19 Dec Harbar Beach Café and Bar + The Akaroa Fish and Chip Shop, Akaroa

Fish and Chips – Gunard, Salad, Tartare ($25)

We took the scenic route to Akaroa (a French-influenced coastal town), following Summit Road. Once at Akaroa we shared a serve of fish and chips from Harbar Beach Café and Bar, enjoying the view from the large window fronting the sea. The fish for today was gunard and its batter was quite light and crispy ($25). The aioli was quite nice too.

After that we reparked the car closer to the main shopping strip on Beach Rd. We decided to try out The Akaroa Fish and Chip Shop as well, which is one of the highest ranked TripAdvisor restaurants in the area. Dad wanted to try the paua pattie (which is from the same family as abalone). Since we were there, I thought I’d also try the kumara chips.

Half Serve Kumara Chips ($3.50) and Paua Pattie ($4.50)

The paua pattie was $4.50 and the half serve of kumara chips was $3.50. The paua pattie wasn’t too bad, but it was a bit mushy and watery. I saw them defrost a box just after we ordered one. The shop used the yellow type of sweet potato for the chips so it wasn’t as sweet as the wedges from MacKenzie’s Bar and Grill, which used the orange type. The chips were also dry and overcooked; I think I only ate two chips that weren’t. When I looked at the food other patrons were eating, the fish batter looked dense, soggy and a little pale, and their chips looked a bit soggy as well. The fish and chips at Harbar (and the other restaurants I saw while walking along Beach Road) looked much better. I don’t know where the ‘world famous’ tag came from.

Harbar Beachfront Cafe
83 Rue Jolie
Akaroa
+64 3-304 8889
https://www.facebook.com/harbarakaroa

Akaroa Fish and Chips
59 Beach Rd
Akaroa, NZ, 7520
+64 3-304 7464