RR Task: Latitude 37- Mt Maunganui, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand

[Harry Potter]

RR Task

 

Name: Latitude 37

Location: Maunganui Rd, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand

Contact Details: On the website

 

Located in downtown Mount Maunganui, a popular beach town in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand, Latitude 37, since its opening, has developed a loyal patronage. It was through one of its loyal patrons, a good friend of mine, that I decided a meal at this place was a must on my to do list.

On a whim one night another friend and I, too lazy to cook and not in the mood to order in, jumped in the car and headed off to this "fancy" restaurant to check it out. We pulled in to a large, well lit parking lot across the road and spent a few minutes scoping out the joint and others either side and up and down the street, almost deciding to eat at another place down the road as Latitude 37 looked a little too high end for us. What made up our minds was that we actually had the money to treat ourselves so thought what the hell.

Upon our approach we realised that we might not be able to get in, not only because it looked full, but we didn't bother to see if we needed a reservation. Some might think that not calling ahead to make sure of this is strange, I can only say that this is New Zealand and we're pretty laid back here. As it turned out booking in advance was not needed and we were quickly shown to our table by the hostess who smiled with her whole mouth, who then left us in hands of a competent, fast and efficient waitress.

Taking our drink orders (a bottle of spring water for me $7 NZD and a glass of steinlager beer for my friend $8 NZD) our waitress disappeared and returned a couple of minutes later with our drinks and menus, with a promise she would be back in a few minutes to take our order. That gave us time to look over both the menu and the restaurant.

The atmosphere was relaxed and easy, people were laughing and talking and no one seemed to mind the large group seated by the fire who were talking and laughing louder than the rest and having a grand old time. I certainly didn't mind them. I also didn't mind the decor of the restaurant; a simple style of stone and natural timber, high backed chairs and polished wooden floors. The art on the walls didn't jump out at you but blended well with the simplistic style of the restaurant and reflected the character of the town; beach life, carefree, slow, go with the flow.

As promised our waitress returned to take our orders. There was no way I was going to have anything else but the half dozen steamed mussels in a creamy garlic and white wine herb sauce with fresh chiabatta ($11) while my friend chose the crispy calamari served with jalapeño and lime mayonnaise ($11). It was absolutely delicious, and neither of us could help but try some of each others starters.

For our mains I had a medium rare scotch fillet steak set on a sweet potato mash with roasted baby beetroot, caramelized onions and a porcini jus ($32). A venison loin with parsnip remoulade, a grilled pear and spinich and coconut sauce ($36) is what my friend chose. We were not disappointed. The portions were just right, not to small and not too big, and even better than the entrée.

Not being made of money, and conscious of how much we had already spent, we decided to skip dessert as the prices ranged from $13-$25.

All in all, I enjoyed myself, and even though I could have used that money days later, I did not regret spending it. It was a thoroughly enjoyable night, the food was fantastic, the service awesome. I would go back, and I would recommend it to others.

Overall I give it 4/5 stars, and not a full five because I still don't understand why my water was one dollar cheaper than the beer. I mean, it's water for goodness sake. $7 for 650 mills of water?

Edited June 13, 2014 by Bridmorgan

[Hayl3y]

wow it sounds like a very interesting place !

 

now i'll need to check out the currency, because i don't have any idea about how many $ NZ you need to make 1 euro

 

the dishes look very nice and you made me feel very hungry, except for the mussels lol ...

how was the venison with the coconut sauce? it is quite unusual here to mix those 2 flavors

[BridMorgan]

I was going to say something about the water only being one dollar less than the beer. Better have been damn goid water!

 

Your meals sounded awesome! I love mussels, but developed an allergy to them after years of eating them.

 

I have to admit, I'm drooling a bit. Venison is one of my favorites. Sounds like an amazing meal. But like Cgae, I'm a bit leery of the coconut and venison.

[Harry Potter]

Lol sorry, forgot toconvert the currency. $NZ = €0.64 US 0.87 £0.52

I also forgot to say that they have gluten free and vegetarian options plus a kids menu.

 

The mussels were Coromandel farmed. Mussels from up there tend to be fatter and sweeter than most.

 

Not a fan of coconut I was a bit wary of trying the venison but it was actually quite nice. There was no overpowering coconut flavor and it balanced really well with the spinich.

 

The water... tears of angles perhaps? :P

Edited June 13, 2014 by Harry Potter

[BridMorgan]

Wise arse! =0p

 

Hmmm...with the Banders being from all across the globe, I think I just came up with a way for someone to earn some points. *g*

[Harry Potter]

That's the first time I've been called... wise :P

 

If that someone is me... I'm all for more points XD

[BridMorgan]

Harry - 2

Chae - 1

Brid - 1