Manurewa Seafood

This week we visited Manurewa Seafood on Station Rd, near Southmall. Our total came to $11.00 for two adults and Grace. We had extra left over. Our dinner consisted of $2.50 chips, 1 hot dog for $1.50, two curry rolls for $1.50 each and one piece of Tarakihi for $4. The total was $11.

The fish was delicious. Being a seafood place, it was unsurprisngly fresh and taste with a great texture. The batter was wonderfully crispy, but quite salty. The chips were fairly average. They were not crispy, and the flavour was pretty bland. Fortunately they were not soggy or greasy. The curry rolls were quite long and really did not taste like curry rolls. They looked and tasted more like spring rolls to us. They certainly had no curry in them! They were very greasy and salty.  

Quality: 3/5

Value: 4/5

Overall: 7/10

Summary

Good fish, but the rest of the meal was fairly average.

Southmall Fisheries

This week we visited Southmall Fisheries on Great South Rd, near Southmall. Our total came to $16.20 for three adults and Grace, which filled us up nicely. They don't sell Tarakihi so instead we got 2 pieces of Snapper at $3.50 each, plus 2 curry rolls ($1.90 each), 1 hot dog ($1.40) and $4 chips.

The Snapper was really nice: its texture was moist and it tasted fresh - unsurprising given they also sell fresh fish. The batter was crispy and tasty, although the underside was slightly soggy. The chips had a good flavour and were also crispy (not soggy) and lightly salted. We enjoyed the curry rolls but noted they were a bit spicier than usual which could be a negative or positive! They were decently sized and the batter was crunchy. Finally the hot dog was tasty and also had a crunchy batter.

We enjoyed every aspect of this meal, and found the portion sizes to be generous. While a little pricier than Alfriston Takeaway it rivalled it for quality and was still cheaper than Bunters and Totara Park Takeaways. Unless you particularly want Tarakihi this place is worth a visit.

Quality: 4/5
Value: 3.5/5

Overall: 7.5/10

Summary
Very nice fish and chips!

Mr Chippies Takeaways

This week we visited Mr Chippies Takeaways on Weymouth Rd. Since we had four adults and Grace eating tonight, we asked the woman serving us to suggest how much we would need to spend to get an appropriate quantity of chips. She suggested $5, which did the trick nicely. We ended up having a handful of chips left over.

As well as the chips, we ordered 3 pieces of Tarakihi at $3.50 each, 3 curry rolls at $2 each, 1 hot dog at $1.70, and 8 onion rings at 70 cents each. Our total came to $28.80. When we came to collect our takeaways, the woman who served us let us know that she had given us an extra curry roll for free since they only had four left. Awesome.

We all agreed that the chips were pretty good. Although they were not as crispy as the chips at Bunters, they were certainly not greasy and had a good flavour. The fish portions were generous, but the flavour suggested it was not particularly fresh and the interior of the batter was a bit mushy. Those who had the fish were quite disappointed. We found the curry rolls tasty with a good crunchy exterior. The hot dog and onion rings were also good.


Quality: 3
Value: 3.5

Overall: 6.5

Summary
Overall we enjoyed the food, and were impressed with the free curry roll. The real let down was the fish. It may have been an off-night.

Bunters Takeaways

After taking a holiday for the last few weeks, we have returned to checking out local fish and chip joints. This week we visited Bunters Takeaways on Hill Road.

We ordered $4 chips, 2 spring rolls at $2.20 each (since they didn't have our favourite curry rolls), 1 hot dog at $2.10, and 1 piece of Tarakihi for $3.50. The total cost was $14. We were amply supplied (two adults and one child), and had a large number of chips left over. 

We really rated the chips here. They were not greasy, or soggy. Beautifully crispy on the outside, and really good flavour. The fish was a little greasy, but overall was enjoyable. We also rated the spring rolls. We were a little disappointed they were out of curry rolls, but when we tried the spring rolls we were pleasantly surprised. They seemed a bit bigger than elsewhere, and had a good batter coating if a little greasy.

Quality 4/5
Value 3/5

Overall 7/10

Summary
The chips are really good, and you seem to get a good quantity for your dollar. If you are only ordering fish and chips, the value ends up being better than the overall score we have given it. The extras at Bunters are significantly more expensive than other local takeaway shops, and hike up the overall price.

H/Briggs Takeaways

This week we visited H/Briggs Takeaways in Churchill road Manurewa. The woman serving us suggested we order $4 worth of chips to feed three adults and Grace. We got 2 fish of the day (Trevally) at $2 each, 2 curry rolls at $1.70 each, and a hot dog for $1.70. This came to a grand total of $13.10.

When we entered the store, we couldn't see anyone, so perused the menu for a while. After a few minutes a woman emerged from the interior of the shop, and her first words to us were "Use the bell". Her manner was abrupt, and a little hard to know how to take. Certainly not the open and friendly personality that would win customers over.

Nevertheless we did place and order and were satisfied with the speed at which she prepared our order. I must admit, I was a little worried with the fact that we were the only ones in the shop. It seemed dead, so I wondered whether locals had voted about the quality with their feet. I needn't have worried.

The chips were nice and crispy on the outside, and certainly not greasy or soggy. They were very salty however, and we certainly went through a lot of water eating them. We felt that the portion of chips for $4 was a little stingy and you certainly can get better value elsewhere. The fish portions were small although the price at $2.00 each fairly reflected this. The fish was really tasty and the batter was excellent. Our suggestion if you are ordering fish is to try to get a ratio of about 3 pieces of fish per two people. The hot dog was quite tasty, as were the curry rolls, although they seemed to have a small amount of filling and a lot of 'wrapping'. The outer layer was crunchy, but the inner layers were chewy.

Quality: 3.5
Value: 3.5

Overall: 7

Summary
A good option as long as you tell them to limit the salt and like the challenge of making light-hearted conversation with porcupines.

McKean Ave Takeaways

This week we visited Mckean Ave Takeaways. We ordered $2.50 chips, a piece of snapper, 4 onion rings, a hot dog and two curry rolls. This easily fed 2 adults and little Grace for $13.00.

The fish cost $3.30 and tasted fresh. It was moist and the batter was crispy. The chips were tasty, but we felt that they were a little bit soggy. The curry rolls were $1.80 each. The filling was tasty (although we didn't rate them as tasty as either Gold Coast or Alfriston Road) and it was pleasing to see the variety of vegetables used. The exterior was not as crunchy as we would have liked, but they were certainly not greasy or soggy. The hot dog was good and at $1.20 it was also cheap, although the batter was a little thin in places. We really enjoyed the onion rings which were 60 cents each.

Quality 3.5/5
Value 4/5

Overall 7.5/10

Summary
A good option, but a pity about the chips not being crispy.

Gold Coast Takeaways

This week we checked out Gold Coast Takeaways in Hillpark.

We ordered $3 chips, 2 tarakihi, 2 curry rolls, 1 potato fritter and a hot dog. The total price was $13.40. This easily fed 3 adults and our little Grace.

We were very disappointed with the chips. They were a bit greasy, and  tasted awful had an unusual flavour and texture (dry and floury). The curry rolls were very greasy, but tasted good and were nice and crispy. The fish was of fairly high quality with a crispy batter, but was a bit dry in parts. The 'potato' fritter had virtually no potato between the slabs of greasy batter, but the hot dog was quite nice despite being different from other ones we've tried.

Quality: 2/5
Value: 4/5

Overall: 6/10

Summary

Our overall impression was too much grease and a slightly unpleasant tasting oil. While the value was very good, the old maxim 'no one ever regretted buying quality' is appropriate here. Pay a bit more and get something that won't sit like concrete in your stomach. Needless to say we will not be returning in the near future.

Alfriston Takeaway

Tonight we visited Alfriston Takeaway on the corner of Alfriston Road and Claude Road in Manurewa. 

We ordered $3 chips, 2 pieces of tarakihi, 2 curry rolls and a potato fritter. The total came to $14.50. As you can clearly see we got considerably better bang for buck here than at Totara Park takeaways. This week we fed three adults and our 17 month old Grace. 

We found the chips to be light and fairly crispy, though the standard was not quite as high as at Totara Park takeaways. However for $3.00 we got at least four times as much as we did for $1.50 at Totara Park takeaways last week. The tarakihi had a good flavour, was moist and the batter was mostly crisp. The curry rolls had an excellent flavour and crisp exterior. At $1.50 each we got two for just 20 cents more than the one we bought at Totara Park takeaways. The potato fritter and hot dog were also of good quality. There was disagreement in our party over whether the food was a little over-salted. 

Quality: 4/5
Value: 4/5

Overall: 8/10

Summary
The chips are good, the fish is excellent, and the extras are enjoyable. We have frequented this takeaway store over the past 5 years, and have found the standard of quality consistently high. The value for money here makes this an excellent choice for families.

Totara Park Takeaways

This week we went to Totara Park Takeaways in Manurewa Auckland. We ordered $1.50 chips, 1 piece of tarakihi, a curry roll, a hot dog and 6 onion rings which came to a grand total of $14.00. We brought the fish and chips home and were disappointed to see the quantity of the chips. Granted we had ordered $1.50, but we specifically asked whether that was a scoop or not, and the young assistant intimated that it was.

Normally Sarah and I can feed ourselves and our little daughter Grace for around $10. Yet on this ocassion we left Grace asleep in the car because we did not have enough to share among three.

On the bright side, as we began eating, we found the food to be of good quality. The chips were neither mushy nor greasy, but light and crispy. Just the right amount of salt had been added. The onion rings which seem to be of a fairly consistent quality wherever they are cooked were enjoyable. The hot dog was tasty even if overpriced at $2.30. Sarah tried the tarakihi and was pleased. The batter was crisp and the fish tasty. At $3.80 it is priced higher than most local stores.

The biggest disappointment was the curry roll weighing in at an exorbitant $2.80. The casing was slightly chewy rather than crunchy, and the filling, while acceptable was not as tasty as the curry rolls we have bought elsewhere in Manurewa for $1.50.

Quality: 4/5
Value: 2/5

Overall: 6/10

Summary
The chips are excellent, and the food overall is pretty good compared with many fish and chip shops. Unfortunately Totara Park Takeaways is let down by its prices. All items we purchased can be bought at a significantly lower cost (without compromising on quality) at other takeaway stores in the general vicinity.