Down Under Diary

The daily diary of a wandering restaurateur Down Under
November 8 - Coromandel/Papamoa

Today was a travel day. We left Coromandel after breakfast and headed for the Bay of Plenty to visit Norm & Shirley Holden, some old friends from years ago. First we had to wind our way over the mountain on a dirt road, then miles and miles of winding through hills, valleys, pastures, and whatever for several hours.

We pulled into Papamoa in mid-afternoon and stopped for lunch at the Blowfish Café for a quick bite. The meal was memorable for its presentation and, in fact, I have generally been very impressed with the plate presentations all over Australia and New Zealand. The industry has come a long way since we were here in 1987!

We opted for a local B&B for the evening and located Norm and Shirley for dinner and a lot of catching up! We went to dinner at O'Kanes Restaurant in Mt. Maunganui, a little resort town across the harbor from Tauranga. The dinner was adequate but not particularly memorable. The plate presentations were, again, better than the average. I had teheriki, a mild local fish that is reminiscent of snapper.

I expect we will be seeing more and more uncommon fish varieties as the familiar ones become fished out (or boring). There may be an opportunity to get on the cutting edge of this trend by searching out (and featuring) some of these more exotic species now. Team them with a wonderfully compatible (and slightly uncommon) wine and you will offer your guests something to talk to their friends about!

For photos of the Blowfish Cafe, click here.

For photos of Jacaranda and Papamoa (plus Genie and the lamb!), click here.

[Down Under Itinerary Page][Top] [Email Restaurant Doctor]