Ditto — Restaurant in Fiordland Community

This was the first place that popped up on TripAdvisor when we were searching for eats around Te Anau and thus we decided to give it a shot for lunch.

The restaurant was painted a dark, modern Tokyo blue with a dash of cyberpunk-ish elements to some of the wall decor and generally, the place felt quite spacious.

We were one of the only ones in the restaurant when we entered and proceeded to order the Feathered and Cheeky Bao Buns (Buttermilk Fried Chicken and Beef Cheek respectively) as well as the Karaage Chicken Sushi Bowl with Tofu Chips on the side.

Let’s start with the Bao Buns, I thought they were slightly on the expensive side since their portion sizes weren’t huge either, and though their buns tasted really authentic and good, the fillings were painfully mediocre. The buttermilk chicken was not the most tender in the middle, slightly on the drier side and there could be more flavour in my opinion. The beef cheek was just a bit tougher than I’d like and the sauces used to tie them together in my opinion were not a good match together with the Bao Buns.

In contrast, the chicken karaage in the sushi bowl we ordered was slightly better, it was more tender. The sushi bowl was also more worth it portion wise. However, I thought the vinegared rice could have been more flavourful and the addition of bean sprouts to a sushi bowl was super weird; it added too much bitterness to the bowl.

Lastly, we have the Tofu Chips which were delicious on their own but the sriracha and garlic sauce provided was wayyy too salty.

All in all, it wasn’t a super disappointing meal and neither was it super delicious, it was just average tasting food in an average setting with average service. In the words of New Jeans, “Stay in the middle, like you a little”, with emphasis on the...

What a gem in Te Anau. Excellent bao and more.

I had the toufie bao and the house fries. The bao are great. As it should be, the best part of the thing is the bun. Stretchy but not chewy, tasty but not too sweet or salty… it would be awesome to bring a dozen of these home and get creative with them. They’re a perfect canvas.

In any case, the tofu bao was great. It’s arguably overstuffed, but it was edible without much difficulty (if not a little messy), and at a time when it feels like everything in the world is soooo expensive, I’m not going to spend my energy being upset with too much food.

I was in the mood for some fries, so I didn’t really have particular expectations, but these were very good fries/chips. They did have seasoning on them, but it was more to add a backbone of flavor than to make some exotic, spicy fries.

One final thing: these fries, intentional or not, taste fairly similar to McDonald’s fries in the US. By no means am I saying they’re the same, but I was eating them, felt like they were sort of familiar, and realized they were some of the closest fries I’ve had to McD’s. And that was with the seasoning. I mostly write this because someone is going to be here with a kid (or a craving) calling for McDonald’s fries, and I can’t imagine there’s anything closer anywhere near Te Anau. If you’re scared of the seasoning, ask for them plain. (I suspect there’s some MSG in the seasoning that works magic, but I’m sure the fries are good regardless. They’re not unusual,...

Overpriced. Bao bun? bao bun bun not good, overpriced. I think I mentioned that right away but we ate at some places in Auckland that have them and for the same price as one here. You can get two of them at the other places. For the same price. As for the quality, it's mainly carrots and a piece of chicken and whatever filling you have just not the greatest. And the poke bowl we had the pork. No flavor. It really expensive for what you're getting.

Maybe if you're a local this is all you know and you think it's great. Good for you. But as for comparisons to other restaurants that offer the same type of foods. Very low quality

If I was a local I would eat here once and that's it. Good for them if they want to take advantage of people and serve low quality food at a high price.

I know it's a little harsh but unfortunately it's the true truth of having a restaurant. We all have opinions and if you're well, traveled and have tried different foods from all over the world. Definitely not the greatest. The one star is mainly for the quality of food compared to others. Her and I both love food. We're always looking for a new exciting taste. Maybe something new?. This sandwich or poke bowl is not new to us. It's good but need better ingredients. I wish you all the best. Good luck. Hopefully...