atticus finch

the back story: wandering through the streets of rotorua brought us to delightful gathering of food places. termed "eat streat" this was a collection of contemporary modern eating establishments. atticus finch came up on rating well on tripadvisor so we decided to go check it out.

setting: upon checking out the menu, we were immediately met with a friendly wait staff taking us to a nice outdoor table with outside heating. the seating was a little cramped between tables but otherwise the outdoor area was welcoming and comfortable despite the cooler temperatures outside.

food: the menu had lots of food choices from small to large plates. the menu here is designed for sharing and the waiter helpfully guided us as to what to try and portion sizes. we were not disappointed. we tried the polenta chips and chorizo croquettes to start. the chips were crunchy and had a delightful aioli on the side. the croquettes were equally tantalizing on the taste buds with surprise chorizo pieces hidden inside pockets of warm potato. a red pepper dip accompaniment deemed to be a good companion. thebeefshort rib was the main deal of the night though with thebeeftenderly falling off the bones. the parsnip puree side was a bit less suited but when mixed with the marinade took away the edge of the parsnip. the slow roast lamb was a little bit less certain as i'm not a fan of mint and there was quite a bit of this despite it not being mentioned on the menu. nevertheless the meat was well cooked and tender and the sweet honey kumara a perfect side to the lamb. all in all, it was a satisfying meal albeit a little on the pricey side for the serving size, which is what brings it down a point.

occasion : nice evening out in a modern contemporary environment.

revisit potential : 8/10

spent a lovely night in atticus finch. service was friendly and accommodating.
we had lamb rump(3/5),beefrendang(4.5/5), fried haloumi(5/5) and mojito(1/5). lamb rump was a bit disappointing tho which was not the normal lamb rump we always have. this one tasted like bbq lamb with tons of cumins.beefrendang was nice and very tender. fried haloumi was legit, highly recommend it.

love the idea of share plates. this was the first place that i experienced share plates, and it was overall a pleasant experience. the greatest con was the price for the quantity which was a little steep.

spice rubbed lamb rump; lamb was very soft and chewy, taste was infused lightly but nevertheless delicious. the tapenade a lovely touch, with an interesting texture (reminiscent of mince)-i was expecting mince.
8/10

chargrilled pepperedbeefsirloin; asked to be made medium rare, and it was prepped very nicely, a great assortment of sauces and vegetables. too bad the portion was the smallest out of the bunch yet the price was the steepest! thebeefwas soft and the vegetables not over cooked and well marinated with sauce. i just really didn’t have enough to eat.
8/10, 7/10 for lack of portion

roti pulled pork summer slaw; the dish in which i had the highest expectations but was the most disappointed. the pulled pork had flavor but the meat itself was dry and a bit tough. the summer slaw was a bummer, nothing special about the slaw and i really did not want to be served rice at a european dining, and the vegetables on the side were very average. asian fusion? not a direction this restaurant should take.
6.5/10

fresh fish pan fried; lastly added this one on since we were still hungry. i hadn’t had high expectations but this really was the star of the show! the fish was delicious as was everything paired with it! the fish was soft and filled with moisture, tasted fresh and flavorful. the salad was also equally as delicious, the caper salsa and lemon flavors meshed so well together, paired with the bean and topped with almond, it was glorious! i loved it so much i even tried recreating the flavors and texture at home (with some lentils, spinach, and almonds).
9/10

highly recommended! def a place to go to for good food. partner & i went straight to two large plates to share, camarel pork belly & chargrilled sirloinbeefwas divine, meat was well cooked and whole meal was very tasty! it is advisible to book ahead as its quite popular and people line up to dine in.

best tapas in rotorua!
popped in one night without a booking but it was no issue- the reserved tables have their booking times on them, so you can pick one as long as you’re finished by the booking time.
we were served promptly and the staff explained the sizes of the different plates (small and large share plates) and a guide of how many per person which was helpful. the menu has really good variety and options for gluten free, vegetarian and vegan. the plates came out as soon as they were ready (as opposed to altogether, which would have taken a fair bit longer).
the food was amazing. the only reason i haven’t given five stars was that the dishes were not exactly as they were described in the menu- the cauli dish barely had any cauliflower and couldn’t be tasted, and thebeefsalad was more of abeefdish with a few garnishes. both tasted great nonetheless.
i will definitely be back to try the rest of the menu!

visited atticus finch with my mum for dinner and we both loved it, the service was great and the food came out super fast, designed to share the menu was fresh and everything sounded delicious! we had the risotto balls, fried chicken,beefsalad and the fish of the day. the fried chicken andbeefsalad were my favourites and i would say the chicken can't be missed. the risotto balls were good too but were just a bit "standard", fish was delicious and came with an unusual salad but all the same was great! look forward to tasting more from the menu in the future.

really impressed. often find places outside of auckland are overrated but thought this place was great.beefwas so tender with pineapple coriander and kumera. every bite flavoursome. pity we didn't have time for dessert. would highly recommend.

so impressed with our meal here! 5 of us turned up on saturday night and although they were very busy and most of the tables were reserved they made room for us and i'm so thankful they did!

we started out with the pulled pork and nut mince tacos which were generous with 4 of each, flavours were fantastic! everything complimented each other perfectly. then our garlic bread came out exactly as garlic bread should be - slathered deliciously.

then our big plates came and wow! absolutely blown away with how great every element on the plate was. best pork belly we've ever had! and the braisedbeefwas on point as well. everything just melted in your mouth with other elements of the dish adding the texture or crunch.

the peanut butter banana pie on the dessert sounded great too but we were so full we couldn't order one!

i also had the feijoa / ginger beer cocktail which was delicious also!!

january 2016.
interesting experience.  table of 10 ladies.
took quite some time for the drinks order to actually get through and come out to us.  the waiter was a bit confused.... constantly.

group platters:  honey mustard peppered curedbeefetc - very very nice ! would order again.  and beetrot hummus platter - great for the vegetarians, just good.
our group of 3 at the table ordered:
polenta chips - very nice.
haloumi salad - yum salad but haloumi was cold so had that ick sound and taste about it.
lam loin - nice and ok for the price, but nothing really to write home about.
potato gnocchi - the mushrooms were great and the rest, well, it was okay.
pork belly - very lack luster
spring slaw - never arrived.

they tell you that the meals just come out whenever, and not all at the same time, which is just another way of saying 'our kitchen can't cook to order'  we arrived at 7, ordered at 7.30 and the last 'main' hit the table at 9.10pm. 
took ages to get refill drinks
went to pay for our portion requested they remove the salad as we never got it, got told it was never ordered. no apologies no nothing.

price is reasonable, but not consistent across the dishes that they put out.
won't be back.