India Garden

Oamaru

 19/05/2012

I went to dine at India Garden with the confident but obviously naive expectation of eating food of the same standard as that provided by its franchise sibling in Cromwell. I was disappointed, but I emphasise that my review is based on a solitary meal on a particular evening. I enjoy curries and when eating at a curry house which is new to me I always order the same dish, in order to make a fair comparison with other establishments. The Rogan Josh with plain naan was delivered to my table promptly, by a very pleasant waitress. The naan and the rice were great, however the curry itself was the worst I have ever experienced in New Zealand. Firstly, it was served in a bowl from which it was overflowing onto the plate. The serving was too small to be considered a meal. It comprised a very thin and watery sauce with a small number of diced lamb pieces – I didn’t count, but no more than five. The flavour was bland. At $12 for a curry and naan, one wouldn’t usually complain about the price, except that in this instance the meal wasn’t even worth that much. If it was of similar standard to that experienced at India Garden Cromwell, I would have been happy to pay $20 or more. As I said earlier, I may have simply chosen the wrong dish on the wrong day, but that was my experience and it is all I have to judge by. While I was there I saw a steady stream of customers who were supposedly locals purchasing takeaways, so one would assume they like the food. Next time I’ll be trying their only competitor.

Star & Garter Restaurant

Oamaru

 16/05/2012

I think I ate at this restaurant a few years ago but don’t remember much, however I have often heard good reports so decided to give it a go. I certainly wasn’t disappointed. I chose an unusual dish which they called a lamb tower. It was an extremely hearty meal comprising two generous and tasty lamb patties in a potato and mushroom mash with lashings of brown gravy and topped with three battered and fried onion rings. A great winter meal and it was good to find a restaurant which still includes vegetables with a meal and doesn’t charge extra. Cauliflower, broccoli and carrots, all beautifully fresh and cooked to perfection. The hostess, who I think is the owner, is a natural at making diners feel welcome in a relaxed way. It would be very hard to find fault with this establishment.