The Food and Drink Reviewer

The Food and Drink Reviewer Food and drink reviews by a food and drink blogger in Auckland, New Zealand. Enjoy the content and engage in discussions related to food and drink.

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On the last day of the Easter holidays, I enjoyed a nice dinner after a long day of adventures in Taupo, on the way back...
08/04/2026

On the last day of the Easter holidays, I enjoyed a nice dinner after a long day of adventures in Taupo, on the way back home, to Auckland. I stopped by Urban Gusto and ordered a bruschetta as an entrée, and eggplant parmigiana as a main. I also got a Galliano Old Fashioned cocktail as well.

I loved the dinner. The bruschetta is healthy yet delicious and appetizing as expected - the tomatoes were fresh and the bread was done right. I enjoyed the eggplant parmigiana was also delicious. Again, I am not the biggest fan of salads, or boiled vegetables, which tends to be served a lot alongside normal meals globally now (esp in Belgium, Australia and the UK we got a lot of salad as well). Other than the salad, I thoroughly enjoyed the dinner.

I enjoyed the cocktail as it was really good, bold and had some spice to it. Although it was rather pricey, it was worth it.

I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone in rotorua if you are looking for a good place to dine at for lunch or dinner.

Back again for the Easter Show! Great food from BBQ Pitstop Whakatane, run by my relative (Julie is pictured below) whi...
03/04/2026

Back again for the Easter Show! Great food from BBQ Pitstop Whakatane, run by my relative (Julie is pictured below) which sells slow cooked meat dishes. I had smoked pork today (not in pic unfortunately) and it was delicious.

If you are in Auckland and are planning to head to the Easter Show this weekend, I highly recommend this stall due to their tender meat and freshly cooked fries.

Delicious lunch at Soul bar at a fashion event by Trelise Cooper. Enjoyed champagne and wine with a scallops as an entre...
01/04/2026

Delicious lunch at Soul bar at a fashion event by Trelise Cooper. Enjoyed champagne and wine with a scallops as an entree, enjoyed both fish and chicken for the main which I shared with a companion who was with me. And to finish with dessert, I enjoyed a coconut pudding with sago pearls, mango, passionfruit and coconut flakes.

Delicious mini cake topped with icing, garnished and a date that I enjoyed at the Mint Cakery in Ellerslie, Auckland. ...
06/03/2026

Delicious mini cake topped with icing, garnished and a date that I enjoyed at the Mint Cakery in Ellerslie, Auckland.

A few nights ago, we enjoyed dinner out at Wild Rice Thai Cuisine. We ordered massaman curry with rice (rice not picture...
28/01/2026

A few nights ago, we enjoyed dinner out at Wild Rice Thai Cuisine. We ordered massaman curry with rice (rice not pictured), Tom Yum Soup and prawn crackers. I also ordered a matcha cocktail, however unfortunately I forgot the name of the cocktail.

I enjoyed both the massaman curry and the Tom Yum, both were delicious, with the seafood in the Tom Yum being fresh and the meat in the massaman curry being nicely done. The prawn crackers were delicious, and were not oily or greasy, which is a good thing. I also enjoyed the matcha cocktail, it was creamy and sweet with a matcha flavour that I enjoyed, due to its sweetness and unique nature of the cocktail.

It is decently priced, and I highly recommend anyone in Rotorua looking for a good Asian restaurant to go to Rice Thai Cuisine in Eat Streat.

Last night for dinner, we went to The fainting goat in Rotorua, for dinner. We ordered burrata with fennel jam, lamb and...
27/01/2026

Last night for dinner, we went to The fainting goat in Rotorua, for dinner. We ordered burrata with fennel jam, lamb and goat pizza and a Timeless cocktail.

I really enjoyed the pizza as it was delicious and the lamb meat was nice and tender, I also enjoyed the Burratta as jt was fresh, and the accompanying fennel jam complimented the burrata. The cocktail was bold and sweet, with hints of chocolate and brandy. The Turkish bread that came with the buratta was freshly prepared, and warm.

The meal was a little expensive for what it is, but it was well worth it. I definitely recommend coming to this place for dinner if you are in Rotorua.

Throwback to the dinner and dessert + wine that we had at Fortnum and Maison in Hong Kong - and the dinner with the crep...
21/01/2026

Throwback to the dinner and dessert + wine that we had at Fortnum and Maison in Hong Kong - and the dinner with the crepe dessert was absolutely enjoyable, and we were served chocolate as lictured for bites at the beginning. Luckily we came here for dinner too, because I found out it may be closing down.

Last night, we went to the Ozone bar, at the Ritz Carlton for dinner as I decided to enjoy the experience at night, havi...
04/01/2026

Last night, we went to the Ozone bar, at the Ritz Carlton for dinner as I decided to enjoy the experience at night, having been there to another restaurant the Ritz just last year for lunch, and enjoyed the lunch experience..

We ordered a few things - lobster roll, a cocktail (unfortunately I cannot remember the name so not mentioned), tuna tataki. My travelling companion also got a waygu beef slider (not pictured), which she had to herself. For dessert we got tacos treats, which contains four different flavour variants as pictured. As pictured, we were also given complimentary snacks as well - nuts and dried vegetables.

I enjoyed the dinner overall despite it being small, the tuna was fresh and the lobster roll - accompanied by sauce - was delicious. The dessert was really nice, with the taco shell being crunchy (but not hard), sweet and fresh. I also enjoyed the cocktail, with its sweet taste and bold profile.

Also, the decor and environment was really nice as well, making the experience much more enjoyable.

I highly recommend going to Ozone Bar if you are in Hong Kong. Expensive, but well worth the price.

Happy New Year! Here's my first proper lunch of the year, steamed chicken with rice, ginger and chili sauce, an artistic...
04/01/2026

Happy New Year! Here's my first proper lunch of the year, steamed chicken with rice, ginger and chili sauce, an artistic cocktail and wonton at the Petite Jardin restaurant, at peak tramway in Hong Kong.

On the last day in Vancouver (and the trip), we went to Cardero's restaurant for lunch. We ordered a seafood platter wit...
29/10/2025

On the last day in Vancouver (and the trip), we went to Cardero's restaurant for lunch. We ordered a seafood platter with warm olives, and a cocktail.

I enjoyed the platter - the seafood was fresh and did not have a fishy taste. The clams and mussels were nicely done and I loved the lobster, as the meat was easy to dig out and it didn't make too much of a mess. The sauce went really well with the seafood, including the oysters. The olives were good too, as they were fresh.

I also enjoyed the cocktail as it was sweet, refreshing and fruity.

Despite the price, I definitely recommend this place to anyone in the area looking for a good restaurant for lunch. Asides from the food, it has amazing views of Vancouver harbour - although sadly, it was really wet and the weather was miserable that day.

Address

1122 Tutanekai St
Rotorua
3010

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