Beautiful, modern and spacious Burmese restaurant in Christchurch. The server was very friendly,…read moreaccommodating and actually from Burma/Myanmar. Food was very tasty with authentic flavors, but can be adjusted for Western palates (primarily by dialing down the heat). If you have spicy food lovers, be sure to ask for the chilies on the side...they pack a lot of heat! We enjoyed the Le Pet Thoke salad, Seit Da Kin (lamb skewers) and Jetda Ono Hin curry. Everything was delicious and goes well with their selection of beers. Only thing that I would change is perhaps having a little more tea leaves in the Le Pet Thoke. Overall a lovely dinner and nice change of pace from the other Asian (mostly Japanese, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese) restaurants in town.

Burmese food in Christchurch? We were intrigued so we decided to check out Rangoon Ruby for our…read morefirst dinner in town. It's merged with The Bodhi Tree so don't confuse the two; it's now under one roof. Mama Hooch is located right next door to them. We dropped in for an early Monday dinner (around 5:45pm). The inside is gorgeous with two floors and a very clean, modern look. Interesting that most of the clientele was Caucasian. The menu is short and sweet; nibbly bits, soups, vegetable/salad, meat, seafood and desserts. The drink menu is standard but at least the bottles are reasonable. - Lepet thoke ($14.50 NZD) - tea leaf salad is a Burmese speciality. Pickled tea leaves mixed with lentils, nuts, sesame seeds and chili. Barely any heat nor much tea leaf flavour but still a tasty dish. Also, way too pricey for such a small appetizer. - 2x steamed rice ($3.00 NZD/person) - we weren't sure but turns out you can get free refills on rice. Sweet because it's steep enough for plain white rice. - Nga kin ($17.50 NZD) - a boneless fillet of fresh fish (grouper) baked in the oven. When this dish got dropped off, we did a double take. Smallest piece of fish I've seen on a plate. Fish was nicely cooked but plain. Luckily, the side sauce was BOMB; could have drank that on its own. It was sweet, spicy and tangy (a mix of soy sauce, fish sauce, vinegar, cilantro, chives and hot pepper). - Seit da nut ($16.50 NZD) - lamb curry cooked with lemongrass, ginger and curry leaves. You get three pieces; again, small portion but the lamb was tender and delicious. Wish that you'd get some vegetables with this dish. Good flavours but know coming in that portions are small. 3.5 stars.

This amazing little dumpling joint is tucked away inside Colombo Mall. I have only been during the…read morelunch hour and the line is always at least 5 or 6 people long. They offer 5 flavors (4 are always the same, one changes) and you can order them by the 1/2 or dozen. I prefer to order the "Dozen Matter" where you can get whichever dumplings you want. My favorite flavors are Garlic Pork and Chive (staple) the Vegetarian option (staple) or Beefroot (speciality: beef + beetroot). They also have chicken dumplings, too. There are 3 sauces to choose from (or get all three) chili, vinegar, soy. You can ask for them to be extra hot if you'd like (as someone who can't stand heat, the chili does have a bite). There is seating in the mall, both at a large communal table and on stools against the dumpling joint. I love sitting at the stools because you can watch the dumplings being made, which provides entertainment while you wait (at least 10 minutes from order time). Street parking is definitely hard to find, and you will need to find a spot longer than 30 minutes. This is not a quick "in and out" option as the dumplings are cooked to order. I definitely recommend driving out of your way to have lunch here. You will not be disappointed as these are some of the best dumplings I have had (outside of New York City)!

I'm not sure why this place has good reviews. I found their dumplings to be surprising average--…read morethey don't even use homemade wrappers. Tried the pork and chive dumplings and they were just not special. I also had the cha shao about which were ok. Where I am from this place wouldn't survive.

We chose this restaurant as it was recommended and we were craving Asian towards the end of our NZ…read moretrip. It seems promising as the waiter attending to us was Korean. However, they weren't particularly friendly, and seemed curt at times. But the restaurant is very spacious and great for groups. Banchan in comparison to what I am used to is sorely lacking. The dishes we ordered were not bad, but I have had better versions in other Korean restaurants, even all the way in Lake Tekapo. Another thing I found a bit surprising was this restaurant serving both Japanese and Korean cuisine when the two are quite distinctively different. We did not try any Japanese food though so this review is based solely on the Korean dishes we had.

We we're excited to see a Korean restaurant recommended by Lonely Planet so we decided to try this…read moreplace out. First off, it seems like a happening place because it's open 24 hours and they allow you to BYO drinks so everyone was walking in with bottles of beer and wine! I noticed that all the wait staff was Korean so perhaps my expectations were a bit high. We ordered the lamb BBQ (since this is something I've never had at a Korean restaurant), the soon tofu soup, and the beef wraps. The lamb BBQ was the best thing we had, it had pretty good flavor. Unfortunately, the soon tofu soup was a disappointment, it was spicy but watery at the same time. Beef wraps were essentially bulgogi wrapped in rice paper. The banchan (side dishes) were a bit lackluster. I was glad to try a Korean restaurant in New Zealand, but unfortunately, my mum's Korean cooking is better. :)

Never thought I would find so much foreign food in New Zealand. I don't really know what I was…read moreexpecting. I guess I assumed it would be burgers, fish and chips, seafood and lamb. With the occasional Chinese restaurant sprinkled in. Because they're in every country. But Thai? From New Zealand? And pretty much the entire crew are Kiwis?? No fruit isn't running this restaurant that's what they call themselves here. This place though.. It was good. Really good! The inside has an upscale look but you don't need to dress classy to eat here. They don't overdo the fact that they are an Asian restaurant. You know how some places can be.. Oooh let's put a tiger in that corner, and oh a Buddha in that corner, maybe a temple print wallpaper.. No no. This place keeps it simple. Staff was great. They don't work for tips in New Zealand but still cared about me just as much. Let's talk food!! The menu runs deep. Like 50 numbers deep. We ordered 3 items. 38-Black Pepper Stir Fry, 20-Pad Thai, 12-Tom Kar which is a soup. Everything had such great flavor. Lots of meat in our dishes to. 3 items and it was plenty for 3 of us. And they make sure to label the menu to let you know what is spicy, and extra spicy. So no surprises here! Oh they also have a small section for Vietnamese food. Shutout to my Viet friends. But.. We didn't order any of that. 5 stars for great food and service!

Had a recommendation to come here from our air bnb host and boy it didn't disappoint…read more The satay is amazing! The laksa has vegetables in it - odd but nice enough. They forgot our pork balls, then we reminded them, they brought them out but still it wasn't great... they were very plain balls with a sweet pineapple sauce... The pepper beef was nice but I would've enjoyed it more if it had more pepper. Overall though, this place is nice. Service is great - they check how the meal is going etc and cater to ANY allergies. Go there - you won't regret it.

Fantastic pan-Malaysian cuisine. Good regular dishes like beef rendang and laksa with new items…read morelike a Dori donut with ginger lime ice cream. Dumplings were light and tasty. Laksa needed more flavour but the pak Chou with confit garlic was delicious, combined with the very friendly priced lemak ($8) i was very full and happy. Make a booking and beware the noise levels, very popular on a Saturday evening

Southern-style Vietnamese pho with NZ sourced rare slices of beef -- next level! The broth was…read moreproperly spiced and seasoned to offer maximum flavor. NZ beef is simply top tier and is much tastier too! Menu was huge, filled with so many options. In addition to the Pho, I ordered a rice dish and some wings too. Many patrons dining in at this well-loved restaurant owned by a hard-working uncle, who was out and about serving tables and conversing with the regulars with all smiles. Interestingly, they have a BYO wine special which many people seem to take advantage of. Dedicated parking lot which can get busy, but enough street parking to make for an easy visit in the Riccarton neighborhood.

Our last meal in Christchurch. After a movie in Riccarton, we decided to check out Hello Vietnam…read moreRestaurant for pho. They specialize in Southern Vietnamese (believe they are from Can Tho). We dropped in on a Wednesday evening (around 8:15pm) and the place was packed. A mix of customers which is a good sign. FYI: it's BYO (for wine only). The menu is humongous; appetizers, salad, soup, rice noodle soup, rice vermicelli, fried egg noodle, fried rice noodle, steamed rice, fried rice, meat dishes (chicken/beef/pork/squid/fish/prawn), tofu, vegetable, egg omelet, chef special menu, roast duck and desserts. They even have a couple set menu options. So many things. Only thing I ever look it as the pho/speciality soups! - Pho dac biet (#23) ($16.00 NZD) - special beef rice noodle soup. Comes with the standard bean sprouts and basil (super fresh!). Broth is flavourful but on the sweeter side (Southern Vietnam influence). A bit too sweet for my liking. Meat was generous and a good variety; beef tendon, beef flank, pork balls, tendon and oxtail. Oxtail was bomb. - Bun rieu cau ($13.00 NZD) - spicy crab rice vermicelli soup. Always a must whenever I see this on the menu! This was delicious; fantastic broth with depth and flavour. Good variety of meats including two tender meat balls, pork, a small piece of pork rib and crab. There was also a few tomatoes, tofu puffs (silky smooth) and green onion. I ate every last bit. Super satisfying last meal. We were stuffed and in food coma heaven. 4.5 stars.

We stumbled upon this place while walking through Christchurch late one evening, looking for some…read moredinner. Even though they were closing, they squeezed us in and we had the most amazing teriyaki chicken and steak dinner. Food was hot and fresh, the steak melted in your mouth, and the flavors were delightful! Wonderful service. I would recommend for a great dinner.

Shrimp and vegetable tempura were delicious! We also sampled the plum wines. I don't really like…read morewine but I definitely like the ones I sampled! Although the restaurant was always busy when we went, service was good. The turn around was quick. We stayed in Christchurch for 3 nights and we ate here twice for dinner.

After having local food for 10 days. We are craving for Chinese food. We manage to try this…read morerestaurant visited by many Chinese living in Christchurch. It is Hongkong style food. Pickled duck wings. Steam blue cod fish. Ginger and spring onion Venison hot plate. Crispy skin Peking duck. Steamed oyster with vermicelli. All cooked to perfection and taste like food eaten in Hongkong. . Food : 5/5 Service : 4/5 Price : $$$ Place : 3/5 . Halal Rest : North & South Gourmet Location : Christchurch City : New Zealand .

North and south gourmet is a great place for dim sum/ morning tea. It is great to come here with a…read moregroup and order a variety of different dishes. As an American who likes to venture out of my comfort zone and try different foods, I loved bringing a group of friends and ordering dumplings, spring rolls, meat balls, pork ribs, bao, and even tripe. The spinning table is a great feature for sharing among friends, and the food is reasonably priced and delicious.