Lantern

Super delicious! So much flavour and little additions to each dish. We got the vegan chefs choice menu and there was so much food! 5 entree/small plates which weren’t that small at all!, then the main & a dessert. We couldn’t fit in the main course which was a pumpkin yellow curry with delicious roti. We could bring it home though. Highly recommend whether vegan or not. Great flavours! Great cocktails too!

To be as absolutely fair as I can be let me add some context.n1 I am a tourist so I'm unaware with what the average pricing/quality is of restaurant foodnnService: 5/5 The wait staff were very friendly, accommodating and answered all our questionsnnDrinks: 5/5 The cocktails were tasty, not too strong and had lovely flavours and presentation. They were $20NZ each.nnAtmosphere: 5/5 It's a cute spot, we ate indoors as it was a little cooler out however they also have a nice outdoor area. Good music, fresh aromas from the kitchen and good seating.nnFood: 2/5nnI'm going to use Cook/Flavour/Plating/Size/Price as my rating scale here.n1- The cook of the food was perfect. There was nothing over/under done. The meat was tender and juicy, the veggies crisp and fresh.n2- The Plating was elegant and well done. The dishes were presented thoughtfully and had pops of color.n3- Price - So this is where I'm unfamiliar with what normal pricing is, however we paid around $120Nz for 2 people to have 2 drinks, a large platter and a snack each. We omitted having the short ribs as they were $75 and based on the portion size and flavours I'm glad we did. Prices seem steep for what you get but it could be normal.n4- Size - The dishes are small. They recommend 1 Large + snack or 3 Small per person and that's probably right however given the price that's a steep bill. We tried sharing 1 Large + 2 snacks between the both of us and left Hungry and kind of let down.nn5- Flavour - As I'm finding with everything in Tauranga, it's bland. Even our potato chips from the grocery store were under seasoned. If you want crisp, natural veggies then you're fine but the only hint of any flavours or seasonings was salt and some chopped chillies. It's definitely not the robust and complex flavours you'd get from other Asian cuisine and while it boasts to be a fusion restaurant, it's an attempt at best. While flavour is entirely a personal preference, as there are raving reviews about this restaurant, myself personally found the cook and presentation of the food to be lovely but the flavours left me wanting.nnAll in all I gave it a 3/5 as the drinks, service and atmosphere are great but the Price/Size/Flavour of the dishes felt lacking.nn* It is worth noting they have a lot of Gluten free options so if you're struggling to find somewhere to eat, I'd still recommend it as its by no means awful. It's a nice, slightly pricey, average restaurant experience*

Absolutely delicious we will definitely be back to try more on the menu, the lamb curry was absolutely mouthwatering, falling off the bone so tender, highly recommend.

5 stars in all areas.nnThe food was amazing and the depth of flavors were just spectacular. Every dish was telling a different story.nnThe food came super quick and they also cater for vegans which is a plus.nnOur waiter Bronson was an absolute legend and made our experience here even more enjoyable.nnWe will be back again for sure and I recommend this amazing place to everyone to give it a try.

A little hard to find as there is no direct parking to the entrance, and it probably wouldn't be advisable to take someone in a wheelchair as there is no good paths. Finally we found it and weren't disappointed as we entered. Very friendly staff, engaging and chatty, what I love. The seating was very comfortable and the place itself warm and inviting especially in such a windy day. We tried from the menu some familiar and new dishes and they didn't disappoint. Pork, duck and chicken with a birthday cocktail and glass of wine which went down well. We will be returning customers to try your $70pp menu.

Directions to Lantern with public transportation

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