Located on Auckland’s North Wharf, Miss Clawdy is a restaurant inspired by cuisine from the South & Central Americas. Describing themselves as a ‘soul food haven’, Miss Clawdy is inspired by Lloyd Price’s 1952 New Orleans hit single, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, and describes their food as ‘edible goodness wrapped in a lil’ southern magic’. I have visited Miss Clawdy on one occasion, and this week I brought my partner and a friend back for the cheerful, vibrant atmosphere.
We were seated upon arrival at a high table close to the kitchen; a warm, dimly lit and relatively private area. As we looked over the menu, we enjoyed Miss Clawdy’s complimentary cinnamon popcorn, which was tasty and sweet. To start, we chose two cocktails: Green Tea Mojito – bacardi rum, mint, fresh lime, sugar & green tea syrup and Old-Fashioned Cherry Lemonade – ketel one citron vodka, massenez crème de griotte, & orange bitters over homemade lemonade over house made lemonade ice cubes. Both were very refreshing cocktails. The Green Tea Mojito was especially fresh and easy to drink, while the Old-Fashioned Cherry Lemonade was citrusy and a little sour.
Miss Clawdy’s menu is made of fantastic sharing plates, so we chose six dishes to share between us!
My choice was the Braised Beef Short Rib with smashed potato & bourbon BBQ sauce. This was very, very soft & tender and well cooked. The bourbon BBQ sauce was very flavoursome and complemented it well, as with the balancing smashed potato. I also chose the Chargrilled Baby Kumara with macadamia nut crumble, orange oil & parsley, which couldn’t have tasted more delicious – it had a great texture and the most perfected chargrilled flavour. Definitely one of my favourites!
My partner chose the Southern Fried Calamari with shredded iceberg & chipotle lime mayo. We usually love calamari, however we didn’t expect it to arrive in a burger and would’ve preferred it without. We all found the calamari quite average and thought it could have been crispier. His next choice, Southern Fried Jerk chicken with chipotle & lime mayo, was a highlight for all of us. We absolutely loved the succulent, tender fried chicken and especially the chipotle & lime mayo, which complemented it very well and gave it an amazing and unique flavour.
Our friend chose the Ya Ya Gumbo with prawns, chicken, andouille sausage, okra, alaska king crab & cornbread crumble – a melting pot of goodness! This was a tasty combination of everything; I especially enjoyed the prawns. The flavour was wholesome and just a tad spicy, but mild enough for my taste. A highly recommended dish for sharing, as it is large in portion with something for everyone.
We finished with dessert, Coconut Fried Banana with mango & dried banana salsa & vanilla bean ice cream. This unique dessert was enjoyable and not too sweet. I was indifferent about the mango & dried banana salsa, which didn’t do much for me, but I very much enjoyed the outer crunchy coconut layer with the banana and the vanilla bean ice cream. A lovely dish to end a very satisfying dinner.
Overall, a very pleasant and enjoyable experience at Miss Clawdy. I love the warmth of the restaurant and its friendly, cheerful, cozy atmosphere. The customer service on both my visits has been informative and helpful, offering to share a little about the menus before we order and being happy to elaborate on dishes we were considering.
The only disappointment was one of the waitresses in the beginning when I asked if we were able to switch to a table in a brighter spot. As the website had stated it is a walk in restaurant, with only a table of 12 for booking, I hadn't made a booking. However she said the other tables (empty at the time) were unavailable, and when I asked if they were reserved, she said yes. I didn't ask for more of an explanation as she not only did not offer to see what she could do, her attitude was very non-chalant and apathetic.
A highlight is the little wait time as the dishes arrive very shortly after ordering, hot and fresh, and are generous and filling in portions. I would highly recommend Miss Clawdy for a lovely & delicious meal out with friends, as it is a restaurant perfect for sharing!
Old-Fashioned Cherry Lemonade $15
Green Tea Mojito $15
Braised beef short rib $28
Chargrilled baby kumara $8
Southern fried calamari $12
Southern fried jerk chicken $16.5
Ya Ya Gumbo $19.5
Coconut fried banana $12
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