The Blue Breeze Inn - Auckland

I guess if you could hold against them it 's becasue it is not authentic. But that 's not what your going for and that 's not what they are offering. This is an awesome fun time. The service is fun and the menu is delicious. The cocktails should not be missed. The Ginger Honi is a masterpiece and must take forever to make. Since were no going for an authentic Asian experince means we can have some rocking desserts Western style. The Chocolate desseert is dope! DO NOT MISS THE PORK BELLY BAO!

I tried this place as it was at the top of Auckland's Best Restaurants according to Urban List. Overall, a bit disappointed. The food ranged from decent to delicious but overpriced in my opinion, although the atmosphere is quite nice. We ordered the pork and prawn shiu mai, pork and black truffle steamed dumpling, hot and numbing ground wild boar, and wok fried market greens. The market greens was bok choy that night, charred with a nice flavor this actually ended up being the favorite for both my partner and me. I also added on one of the pork belly steamed buns after seeing them brought to a neighboring table. It looked amazing but was a big letdown too salty, too much hoisin sauce, and definitely not worth $11 each. There's so many items on the menu that sound good and that I'd like to try, but based on what I've had so far and the prices, I wouldn't go out of my way to come back.

Prior to landing in Auckland, I did a quick survey of some of the kiwis seated around me on the flight from LAX to get a feel for whether or not there was a must visit restaurant in the city. While some may have been influenced by the suggestions made prior to their own, four of six agreed that The Blue Breeze Inn was an absolute must visit, and I'm certainly glad I heeded their aggregate advice. Star 1: How were the service and atmosphere? Having heard that there can at times be a lengthy wait for seating even though there's abundant space, I arrived at Blue Breeze Inn around midday on Sunday, and even then took note of the fact that the place was quite frequented already. I was seated immedietly and tended to by one of the friendliest gentlemen I've yet encountered, and I appreciated that he was up for a bit of banter as opposed to just going through the motions. I placed my order heeding a bit of his advice and found that I was served within roughly ten minutes, which was excellent. The decor at Blue Breeze Inn threw me off a bit. Is it Asian fusion? Well, yes I suppose, but there's also a bit of a South Pacific Island vibe as well? Things make a bit more sense if you look at the menu, which is exactly what you might call a blend of traditional Cantonese Asian and South Pacific Island. It's interesting, but as you'll see it works. Star Granted. Star 2: How were the portions relative to the cost? As others have stated, Blue Breeze Inn isn't cheap, but they don't skimp on the portions either. While I was initially taken aback a bit by a price tag of NZ$10.00 for a roasted pork belly bun, this was without a doubt the largest pork bao I've ever seen or consumed. The NZ$18.00 Bang Bang Chili Chicken was a truly massive portion of chicken, and on the recommendation of my waiter I had it with a complimentary heaping portion of steamed rice. The sticker shock may be a factor, but know that it's well worth it. Star Granted. Stars 3 and 4: How was the food? Both of these dishes were excellent. To start, the massive Pork Belly Bao was flavorful and unique given the roasted nature of the pork belly, which resulted in a very crispy exterior skin that paired with a fatty cut of meat and some flavorful pork. While it was a bit heavy on the cilantro in my opinion this was easily dealt with by removing a few pieces. While Blue Breeze is known for their bao, it was the Chili Chicken dish that really surprised me. For starters, the dish is cool, but meshes exceptionally well with piping hot steamed white rice. There's certainly a kick here given the chili peppers, but that kick was offset by the heaping portion of chicken and enhanced by the generous quantity of onions. Excellent. Dual Stars Granted. Star 5: Would you eat here every day if you could? My visit to The Blue Breeze Inn was among my best dining experiences in Auckland, and like those who sat around me on my flight from Los Angeles, I'd highly recommend it to anyone. Star Granted.

Had the duck here, it was so delicious in a wrap with the pancake and all the sauces. Very classy spot in ponsonby. Highly recommend for good quality food and service

I was lucky enough to dine up the back in the Jacuzzi a bright blue velvet full circle booth for 10 at the back of the restaurant. Slightly elevated we had the best view of the kitchen/bar and other diners. The vibe was pumping and the interior is so vibrant with clever lighting and materials. I loved the way they 've merged chinese and pacific themes in both the fit out, the food and the drinks list. The staff are absolutely charming and funny. all of them individuals which I love! Makes it all the more credible. I had the Damn Native rum cocktail with citrus notes which was so delicious yet not as alcoholic as i 'd expected a rum cocktail to be. We drank Quartz Reef Pinot Gris and the boys had a selection of craft beers. The dumplings are some of the best I 've had in Auckland Pork and Prawn Shumai, and the fried spicy chicken dumplings were OTC (Off the Chain) as were the momofuku style pork buns. We 'd stuffed our selves so full of these moorish entree 's that we had little room for the mains we shared the Red Braised Crispy Pork ribs which were moist and delicious and massive! The Mar Po Tofu was yummy even for the non tofu lovers. We got lots of sides as we love our greens and overall the dish sizes were pretty damn good. I think this place has nailed casual dining with atmostphere. Perfect for lunch, dinner, snacking and boozing!