New Zealand's 'Pacific Rim' cuisine style takes its inspiration from Europe, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Polynesia, Japan and Vietnam. This unique blend of influences has created a mouthwatering range of flavours and food available from cafes and restaurants nationwide. For dishes that have a distinctly New Zealand style look out for lamb, pork and venison; salmon, crayfish, Bluff oysters, paua (abalone), mussels and scallops; kumara (sweet potato); kiwi fruit and tamarillo; and pavlova, our national dessert, made from meringue and lashings of fresh whipped cream topped with fresh fruit or berries.
While the main cities support a few elegant, silver-service restaurants, the trend is towards more relaxed cafe-bar dining. There is a wide variety of international food available including Japanese, Indian, Halal, Italian, Mexican, Chinese, Malaysian, Thai and more than 900 Asian restaurants throughout New Zealand. See our own Restaurant Guide for Hawke's Bay here: Hawkes Bay Restaurant Guide |
