We drove out to Akaroa to kill time after an early flight from Auckland to Christchurch, and even though the weather was a bit miserable (low clouds, rain in variable strength), we found this place by chance, and had a very nice lunch.
I went with the green lip mussels. I really enjoy moules frites, but this was the first (and not the last) time I would have green lip mussels, not just on this trip, but I think ever. These came out in a nice white wine broth, and were a "good" size - meaning bigger than your average mussel, but not ridiculously sized (like some future green lip meals were, which actually turned in to too much mussel for me). Very flavorful without being overpowering, easy to shell out due to their size, and again, the key is good bread to dip in the broth. Points for not being too heavy on the garlic in the broth, which would have turned me off, although I tolerate with this sort of thing because it's often unavoidable.
Very friendly service, very reasonable prices. If you're in Akaroa, this is definitely worth a look. read more