Our current family in-house joke when we are on our way to Wharf Street Eatery, is where else can you call out 'Oi” in a restaurant and get instant service with a smile and a bit of cheek.
This is what makes Wharf Street Eatery a real family favourite place to dine for us. Robin an Oi are great hosts but as Robin points out, Oi just has a knack of making everyone feel welcome and comfortable.
The menu caters for everyone, the style described as Asian Fusion: Thai, Chinese and European. The chefs, John and Yoo Sophanna are sure to tantalize even the fussiest taste buds with their cooking. John trained in Thailand and then spent three years in Canada at a Chinese restaurant, hence the Asian fusion style.
Our family ranging from ages 12 to …. (actually we will skip that number as that will be me!) were fairly quick to make their choices from the menu, having previously enjoyed takeaways from the menu.
We decided on entrees to share, which included spring rolls, angel wings (deep fried chicken wings with spicy herbs and black pepper), pork sui mai, (steamed dim sims in a thin egg pastry with pork, prawn and mushrooms), miang kam (roast anchovy and peanuts combined with lemongrass, lime ginger and served with a tamarind sauce. The voting panel declared the dim sims were to die for! These dishes were all only around the $10 mark.
The mains choices were pad thai for the younger members of the party, making sure to not make the same mistake that their grandmother made when serving this to them the first time by sprinkling all the chilli available on the top. They opted just to sprinkle the crushed peanuts and move the chilli to the side. The pad cashew nut chicken served with a selection of vegetables, cashew nuts, thai chilli paste served with steamed rice, sizzling thai barbecue pork, pork chop marinated in a herb sauce and white pepper, served with beer battered fries and coleslaw. Crispy duck, half a duck served chinese style with seasonal vegetables and the chefs special sauce. Larb Gai, minced chicken with lemon juice, chilies and ground rice serve with a fresh salad, green lipped mussels with coconut cream and lemongrass with a thai green curry broth, (the broth declared the best the panel had ever tasted).
Wharf Street Eatery in my book rates right up there for one of the best value for money dining places in Tauranga with mains starting from only $17. All the dishes are deliciously fresh with a good balance of flavours.
There are many other menu choices, ranging from burgers through to traditional soups, noodle dishes, rice dishes and of course curries. The traditional Thai green curry with coconut cream, chicken and green vegetables at just $20 is my go-to dish. There is also a children's menu.
If you are planning a function of any sort or size, there are four separate areas that can be set up to match your needs. Wharf Street Eatery can be found at 12 Wharf Street and is open for brunch from 11.
The panel consensus was, we all had a fantastic family time of laughter conversation and excellent food, thanks Oi and Robin!
