Holy wow... I don't know how to begin to describe how amazing this place is. I was driving to Auckland from the Bay of Islands and I got hungry right around Ruakaka. I was hankering for good Indian, and Google pulled up two choices... one with 4.8 average, and the other with 4.5 average. The difference seems negligible, but Spice Route was closer to where I was and it was close to the beach.
When I drove up, I almost thought I got the wrong address... it's on an empty street in an almost deserted building, but I saw two people who clearly worked there sitting outside and they happily jumped up when I arrived.
After looking over the menu which focused on chicken, lamb or goat as meat options, I confessed that really wanted chicken methi. It was not on the menu, but the proprietors told me they could easily make it for me. I gotta say, I was utterly floored by how good it is. It is, by far, the best chicken methi I have ever had anywhere in the world.
The owners were warm, their daughter (who was my server) was delightful, and if you sit outside on the picnic-style benches, you can see the ocean. The entire experience was out of this world.
I HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend Spice Route. I am so very sad that they are halfway around the world from where I live. read more