We’d risen early this particular morning in New Zealand, 6.15am to be exact in order to make a whale watching expedition in Kaikoura. It turns out we were extremely lucky. After downing an anti sea sickness tablet we set off and saw 3 Sperm whales and a large group of 500 dolphins. All very exciting but you know what I was thinking about right? Yes that’s right, lunch. Well,  you know me right?

Once I was back on land I felt better and my appetite returned (I never lose my appetite for long). Kaikoura is literally the Maori words for Eat Crayfish or Lobster. Specifically Kai=Eat, Koura=Crayfish. So it’s no surprise that crayfish is offered everywhere. Nin’s Bin however holds a special place in the heart for many. Set 20 minutes North of Kaikoura on the most breathtaking drive you’ll ever make with calender picture after calender picture of stunning ocean vista, you round the corner and see the signs for Nin’s Bin.

Since the mid 1970′s Nin’s Bin has sat there, in front of the amazingly gorgeous teal green ocean. Iconic doesn’t even begin to describe it and interesting there are only 2 things on the menu. Crayfish and mussels. Nothing else and little more aside from sauces to accompany these. And it is possibly the best place to eat in the area due to the freshness of the cryafish, surprisingly reasonable price and the view. Oh yes the view.

Not a painting on the wall, but a window showcasing the view

The crayfish with prices on tails

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Bluff Oysters are famous. Famous enough for me to do my own version of hunting for them. Larger than regular oysters and creamy beyond creamy, only in season from March to August each year, they’re said to be the world’s best oysters and New Zealand’s South Island’s most famous delicacy. They’re expensive too, expect to pay upwards of $30 for 6 of them and the arrival of these oysters are front page news. As witnessed on the front of our newspaper yesterday morning signifying that a flotilla of boats headed out at dawn to bring back the season’s first catch.

For the past 5 years there was a voluntary restriction in order to preserve the catch but the results of a National Institute of water and Atmospheric research allowed fishermen to catch more. They take this stuff seriously, and hauls of between 11 to 21 sacks a day yield 880kgs of the little pearl catchers.

Yes it seemed like we were just in time for the arrival of the Bluff Oysters, fortuitously so, because tomorrow we leave for Kaikoura which is more North. I ask the Crowne’s Concierge, the ever helpful Nathan about the Bluff Oysters and he tells me that Wai waterfront is one place that is likely to have them and another place Fishbone is a bit more casual but they always seem to have the freshest fish around.

It seems we are out of luck. We enquire at Wai and they tell us that it will be at least a week until they receive their Bluff Oysters. He tells me that the first batch makes it way up to the North Island where they are more willing to pay the big prices in the bigger cities like Auckland. I leave dejected and hoping that I’ll find some at Christchurch and he tells me that even if I find them there they’ll be very expensive. Hmm thanks!

We walk around and past the Fishbone grill and take a peek at their menu and I think my eyes are playing tricks on me but I see Bluff Oysters on the menu! And at $24 for a half dozen at a reasonable price too. I excitedly ask whether they do indeed have Bluff Oysters and they confirm this and they say that they only arrived at 4pm that very afternoon. We’re chuffed and take a seat to slide a half dozen down our throats.

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“The Spice Girls” writes Gourmet Traveller’s Pat Nourse

A name is very important. It can make or break a person or an item. Think of the person who was called Tony Esticles, Hugh Jarse or Vijay Jay. So when Christie, Y and I are seated at the swish dark wood panelled and red accented Spice Temple, Neil Perry’s latest venture, and we’re staring at the extremely tempting sounding yet unusually named dishes we realise we have a big task ahead choosing dishes. Spice Temple has enjoyed mostly positive reviews but with some sceptics, but we’re interested in trying Neil Perry’s take on Chinese cuisine ourselves. If anything he seems to understand the basics of Chinese numerology where the number 8 is considered an especially lucky number – it’s no coincidence that the restaurant phone number is 8078 1888.

The sometime door

It’s a strange sort of entrance downstairs to Spice Temple. A subtly signposted door which, at times, shows a computerised image of a door with curtains blowing. However when Christie and I get there it looks like a regular door. We accidentally go upstairs to his Rockpool Bar and Grill (and there’s no sign of any sort of recession there, it is full to the brim) and when we go down the windy stairs to the restaurant we’re greeted with a serene, glowing scene. Panels of rough hewn wood are placed to resemble bamboo and there are photos of stunning asian women on the wall dotted throughout the room. Their presence carries through to the menu and the cocktails, a heady and inviting mix of flavours with home made syrups sound intriguing and are named after creatures of the Chinese Horoscope.

Menus

Cocktails

The menu features items with intriguing names such as “Three shot chicken”, Beef fillet in fire water” and “Hot and numbing white cut chicken”. The hotter menu items are in red typeface and we ask the waitress what she recommends and she’s knowledgeable, polite and friendly. Interestingly, they are the dishes that we were leaning towards so our task is over. We choose 1 item from the “red” i.e. hot range and the rest from a mix of items. Our waitress does warn us that the fish we have chosen because of the name “Fish Drowned in dried chili and Sichuan peppercorns” is actually one of the hottest items on the menu. We consider ourselves warned!

Steamed Eggplant with three flavours: garlic, coriander and sweet pork prior to being mixed $18

We’re not kept waiting for long, despite the fairly full restaurant. It’s a Thursday lunchtime and there are all sorts of groups, mainly male business types enjoying the food. Our first dish arrives and it’s in three sections. There is the pork mince, the eggplant in soft slices, chopped coriander and the garlic, yes the garlic is the pale plentifully doled out item on the plate.

And before you think that we’re off to battle rogue Vampires in our very own Twilight moment, they assure us that the garlic has been blanched three times so that it is relatively mild. I hope so as I have a trip to the dentist later that afternoon. It’s ambrosial and very strongly flavoured, so much so that we ask for our rice at the same time to help balance out the strong flavour. The pork mince is reminiscent of the Mapo Tofu pork mince with strong black bean tones.

Cat’s Ear noodles with pork, peppers and chili sauce $14

Our second dish, from the Northern Chinese region is the Cats Ears Noodles made from potato and whilst being square shaped, they are indeed reminiscent of a flat spongy gnocchi. They’re silky smooth and delicious and the pork is tender and flavourful. I had a similar dish at Uighur Cuisine and whilst it was huge, spicy and filling, this one is more refined.

Hunan Style crispy pork belly with fresh and dried chillies and mushroom soy $26

Our third dish, and by now I am feeling impending satiety, is the Hunan Style crispy pork belly with fresh and dried chillies and mushroom soy with little cubes of pork belly. There are some batons of garlic chives and dried chillies on top (the chilies are fairly mild and delicious to chew on) and underneath there are lots of finely chopped garlic chives. The pork is lovely and soft although after too many pieces it can be a touch dry and the tiny garlic chives bits are a little difficult to pick up with chopsticks so they get largely left behind.

Fish drowned in dried chili and Sichuan peppercorns $29

The last dish, the Fish Drowned in dried chili and Sichuan peppercorns arrives in a huge bowl. All we can see is literally a sea of those dried chillies. There are oodles of them in fact. Our waitress offers to take some out for us and we let her know that we can do it ourselves as I wanted to capture how many chillies there were. We spent some time fishing out the chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, of which there are many, a whole bowlful’s worth, until we get to the fish.

It’s sitting in a soup that is very light in flavour and we take a piece of fish, cognizant of the warning we were given. Gingerly we take a bite expecting an extreme chili hit but…nothing. An ever so slight tingle from the peppercorns but we’re certainly not the fire breathing dragons we expected to be. In fact if anything it’s quite bland, particuarly when preceded with the other flavoursome dishes. It’s mostly left behind although Y likes the fish.

Four dishes for three girls is probably a bit too ambitious but we were amazed at the serving sizes – they’re indeed generous so we all make mental notes to take our menfolk, happy in the knowledge that they won’t starve. And if you can figure out how the toilet locks work, you’re smarter than the three of us!

Spice Temple

10 Bligh Street, Sydney, NSW
Tel: +61 (02) 8078 1888
Open: Monday-Friday noon-3pm
Monday-Saturday from 6pm