I was on my way to breakfast and was leaving the immediate area, but wanted to make a stop here to "check-it-out", get a little take-out for later! I had been travelling throughout NZ and pretty much been hitting several F&C shops from Auckland to Wellington, Napier, and in-between. Granted, I didn't hit every shop in this amazing country, by any stretch, but in the 2 weeks here, I hit as many as I could.
My criteria for F&C (all food, actually) is all about value, as I am certain that most of the time you can get superior quality without having to get banged for your bucks, and the Frying Dutchman is proof in the puddin'!
I'd have to say it was the best I had in all of New Zealand, there were comparable, maybe (I said, just maybe) a few a tad better, but the price, the friendliness, and quality is unmatched. Heck, if I were a local, this would be my go-to, without doubt.
The owner and his pop were there, and they were great folk (which seemed to be par for New Zealanders in general). They were happy to chat me up, and giving me and my sweet pie some sweet info about fish, the area, etc...
I ordered one Hoki (fish o' the day) and Tarakihi (because I could compare it to others I'd tried). The intent was to put it on the back seat, got get breakfast, then try it later; but the smell and the golden battered, large pieces were making my mouth drool, so I had to pull a few chunks. AND, MAN-O-MAN-O, MANNNN, juicy, flaky, mouthwatering perfection. The batter was perfectly crisp, not that thick (crappy) bready/heavy kind, light in color, clean, fresh (seemed to be in fresh oil that is mixed with other foods). It was so good that I ate it sparingly over two days, like rations, as I continued my travels; and guess what... I never heated it up after that, and it was still delicious!!!!
Of course, I recommend, you get this, and eat it fresh out of the fryer, which I wish I did (and then I would have ordered a lot more to go)!
If I ever make it back to NZ, it goes without saying, it'll be on my itinerary to hit this place up again, fo' shur! read more