North and South Gourmet, Addington, Christchurch, New Zealand

A beautiful fiesta of greens, whites, reds, oranges and yellows in fifteen oriental jewels, a smorgasbord of edible creativity festooned with the elaborateness of eye-catching garnishes carefully crafted by well-trained hands. This was my lot on a warm evening two weeks ago at the North & South Gourmet Chinese Restaurant.
With twenty others I was treated to a noteworthy procession of sumptuous dishes, one after the other, sometimes two by two and always perfectly timed.
Begin with a mouth-watering bowl of wonton soup, bobbing with succulent, saporous dumplings, a tantalizing introduction to the many and varied courses to follow.
Without delay the Peking Duck made its three part entry, first a plate of sliced zucchini, carrot and spring onion then the thin, seductive wraps and finally the bold & crispy duck itself, laid out in the shape of the original bird, atop a bed of prawn crackers of all things.
In true Chinese style the food is placed on the lazy susan and each diner pecks at the dishes as they reach his or her place around the table. This gives everyone an opportunity to enjoy all the food and ensures each person doesn’t overindulge. It’s therefore easy to enjoy 15 courses without feeling like a stuffed pig at the end! The duck was pronounced equal to any that the assembled Chinese nationals had hitherto experienced in the city
The deep fried pork ribs with garlic sizzled the taste-buds and made more welcome the steamed egg with dried scallop followed closely by deep fried tofu with Chinese black mushrooms, a truly moist dish with a fine sense of texture selflessly offering this diner a lingering silence of appreciation.
Most of us are partial to a serving of Blue Cod on a regular basis and so when a whole steamed one is brought to the table it is incumbent upon us all to gape in wonder at its essential beauty, its grace and grandeur. This fish was emblazoned with a stunning green and orange cloak of green herbs and ultra-thinly-sliced carrot, effectively highlighting the generosity of the cod below.
The flesh of this true gem was soft and very palatable, exuding nourishment and quietly making a profound statement of flavour with each mouthful.
Within moments of the plate being placed on the lazy susan, of course, the eyes and the fish lips were eaten as these are considered delicacies. Unfortunately I wasn’t quick enough on this occasion……
A seemingly endless array of spectacular foods passed before me and I was fortunate in being able to sample most, if not all. The vegetarian selections were many, with my old favs like scintillating green beans with sesame, sauce and carrots. Sounds simple but the flavours that jumped all over me were just excellent and so fitting in between the meat and other dishes.
The grand tour of succulence continued with a proud, clucky, plucky serving of steamed chicken with Chinese sausage and those good old Chinese mushrooms again, all bathing in a delicious, eminently drinkable pool of powerful taste.
Dessert came as a giant birthday cake to celebrate a 27th birthday and was the creation of the Chinese bakery on Riccarton Rd. Radiating colour and life and excitement, this superlative cake was large enough to provide all twenty of us with a serving with some in reserve.
If you’re a fan of Chinese food and you are interested in trying some authentic fare from both north and south China this restaurant might be worth a visit. Try the fish lips or perhaps an eyeball?