The Cater Station
I have been reviewing catering companies in New Zealand for quite some time now and out of all I reviewed from this date this catering company is the best one overall, the food, the packaging, the branding, their style and all, this is what a catering company should be, easy, presentable and delicious. The Cater Station is a product of the food truck The Roaming Dive, if you have been in Auckland markets and festivals somewhere around 2014 – 2015 then you must have seen them as they were popular in serving sliders, pork belly po’boys, buffalo wings and sandwiches, it was so popular and good they received awards including, Top 100 Cheap Eats and Lewisham Best Street Food Nomination.
I remember the sliders were quite popular and I took that in mind when I was planning my order so I got some Slider Kits to be sure, along with some Taco Kits, Grazing Station and Kids Party Kits, it was more than enough for 30 adults and 20 kids. It came hot contained in these well thought bright yellow boxes where insides are divided into logical sections that you can set up as a station, which makes everything tidy when serving and easy to clean up after the party.
Delivery was easy too, it’s a simple as pickup from the van, dropped off at our place and that’s it, everything is plated or rather boxed carefully already for presentation, unlike other catering services where they have to set up, remove the aluminium foil or grad wrap and pick up the cutlery the next day.
Let’s start with the Grazing Station (NZ$495.00), it was the first one we served as it contains tons of bite size cocktail or appetizer style food where the box is served overflowing with a good selection of cheeses (brie, blue, smoked, apricot cream cheese), crackers, cured meats, smoked salmon, dips, olives, fetas, other Mediterranean assortments, fruits, chocolates, macarons, donuts, popcorn, chocolates, etc, etc.
It was really impressive, a nice sight to see! all you need is just serve it with wine.
I also grabbed some Kids Party Kit (NZ$395.00) which is basically a grazing station for kids. Lollies served on ice cream cones, lollipops, gummy bears, sour gummies, gingerbread men, donuts, minced pies, hotdog on sticks, fruits, croissants, wafer sticks, fairy bread, chocolate sauce, etc, etc.
Another sight so see! I can still remember the eyes of those kids after opening this box, it feels like someone opened a treasure trove during a trick or treat season.
Then there is this Slider Kit (NZ$190.00), With 32 fresh baked pre-cut slider buns and your choice of meat or tofu, it includes a jam-packed tray of slaw, our house made sriracha aioli and pickled red onions.
I grabbed the crispy pork belly filling which was amazing! it was so tasty and surprisingly still crispy!
Finally, The Taco Kit (NZ$359.00), served with 50 6″ flour tortillas and your choice of 2 different meats or tofu, it also includes a jam-packed tray of slaw, our house made beetroot aioli and a green garnish. For this order I grabbed the pulled beef and chicken, again another champ of a dish.
I love it, kids love it, most importantly all the guests love it, specially that crispy pork. Sides were great, it matched well the tacos and sliders, you can actually serve them as a side dish or as an additional filling. I have one suggestion though, if you are ordering this make sure to buy some extra sliders and soft tacos as the fillings, they provide are more than enough, we had some left-over fillings. So, what are you waiting for, get some of those stations so you understand what I am talking about.
The Cater Station
Phone: 0800 300 653
Website: https://www.thecaterstation.co.nz/
