Neighbours

Arrrrrrrrrgh, the Warriors. :(

The development of Lorne Street over the years has been rather fascinating. I've spent a lot of time in the CBD: three years for high school, nearly four years for university. Lorne St used to mean nothing to me ("eh, it's just another street"), but now it has developed into a mini food mecca of sorts. Restaurants such as Jimmy Wongs and Faro (surprisingly good by the way - surprising since Korean isn't a favourite of mine) were not here when I first started school in the city. [/random rant]

Neighbours

8 Lorne St, Auckland CBD

My most recent venture out entailed going to "Neighbours" for lunch with B2 and B3. Odd name, since I instantly think of Neighbours the TV show (ugh). While not my first or second option (or any option since I didn't know the place existed until my friends suggested it), I'm always open to trying new things. Duck tongue? Gimme. (Had it once in Thailand. Tastes better than it sounds). Neighbours is located underground and serves Taiwanese cuisine. First impression: Wow, it's green. Literally. And clean. Busy too.

A fascinating quirk about Neighbours is the menu. Rather than the standard menu given when seated at your table, the menu is set up in a corner area, with little tags attached to each menu option. With whatever you want to order, you pick up the corresponding tag and take it to the counter to pay your meal. I guess it's a cautious way for staff to maintain accurate orders (hmm, I sense foreshadowing...)

B2 ordered the Simmering Beef Noodle ($10), whereas B3 and I both ordered the Deep Fried Chicken Breast ($10 ea) -- but I ordered it with rice dish and B3 ordered it with noodles. I also ordered an ice coffee ($4.50). While the menu set up is interesting, it still needs a bit of work in terms of its drinks menu. While a tag is provided for every single food dish, a tag is provided for a whole group of drinks as opposed to each individual drink, and yet you still have to let them know what drink you're ordering at the counter. This problem was obvious, when I was given the wrong drink (but thanks to B3 it was rectified and I eventually got the drink I ordered). Food and drink arrived promptly, but I was subsequently told that fast service was to be expected.

Deep Fried Chicken Breast with Noodles

Simmering Beef Noodles

Deep Fried Chicken Breast with Rice (+ Soup)

My dish had potential, but final execution wasn't that great. Three side dishes surprisingly accompanied the chicken and rice. Tofu was disappointing, but both of the vege side dishes were cooked well. The highlight of the dish should've been the chicken - the coating had good flavour and wasn't greasy - yet the chicken was overcooked. I was also given soup, but I felt like the soup was there to cleanse the palette rather than to complement the dish. The soup was the best part of the meal actually: simple and full of flavour.

B2's Simmering Beef Noodle reminded me of a dish that my mother similarly makes. The stew beef tasted so similar to my mother's it was ridiculously uncanny. I almost wished that I had ordered that meal instead. It was tasty.

Decor was interesting, a fairly divided issue amongst my friends and I. They liked it, but I thought it was suited more for a bubble tea shop rather than a restaurant. $10 is a reasonable price for the amount of food given, especially with the side dishes and the soup. B2 and B3's dishes were pretty big in size as well. However, I still can't get passed the chicken. B3's chicken was overcooked too, but since she's ordered that dish before, it is likely that this may have been a rare occurrence. I sure hope so!

Verdict: Underwhelming, despite its potential. Affordable prices and good portion size cannot help me forget about my chicken. Despite feeling underwhelmed, I'm not afraid to try Neighbours again. B2's dish showed that Neighbours can cook a good dish. Maybe I'll try something different next time.

Next blog: Unlikely to be on an asian cuisine... or else I might go crazy. (I do love my japanese food though.) Or I might post a recipe? Oooh, Elliott Stables?!