and love the salmon. They can get quite busy during weekend lunchtime – so try to come early. With the area being done up, it’s a good place to visit, eat and stock up on seafood.

Rating 9/10. Highly recommended!

Baked Beans with Poached Eggs ($14.90).

Panfried Field Mushrooms ($16.90).

Gourmet Beef Burger ($17.90).

Mixed Grill ($17.90).

As you can see, presentation-wise, it’s top notch. Taste-wise, I can’t complain. It’s the usual cafe-style food. I think the the price is very reasonable. The atmosphere is great with unique decor. It can be quite deceiving seeing the place from outside and think it’s small, when in fact, it’s very deep. So, don’t worry if you see lots of people, there’s plenty of space inside. I’m a big fan of baked beans, so always like to have them for breakfast. Mixed grill is always going to be my favourite because it has everything. Otherwise, you can go for smaller options.The beef burger is not too bad. Coffee is 4.90 (a bit of the high side, but good coffee).

If you have the Entertainment book – use it! You get one free meal.

Overall, great place and worth a try. Rating = 8.5/10.

Had a look at the menu and ordered the selections below:

Vegetarian Lasagne ($12).

Mixed Seafood Platter ($28.50).

Chicken Pizza (cashews cranberry finished with an avocado aioli) $12.

To be honest, the food is pretty good. The platter is really nice and tasty.  The lasagne not bad. The pizza also not too bad, a bit too cheesy / salty. For the price, it’s actually quite reasonable and if you sit outside, you won’t feel so lonely. If you are confused what to have here, go for the platter. The service was good too – friendly manager (I think).

Rating = 8/10.

Kiwi Country Fast Food is located right next to BBQ King (on the corner of Queen St and Durham Lane).  It’s not on the ground level, but at basement level. So it can be hard to spot.

Chicken Chop, Tofu and Vegetable on Rice ($10.50).

Herb and Spicy Chicken on Rice ($9.50).

My favourite would have to be the Herb & Spicy Chicken. The curry sauce has some addictive elements that I can’t get enough of (MSG?).  The pricing of the dishes are very reasonable and food is served quite quickly. The taste is pretty good, but again, it is different for other people (i.e. my work colleagues). Dishes are served with a side of vegetables – which is not bad. But try to avoid eating the deep friend chicken – not great for your health.

I will be bias, because I quite like this place. Rating = 9/10. Great price and great food. At least try it once.