Paul V.
Yelp
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.