MASTERCHEF NZ WOULD APPROVE!

While travelling, I try to maximise the number of restaurants I can visit. Before I plan out my sightseeing and travel schedules, I’m already on the phone making dinner reservations. It’s pretty clear I live to eat and I love to experiment.

So, if I repeat a restaurant at a destination, one that isn’t even the local cuisine, I can safely say they’ve hit the spot. Madam Woo in Queenstown, New Zealand ticks all the boxes.

A quaint little town by the lake with its picturesque mountains and a surprising penchant for adventure, Queenstown is a Mecca for adrenaline junkies who want to jump out of airplanes and then chow down a Ferburger (highly overrated but that’s another story).

Madam Woo is a nice lofty space with a very drifty vibe owing to its Malaysian hawker concept. Swathes of red stand out against the stark white and their light rustic furniture, the place is minimalistic and the focus is purely on the food. 

Now, the food here is light, zesty and packed with flavor. Both the times I dined here, I tried different things on the menu and the only constant was the roti canai.

 A light, flaky and crunchy bread, I’ve never had such good roti canai in any part of Malaysia. Their crunchy prawn hawker roll was another mind-blowing dish with batter-fried prawns, pickled cucumber, bitter endive and a tangy aioli. The Laksa was hearty and robust with the seafood shining through. The lamb curry was neat but I’ve had better in Penang. The fried chicken wings and the soft-shell crab were cooked to perfection and had the perfect balance of spice. Even the oriental-inspired mocktails were citrusy and paired well with the food.

When I visit this part of the world again, I will ensure Queenstown is on the itinerary for the Bungee jump & Madam Woo!