madam woo

i have wanted to go tomadamwoo since i saw it's opening on masterchef.....and it simply exceeded my expectations........i expected it to be good.....famous chef and all but it was the best food my husband and i have ever tasted

full house on the night we visited...staff very helpful wth menu choices.. started wth pork dumplings nd deep fried cauliflower.. both very tasty. followed wth the malaysia chicken slaw which was the standout dish for us. delicate balance of sambal nd heat wth crispy chicken pieces...thoroughly enjoyed our time atmadamwoo... will try their takapuna restaurant when we are back in town!!

despite having been to themadamwoo that was located in christchurch, a recent victim of either covid or the relocation of foot traffic to the newer terrace area, and enjoyed the food - my selection in queenstown left me thirsty!

the queenstown restaurant isn’t huge and space is tight, but not so much so as to make you feel claustrophobic. 80s hits envelop the room, which seems slightly out of kilter with the food style, but the number of people quietly singing along to tiffany and fleetwood mac indicates that few people care about this cultural incompatibility.

considering we are still very much in a post-covid phase with borders closed, it was very busy. in fact the whole of queenstown seemed busy - maybe not pre-covid busy but a lot of nzers about for the school holidays. very different from when we lived down this way and barely struck another nz family anywhere.

anyway, the food. i have particular dietary requirements these days which are often hard to fulfil, and i don’t expect restaurants to be able to cater to my reduced carb needs - so i look for what i can get away with. not much on this menu other than the pork belly with asian greens and oyster sauce.

i knew to expect a saltier than average dish due to the oyster sauce but i wasn’t really prepared for just how salty it actually was. i’m not averse to salt either - i’m not afraid to use it on even salads. this was too much for me though and the reduced carb requirement meant i couldn’t offset it with rice even a little bit.

was so salty i didn’t finish it and couldn’t - my wife happily grabbed the pork and had it with her rice so it just looked like i ate it.

the service was great, staff attentive and i enjoyed the flashback musical soundtrack we were exposed to but the main dish was a significant let down i’m afraid.

madam woo was one of the fun highlights of our dining experiences in queenstown. reservation is almost certainly necessary as it is packed all the time. we spend a lot of time in penang, malaysia and know the standard of food there andmadamwoo as an eclectic interpretation of malaysian food is a real winner. we had the calamari, the ayam percik with prata starter, the crackling pork stir fry and fried noodles. all were great. they had many wines by the glass and the location is one of the best in queenstown. the service was great in all regards with special mention to katie in the upstairs bar, alex the server and kacie the hostess. a lot of fun with great food in the heart of queenstown, well worth a visit in our opinion.

madam woo wasn’t at queenstown when i last visited the town in 2014, so that got me to try something new! and no regrets. the interior is so unique that it has light touches of malaysian history yet not overboard and still carries the fusion within.madamwoo is spread around new zealand in cities like christchurch, takapuna, hamilton and queenstown.

for all the hype surroundingmadamwoos queenstown honestly this place is quite average. the service was great and food ok but my main gripe was that the food was not steaming hot. now i am not sure if that’s how it’s meant to be served but i like my hot food served hot :) we did not get a booking last time around and quite frankly it was alright after waiting 4 years to try this place out. i will definitely try the other branches out though. we ordered the hawker rolls which was probably the best thing we did order rate this at 4) -1 in chicken and the other eggplant. ginger and prawn dumplings (3.5), mushroom spring rolls (3.5) and my least favorite the fried chicken (2). this was too dry and room temperature.

thanks to a friend’s recommendation, we try outmadamwoo tonight. after a late lunch, we all feel like a late dinner which means we rock up at around 8:30pm. the place is almost full, but it doesn’t take long for our friendly scottish host to clear a table and get us seated. the menu looks really inviting and it’s difficult to choose, so in the end we opt for three entrees that include the prawn dumplings ($11), mushroom spring rolls($9), and chicken satay($14). the flavours and textures are intense, and superb!! we can’t decide which is best, but it’s a toss up between the spring rolls and the dumplings. for mains, we go for the pork belly stir fry ($19), honey soy squid ($18), and char kway teow ($24). we split 2 x bowls of rice($6) and 2 x roti canai($10) between us. we’re also given a complimentary side dish of stir fried vege that are really delicious. again, the flavours of the dishes are perfectly rich, with just enough spice, and great textures thanks to cashew nuts, fresh sprouts etc. the service from the lovely girls on tonight is friendly and attentive, with plenty of good advice being offered over the menu options. the decor is cool, with large pictures, photos, and woven bamboo light shades. would definitely head back here in a heartbeat! well done team!

high expectations formadamwoo and very disappointed. front of house team are lovely & the venue busy. food however, wasn’t authentic... the beef rendang lacked any flavour, spice & looked like an irish stew. the stir fry pork had nice vegetables, with hardly anything that resembled an asian green...the pork dry & over cooked. when asked how was the meal? i was embarrassed to say ‘bland’ & was told the executive chefs were visiting malaysia soon - a big learning curve on how to prepare asian food.

this place is bustling and vibrant with a comfortable vibe, not too classy or grunge. you get wafts of fish sauce and curry aromatics as soon as you walk into their rather snuggly, narrow setup.

we ordered some mushroom spring rolls, prawn dumplings, and hawker rolls to start. ask for what the special hawker roll is. when i went in last night, it was beef rendang, and it was bloody amazing! the roti was quite hard and tough, which made it a little unpleasant to eat, but the filling was packed with pungent, bold, and curry-soaked tender beef chunks. 😋 yum! it was my favourite dish of the night.madamwoo’s is famous for their hawker rolls, and you should definitely try one. $14~$16 for one is better than getting 4 mediocre dumplings for around the same price.

as for the curry dishes, seafood curry was much better than the chicken curry, but neither were anything to rave about. i feel like the portions are quite small - i thought food would be the same as the takapuna branch, but i found it quite different in presentation as well as portions.

a nice drinks menu - i was happy they had hendricks gin, and my friend enjoyed their cocktails, especially the singapore sling.

service was okay; the staff were so busy i felt sorry to ask them for spoons (which i never got), and i didn’t appreciate the waitress pushing drinks - an optimist would think this is being attentive, but the pessimist in me found it annoying.

overall, i think it’s hyped up malay-chinese, not bad but not mind-blowing either.

this is a bit of a throwback to my trip to queenstown, new zealand, last year. on our last night, the mothership and i were craving some asian food and so we went to madam woo in the centre of town. i’d heard from quite a lot of people that it was really good for casual asian-fusion / malaysian dishes and it certainly did not disappoint!

soft shell crab was overcooked and it's super salty to cover the burnt flavour. totally different experience from themadamwoo in auckland！ so disappointed

influenced by traditional malaysian hawker food,madamwoo first open it's doors in 2013 in queenstown and then expanded to 4 more restaurants that are now scattered across nz. beef  murtabak nz$10. this stuffed pan-fried bread was filled with curry flavoured beef mince and potato cubes that had absorbed all the beef flavour. the bread was super crispy and flaky, you could hear it sing when biting into it. we found it enjoyable solo or with the accompanying creamy curry dip.

come back tomadamwoo every time when i'm in queenstown. love the "oldie" feel of the 60s-70s, foods taste fantastic. will come for their curry laksa whenever i have a craving for asian spicy food!!! 😋😋

we went to qt for a 3 day vacation from auckland andmadamwoo was our first lunch destination. the entire street has a european feel to it and you have an option of sitting outside or inside. we, inspite being chilly, decided to sit outside.

here's what we ordered:

- prawn and coriander dumplings
- amazing, if only they could make it 6 pcs instead of 4

- malaysian dahl with jasmin rice - tastes more like indian dal tadka with lot of curry leaves.

- woo sambal with coconut rice
- sambal in not exceptional could use a little more seasoning, loved the coconut rice.

- wok fried asian vegetables
- perfect! no more words, just perfect!

- roti canai
- nice, hot, crispy. a little overpriced for 1 roti though.

- jasmin tea
- one of the many great things they offer in asian restaurants. perfect as always.

- fried chicken and tofu salad- fried chicken could use more seasoning, tofu salad was not bad too!

much recommended

the originalmadamwoo is fantastic! have been here every time i'm in queenstown. if you're after delicious selection of modern asian fusion then look no further! their extensive menu is sure to please everyone and their cocktails are also top notch.