Tom NZ experience

My experience with food in New Zealand so far has been a pretty mixed bag, i have worked in an Italian (for about two weeks) a Mexican a burger joint, and now a kiwi cafe, the Mexican place was run by Americans who were of course aiming for it to me a chain restaurant so as far as getting the experience i would have liked it wasn't to great but you could not fault the food, I left around 3 months ago to come to the south island and i have been craving a Mexicali burrito ever since. They accommodated for the New Zealanders wimpy pallets but also had salsas that were pretty hot and most of all bloody tasty.

I find quite annoying that any hot food you order in New Zealand is lathered in an incredibly sweet relish of some kind or a sweetened beetroot I am not saying they are bad relishes but not with everything please. New Zealand definitely has its English influences with the fish and chips,pies and pubs but they also have a huge Asian community of which the food we used to sample every now and again up in Auckland, it was all a bit hit and miss how ever some meals but blow you away and others would just be eaten so you didn't feel like you'd wasted your money, i went to a sushi place called the sushi factory right in the center of Auckland with a work party, some other dishes were quite nice but i always find it a little bit odd when chicken and sushi are mixed and the 8 inch cockroach that crawled over my food when i walked out the door didn't settle my stomach too much. I think I need a little direction on where to go in New Zealand for a great Asian meal because i'm sure there are some great places hiding away.

The food that New Zealand excel at are of course sea food and lamb because being surrounded my water  and having something stupid like 60 million sheep  the have plenty of resources to get them right, my favourite meal in New Zealand so far has been fish and chips made with elephant fish which happens to be a really cheap cut of fish and is so thick and meaty it just tastes great.
nom nom
tom

Arriving in New Zealand!! :) - Jess

So far since arriving in Auckland I (Jess) have noticed a few things, the first being, Kiwis LOVE their food mainly what I've noticed is they love their pies, seafood, sandwiches, and lamb of course. There are a ton of restaurants at every corner. What stinks is that it seems the food and beverage industry is so competitive here me and Tom have yet to find a favorite place. It seems you have to really dig for those places here. (any recommendations would be appreciated) Also all the food in New Zealand is SO over priced, every menu has "the best fish and chips" which yes its fresh and probably tasty enough but I cant even justify spending around $45 on one of my favorite indulgences. BUT me and Tom went to the water front fish market the other week, and THAT was fresh fish and chips for only $7!! Another thing I'd like to get off my chest is since working as wait staff in Auckland the Kiwis drive me NUTS with their coffees! To be honest the New Zealanders are some of the nicest people I have met but picky picky about their coffee. I cant tell you how many times women will come in and order " a trim/soy hot chocolate with whip cream and extra chocolate sprinkles". I'm honestly not certain if they realize how silly they sound or if its just gotten to the point that the person with the most ridiculous coffee order is the coolest? It's not just the women either, a ton of business men out to lunch seem to also have this ridiculous coffee order problem, just yesterday a man at a business lunch ordered " a trim cappuccino in a smaller cup extra hot extra dressed" HA? Maybe I'm just used to Canadians "can I just have a cup of coffee" but I don't even think these Kiwis know what they're drinking. Anyways I love a challenge and so far New Zealand is providing a challenge to me and Tom; fish and chips $45, cup of coffee $10, a bell pepper at the grocery store $6 finding those $7 fish and chips priceless. I look forward to finding our favorite sit down restaurant and to seeing what me and Tom come up with out of New Zealand for our menu so far I have; fish and chips seafood pie with a $30 cup of shut the hell up on the side.

Angus McToogles - Invermere

Upon leaving Panorama Mountain we received a free dinner at Angus McToogles, sadly because of when we needed to leave we were only able to make lunch. This was sadly because Angus McToogles Restaurant is not open for lunch service. However when we went to check out the menu we realized there was a small noodle house open for lunches upstairs. Now this noodle house is NOT for the picky customer, there is a VERY small menu but what they do offer is Asian; soups, spring rolls, sandwiches and maybe a special. The flavors can only be described with the words fresh and intense. There are vegetarian options available and the prices were very low considering the delicious food. So if you are in Invemere looking for a quick, delicious affordable meal make a stop at the noodle house.

Birchwood Restaurant

For those of you that have or are planing on visiting the small town of Invermere British Columbia the Birchwood Restaurant is a MUST STOP! Being one of the sole inspirations behind this blog! Those of you who may be coming to this area of BC for the surrounding attractions; Radium and Fairmount hot springs or Panorama mountain the Birchwood would be a stop well enjoyed. It is a very small restaurant that has a " seasonal, regional, inspirational" menu. The two of us decided that once a month we would go out for dinner to gather some inspiration for our plan, and since we have discovered the Birchwood we haven't been anywhere else. With daily homemade soups that are so creative and delicious and daily specials. We have never been to a restaurant where our PERFECTLY cooked meat actually melted away in our mouths (a cliche term we both dislike). The portion sizes allowed us to enjoy three courses and leave us very happy and satisfied. Every flavor was distinct while complimenting each other to perfection. After trying all the desserts on the menu they were all very enjoyable creative and unique but not what was keeping us coming back. Although the deserts had fun components, were good to share and visually appease the eye we found them a little pricey and perhaps an unnecessary addition to our otherwise exceptional meal (this could well be due to the fact that we aren't really "dessert people"). There is an extensive wine selection however, not a lot of wine can be purchased by the glass and the bottles were fairly expensive especially for a table of two. Our first impression was not so good as we waited at the door to be seated for quite some time before someone took care of us, but this opinion quickly changed after we received prompt efficient service for the rest of the evening with no real wait times on food or beverage and the server only came up to us when necessary.The menu has a  wide selection of meats including lamb, beef, pork, chicken and some seafood options, the two vegetarian were both  pastas, the menu seems quite small but some how it is still so difficult to make a decision between two or three dishes. Prices rang for starters 9 - 14 dollars and mains from 17 - 36 dollars which we felt is more than reasonable for the whole experience. All in all the restaurant has made us want to blog about it and try everything on the menu.  Some of our favorites from the winter menu  were,

Starters - fig ravioli - carmalized shallot, hazlenut browned butter, crushed amoretti $11 or stuffed seafood crepes which was one of the specials.
Entres - Grilled Alberta beef tenderloin - roasted tomato potato casserole, gorgonzola crust, rosemary red wine demi glace $36
Pan roasted sable fish - pumpkin seed crust, butternut squash puree, parsnip, balsamic cherry reduction, brown butter $31 ( two of the most expensive items but well worth the price!)

Please let us know if you have or are planning on visiting the Birchwood, how your experience was and if you agree with out post!

Thanks Jess and Tom!!!!!!
( if there are any restaurants ANYWHERE you suggest we check out for some ideas, inspirations or especially for the food let us know!)