MK Restaurant — Restaurant in South Island

I’m going to try my best to describe the amazing experience my mate and I had this evening at MK Restaurant in Hanmer Springs. I’m certainly not a restaurant critic, but I think it’s important to make a good attempt to acknowledge greatness when you experience it. We decided to call ahead to make a booking for dinner this evening, and would recommend that others do the same. This restaurant is nothing short of exceptional.

It’s a bit of a challenge to find, as Google Maps isn’t clear with the directions. If you’re walking from town, essentially, continue down Conical Hill Road until you see “The Village” shopping centre on your left hand side. This will be past the spa and most of the other restaurants in town. You’ll think you’re entering a residential area, but keep going. At night, the words “The Village” are lit up in blue neon. Take a left onto Chisholm Crescent and you will see them immediately on your left, directly across the street from Coriander’s Indian Restaurant.

The first of my senses to be awakened upon opening the door was smell. The small restaurant smelled wonderful, somewhat of a warm curry scent. There was American Blues music playing in the background and the décor was modern and unassuming. We were greeted by a warm and soft-spoken gentleman named Mirek. He promptly seated us and presented the menu and drink choices, which were simple, but interesting. I was pleased that there were not a lot of complex things to look through.

What stood out was the fact that Mirek takes an exceptional amount of pride in explaining what is on offer with the menu. He goes into great detail in what each of the choices are, and patiently allows you to ask questions. He’s got that sort of personality that tells you to just trust him, and spends a great deal of time with each table to make sure they are enjoying themselves.

The meals arrived in about 15 minutes. Wow! They were exploding with aroma and colour. The arrangements are simply works of art! Mirek again took a few minutes to explain what the multiple ingredients on the plate were, and what to expect as far as taste. I had the Pelmeni-Traditional Russian Dumplings, which I am going to yearn for from this day forward. The flavours were all something simple that I had tasted before, but mixed together in a complex and unique way. Wow.. Wow.. Wow…….. I hate to admit it, but I drank every last drop of broth with my dumplings. Actually, I’m proud to admit it, they were amazing. My mate had the Gyoza Wings, which were huge and delicious!

The desserts started to slowly roll out to other guests, which were also works of art. I’m not exaggerating, they are perfection on a plate. Loads of colours, textures, and tastes combine to provide another journey for the tastebuds. You will not go wrong with MK Restaurant.

Come prepared to take your time, and let go of your preconceived ideas about what your dinner should be. Let Mirek take you on a journey and you will not be disappointed.

Thank you Mirek & Crew for one of the most exceptional dining experiences I have ever had!

Cheers, Scott...

Having very high expectations for this restaurant for my partner’s birthday, we were not disappointed.

All the dumplings dishes were like works of art : beautiful and tasty, with great sauces and combinations. Dumplings came with salad and side ingredients.

Our two favorite dumplings were the shrimp and chive, and potato and cheese. The Russian-style dumplings tasted quite similar to mini Asian-style dumplings, we enjoyed them but they were our least favorite.

The portions were very generous for the salad and side ingredients, though slightly small for the dumplings.

The desserts were delightful surprises, creative and delicious. I have been to so many incredible deserts places in different countries but the dessert we had here still stand out for me.

The owner and staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming.

The wine was chosen by type rather than by specific label, e.g., Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or Prosecco. There seemed not having any champagne or other styles of sparkling wine except Prosecco that we were planning to order.

At the end, we were even treated to two shots of Limoncello, which is coincidentally one of my partner’s favorite liqueurs.

Thank you so much for giving such great...

This was the best restaurant we have ever been to. It served amazing food at reasonable prices that looked like a work of art while being served by the most welcoming host. We were driven here by the good reviews of the restaurant since it has an average of 4.9 stars with 213 reviews (as of now) which I have personally never seen before either. The menu is simple but offering a wide variety of flavours mostly based on dumpling variations. The food was served looking like a piece of art with a variety of little sides which were individually explained by the chef himself. All these little sides had different and very complex flavours that made it a real experience. Since the main was so good we decided to also have desserts which were just as exceptionally well done. The host was one of the nicest people, too! He was so calm, patient and welcoming and explained any questions we had in detail. You could tell the food there was made and served with passion. I can only recommend this restaurant for anyone visiting Hanmer Springs, this is a must-do! I am so glad we gave it a try. If you are open to a new european/Asian mix cuisine,...