Fern & Kiwi

I've visited Fern & Kiwi twice. The first time, a few months back when my friend gave me a birthday treat, and the second, early this month where I went for a friend's birthday dinner. Both times, I wasn't disappointed with the food (there were more hits than misses). So it's safe to say that it's definitely a place to recommend.

 Fern & Kiwi

 Menu

 Beer bucket; Salt and Pepper Squid

Sigh. I do love a bottle of ice-cold Corona topped with a wedge of lime. 

 Green Lip Mussels

I got to try different dishes in my two visits. I'll start from the Appetizers. All the dishes I tried were a thumbs up. The salt and pepper squid was really delish (though I can't taste much of salt and pepper since the lemon soy dressing masked any salt and pepper notes. I'm normally not a fan of mussels, but these were really good. The sauce was amazing and I kept dipping my squid into the bucket of mussels to mop up the tomato sauce. They totally should serve bread on the side to pair with this dish. The beef sliders were also super delish. The brioche buns were perfectly the kind of brioche buns that I love - I was so tempted to ask where they got theirs from. The meat patties were juicy and I did love how they added a beetroot relish to add some depth.

 Classic Pork Spare Ribs

Moving on to the mains. I reckon their star dish is the Classic Pork Spare Ribs. In fact, I think every table had this dish. It's like a must-order dish, and by the taste of it, I totally agree. Both times I were there, the quality of the meat was consistent - it was fall-off-the-bones tender, and smothered in a sticky sweet honey orange glaze (with more on the side). All the friends also gave thumbs up to this. I can't say the same for the fish and chips though. They were quite a let-down. So nope, do not order that when you're there.

 Wellingtonian

Next up, pizzas. Both the pizzas I tried were good, crunchy thin crust with a generous smattering of toppings. It was served piping hot and we tore into it eagerly. I recommend the Wellingtonian - sometimes, it's simplicity that hits the spot. Just simple fresh ingredients like tomatoes, mozarella cheese and a basil dressing. Light and satisfying at the same time.

 Southern Seas Fish & Chips; Mega rack of ribs on the counter

New Zealand Beef and Venison Sliders

 Aucklander

Manuka Smoked Snapper Salad; Classic Pork Spare Ribs

Lastly, the salads. I certainly do not recommend the salad that I had. It had a few miserable pieces of fish on top of a huge bed of spinach and rocket leaves. We were so not impressed.

Overall, the hits were more memorable than the misses, so I'll still give it an overall thumbs up. If there's just one dish I'll be back for - it's gonna be the ribs for sure...