Black Rice Fusion Asian (Albany, North Shore City, New Zealand)

Black Rice Fusion Asian is a unique and highly regarded restaurant located in Albany, North Shore, New Zealand. The restaurant offers a fusion of different Asian cuisine including dishes from Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia. This blend of Asian flavours and cooking styles has resulted in a menu that is diverse, flavourful, and truly authentic.

The atmosphere of the restaurant is relaxed and welcoming, with a focus on creating an enjoyable dining experience for all customers. The décor is a blend of traditional Asian and modern elements, with a mix of dark and light woods, comfortable seating, and warm lighting. The atmosphere is perfect for families, friends, or a romantic dinner.

The menu at Black Rice Fusion Asian is extensive and offers something for everyone. There are a variety of appetizers, soups, and salads to start, followed by a range of entrees including stir-fry dishes, noodles, curries, and rice dishes. The menu also offers a variety of vegetarian and vegan options, making it a great choice for those with dietary restrictions.

During this visit we tried several dishes starting from Xia Long Bao (NZ$12.00), Chinese soup dumplings, filled with a savory meat filling and a piping hot broth. They are made using pork loin, ginger, spring onion, chicken broth which is then steamed.

We also had Chicken Mee Goreng (NZ$26.00), a popular Malaysian dish made with stir-fried noodles, vegetables, and chicken. The dish is known for its sweet and spicy flavours and is a staple in Southeast Asian cuisine.

Next was the Sichuan Pepper Squid (NZ$21.00), a spicy and flavourful dish featuring crispy squid, tossed in a spicy Sichuan pepper sauce. The Sichuan pepper provides a unique, numbing flavour that is a hallmark of the cuisine from the Sichuan province of China.

Finally we had a Peking Duck ($28.00 for 1/4, $51.00 for 1/2), this classic Chinese dish features crispy roasted duck, served with steamed pancakes, scallions, and a sweet bean sauce. The duck is roasted to perfection, ensuring a crispy skin and juicy meat.

All of these dishes were nicely prepared some were really good but some were sub-par. What stood out on this batch was the Chicken Mee Goreng and the Duck, both were perfectly made and well seasoned. The squid was good too, it was tasty but was expecting more of a Sichuan zing but there was none, it was quite bready, probably the batter used, it was OK for me but for others it might not be. After those it goes downhill from here, the Xia Long Bao may sound good on paper but this was the worse of the bunch, the pastry was quite thick and dry, there was also a small amount of broth inside the dumpling, what’s inside was tasty but its just the pasty that made it bad. That goes with the pancakes the duck was served with too, similar texture, dried and sticky. I guess pastries was not their.

The restaurant also offers a range of drinks, including Asian-inspired cocktails, beers, and teas. The drinks menu is carefully curated to complement the food, and there is something to suit all tastes. Was not fussed about this so I just grabbed some Hallertau No 2 Pale Ale.

It is a hit and miss at this place, some were good, some were not, I guess if you stick with pasty free dish you will be all right. Overall its OK, nothing to rave about, what’s good is that was quite affordable. The place was nice as well, great ambiance and definitely good service.

Black Rice Fusion
Address: Unit 10B/21 Corinthian Drive, Albany, Auckland 0630, New Zealand
Phone: +649 415 8377
Website: https://www.blackrice.co.nz/