Deal #14 at Bilbo's Takeaways.Photo / NZ Herald online
Deal #14 at Bilbo's Takeaways.Photo / NZ Herald online
Last month Central Auckland's dirtiest eating establishments were named.
Food grades in the former Auckland City region show 10 restaurants and cafes have received E grades, with 29 given a D grade.
The New Zealand Herald online asked readers if they were influenced by the food grading system.Nearly 13,500 readers responded and just over half said they used the rating to make a call about whether to dine there. Or not.
But to the every day diner, how do these places really stack up?
A few brave members of the online team have decided to put their bellies on the line and review all 29 of the D listers, revealing one a day for the month of September. D grade eateries are reviewed twice a year, according to Auckland City Council. While they are subject to change, our list is correct as of the last week of August, 2013. If the grade is changed at the time of publication this will be made clear in the review.
So join us on our journey eating through the D list. Check in at lunch each day, read our review, and let us know in the poll if you have - or would - eat at the outlet.
(Check out our week 2 wrap here and our week 1 wrap here.)
We ordered: Deal #14 off the wall: two pieces of fish, two potato fritters, two crab sticks and hot chips for $14. When we got the paper wrapped package home it was soggy and everything inside looked and tasted the same. It was a battered-up lucky dip.
The vibe was: Drab and dingy when we picked up dinner. This joint is open until the wee hours of the morning and it's probably buzzing when Dominion Road revelers are seeking something to soak up the booze.
The décor looked: Old and grubby. The pinball machine in the window kept us entertained for a couple of minutes while we waited for our fry-up, but neither of us had any coins to really play. It was messy and unloved.
The service was: Standard takeaway service.
We left feeling: Like we were not going to enjoy the goods wrapped up in our greasy package.
We could see their D grade: On the wall by the neon stars advertising all the great deals.
The most D-grade thing about it: The whole place reeked of D.
