Q & A: Michael Huang, Oppies

KITCHEN STAFF: Clockwise from bottom left, owner Michael Huang with staff Yijie Qin, Jason Zhao, Cheng Xin Lin, and Cuiyun Ye. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER 270814SP2

At the recent Rotorua Hospitality Awards Oppies Fish and Chips added the Rotorua Daily Post Outstanding Takeaway to its long list of awards. We talk to owner Michael Huang.
What did it mean to you and the Oppies team to win Outstanding Takeaway?

It's just so reassuring to win that category because it shows that what we cook and how we serve our food is going down well with our customers, and that's always nice to know.

Oppies has a long history of winning awards - what do you think makes Oppies so special?

For a start there's the teamwork in Oppies Kung Fu Kitchen!

Add in our super fresh ingredients and the positive choice to use healthier rice bran oil in our deep fryers ... and there's the basis of what makes us special.

At Oppies I think we've also got the right kind of customer service attitude ... and that's doing our very best with everything we cook for you.

What do you see as the biggest opportunity for your business in the year ahead?

We've noticed that Rotorua locals and visitors are choosing our Asian flavours more often, things like pork belly, Chinese duck and Oppies fried rice.

The opportunities for the future include lots of exciting new Asian dishes that we think will be very popular and will make our kitchen a very busy place.

Do you think businesses should "give back" to their community?

The community support for our business over the years deserves our support in return because 'what goes around comes around'. Oppies is proud to support all sorts of community projects big and small.

We've supported the last two Lakesyde concerts, galas at St Mary's and Otonga schools, we put up a $1000 donation to help John Paul College a couple of years ago to help with their big concert. There are plenty of other things that we've helped with over the years, almost too many to mention.

What are the most popular items on your menu (apart from chips!)?

Well we've mentioned Oppies fried rice already, because it's become one of the most popular Asian dishes that we cook. The other menu option that we get great feedback on is the battered fresh fish, which has always been a favourite in Rotorua.

If you could do any other job for a day, what would that be?

When I was young I dreamed of being a professional photographer so for just one day I'd like to grab a decent DSLR camera and roam around this beautiful part of New Zealand and take some great photos to share with the rest of the world.

How do you maintain a healthy work/life balance?

I don't! I think that most of the time I work too hard but that's what it takes to prepare and serve excellent quality food. Maybe I should ease back and spend more time with my family.

What's the best thing about being in business in Rotorua?

Rotorua customers are the best thing. They're so friendly and they appreciate our good food. That's what makes everything worthwhile.