New Zealand - Fergburger: legendary burgers?

http://www.fergburger.com

While we were skiing the wonderful mountains in Wanaka, New Zealand, we'd been hearing of a near mythical place to eat up the road in Queenstown.  I'd pretty much had every day planned for food, but after hearing about a little place called Fergburger, I had to satisfy my burger craving and get along to check it out.

I was told to expect long queue wait times.  I was told that the place was open for twenty two hours a day, just to cater to all the ski freaks and ski bunnies.  I was told all sorts of stuff, but mainly, I was told that Fergburger pumped out the best hamburgers that most people had ever eaten!  I love burgers and I like to think I know a little bit about them too, so I was keen to see if I shared that popular opinion.

Fergburger stared as a little hole in the wall burger joint around 2001 in well known Cow Lane, where there were not too many casual food options after a hard day on the ski fields.  As it's popularity grew, Fergburger outgrew its little spot, but it wasn't until the threat of its original home being torn down that a move was initiated.  

It was to this remodelled burger joint that we rocked up for a sampling of the Fergburger burger. Looking very much at home in a ski village, Fergburger stood out with its exposed wood and slate floors.  We didn't see the expected queues, but we'd timed our run to perfection, hitting the joint at 3pm, too late for lunch and too early for dinner.  Even though there were no long queues, it was still really busy, with most of the seats taken and about 6 people in the line before us.  SC grabbed one of the only seats left while I jumped in line to wait.

New Zealand Series - Bistro Gentil

http://www.bistrogentil.co.nz/

I was looking forward to heading back to New Zealand for a holiday, it had been an exciting year to date, which included changing jobs and moving to HK.  As exciting as the year had been, I really needed a break and what better way to do so than a short ski holiday. Of course when I travel anywhere nowadays, I'm always considering the food angle and looking for the very best local dining.  I was a little bit dubious that I would find something amazing while travelling to Wanaka, a town in the South Island of NZ with the total population of 5,037.  Boy was I wrong!

Checking into our cute little bed and breakfast, Wanaka Haven, we immediately asked our host, Steve, for some local recommendations and without missing a beat, Bistro Gentil was mentioned.  Never one to delay, we asked if Steve could get us in for dinner the night of our arrival.  A quick call revealed he couldn't, the place was full, which was quite a promising sign.  Asking for the next available sitting, we were able to secure a reservation a few days in.  No matter, some skiing would have us anticipating the meal even more.

Casual Dining - Hooked fish and chips

http://hooked.hk/

Typical for a Kiwi to make a claim for the best fish and chips in the world, but that's exactly what the team from Hooked have done.  I make this statement as an Aussie, because it's clear that Aussies make the best fish and chips in the world.  It was with fond memories of wonderfully cooked fish and golden brown, crunchy chips that I set out to find Hong Kong's best fish and chips, which is how I stumbled across Hooked.

Located on Caine Road, right in the middle of Expat territory, Hooked is one of those little food spots that you could easily walk by if you weren't looking for it.  It's a tiny little space that has room for standing only and is run by a Kiwi with grand designs.  To bring the best of New Zealand's pristine waters directly to Hong Kong, with all fish caught using sustainable practices.

Now, I'll be the first to admit, New Zealand has some of the most amazing produce in the world, the land of the 'long white cloud' is far away from much of the worlds pollution and the Kiwi's do have a reputation for great fish and chips.  But so do the Aussies, who typically also think we're the best at everything (LOL).  

Only one way to find out and that was get into Hooked and give it a go.