Eating with your eyes

During the past two weeks I had the opportunity to tour New Zealand’s south island.   It was more than their famous beauty of their landscapes that exceeded my expectations.

On our second day there, we spent the night in a small town called Twizel.  Our Innkeeper host suggested a local restaurant called Poppies - just down the street.

As we walked up to the building, we probably had the same initial expectations as you will get from looking at the photo.  We anticipated New Zealand style "comfort foods" that would be well prepared, but not a high culinary experience.

The menu was the first "exceeds expectations" moment.  Nice variety, well balanced (in both price and offer).  Keep in mind that a NZ$ is worth about 75 to 80 US cents.

When the entrées arrived, it was another lesson in exceeding expectations.  Poppies’ food could easily hold its own in any major city I have visited, and outdo most of those competitors.

In fact, most of the meals we had in New Zealand’s restaurants paid a great deal of attention to not only the food offer, but how it looked when presented to the guest.  Even a simple sandwich at a roadside stand had a garnish of a small fresh flower.

There are lessons to be learned here for many of our US restaurant chains. 

Many years ago, while working in a kitchen, the chef told me "people eat with their eyes." Poppies brought that message right back home.