Rather pleased with ourselves for managing to find a free table on a busy Saturday afternoon at the "Live Fish Seafood Restaurant", we perched ourselves on the tall wooden stools and engaged in our favourite activity, for which the Wynyard Quarter proved a perfect backdrop - people watching. The first alarm bells started ringing when I counted the word 'fried' eight time on the A La Carte menu from which I was supposed to select our appetising lunch dishes. My discomfort at having zero to limited options was overridden by my rapid transition from hunger to hanger and so I ordered the "Mussels with Tangy Thai Chili Sauce" as an appetiser.
When the mussels arrived, I marveled at the chef's honesty which did not even attempt to disguise the fact that the Tangy Thai Chili Sauce was made by unscrewing the lid on the bottle (potentially of the same name) and drizzling it over mussels, old enough to remember the days when they could swim in the Waitemata Harbour before it became reclaimed land.
After washing my mouth out with Steinlager Pure, I went ahead and ordered the Pan Fried Salmon With Salad. As a rule of thumb, when my back is pressed against the proverbial wall of poor menu choices, I opt for the salmon/market fish option because I find it hard to imagine that the act of putting a fillet of fish in a frying pan can present many culinary difficulties. Plus, pan fried trumps deep fried. Once the pre frozen and reheated in a fast food sort of fashion salmon, with congealed oil seeping out of its fishy pores arrived, I realised my logic did not apply to Live Fish and Seafood Restaurant.
Mind you, it was still a far cry better than my friend's Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken Fillet With Rice. This dish ! If lunch could slap you in the face, this is what it would look like. When it arrived, I thought that this was the chef's way of letting us know that he wanted us to leave, because no paying customer in their no matter how hungry mind would stay, after being presented with a round white plate decorated with a upside down bowl of yesterday's rice and a skinny slab of stringy out of the packet deep fried chicken. Needless to stay, we only stayed long enough to finish our beers.
VERDICT: The quality of food is on par with a Take-Away joint, making it the McDonald's of Seafood with a price tag staggering enough to pay for the rent on the most sought after piece of harbour side property in town.
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| Pan Fried Salmon With Salad (or it also comes with Coconut Rice) |
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| Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken Fillet With Rice Or Salad |
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| Salt & Pepper Fried Chicken Fillet With Rice Or Salad |
