![5]( "Recensione")
Sensational seafood from raw kingfish sashimi and tuna carpaccio to wood fired BBQ Hapuka and deep fried calamari.
After a Sunday arvo walk around the sleepy (almost deserted) centre of Tauranga we had a few reservations about our upcoming dinner a 10 min drive away in Mount Maunganui. The $20 Taxi ride was well worth it.
The street has an abundance of eateries, cafes and and an eclectic range of shops, but the standout is the Saltwater. Open, airy, clean and spacious with a relaxed and friendly vibe from both front and back of house staff.
The open kitchen with its spectacular wood fired BBQ is contrasted by a sashimi/cold seafood prep area and two glass doors (dry aging cabinets?) hanging impressive cuts of Beef and Fish.
Food : Fresh products, lovingly and professionally prepared to a 5 star standard - in fact probably better than a lot of "big city" restaurants that charge significantly more.
The wine selection is diverse, impressive and reasonable value for money in bottle and by the glass (we had the 2021 Ata Rangi Pinot, whilst a bit young in 2023 it opened up nicely and was lovely with our Seafood selections.
Overall a great dining experience enhanced by a chance encounter with some like minded folks that prompted some great conversation and a few post dinner drinks at the bar.
Nic van der Westhuizen
+5
Being down in Tauranga for AIMS, you are always nervous when entering a restaurant, especially on a slow Monday night. So surprised by the excellent service and amazing food!
We had oysters and the calamari for starters, I will take my wife's word that the oysters were amazing. My Calamari was tender and tasty!
For mains my daughter had the adult fish and chips, fish was perfectly cooked, nice crunchy batter and juicy and tender. The chips were from another world, crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. Need to know how they did that! Worst part is we forgot the left overs!
My wife and I both had the chili and lime prawn linguine which was absolutely perfect. A super generous portion of prawns in between the linguine and sauce which was a perfect combination of flavour and bite.
About the only thing I could suggest was having a bowl for the prawn tails, because there were many!
The rest of the service was awesome, right down to bringing cutlery at the right time without having to ask for it.
Highly recommended!
How lucky are we to have a restaurant like Saltwater on our doorstep. The venue is fabulous as are all the staff who work there. The food is next level- perfectly cooked with beautiful flavours which are sensational. Cannot speak highly enough of this place.
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