Last Sunday was one of the warmest days we have experienced in a long time. At 25°C, Christchurch was the warmest spot in the whole country. Deep into autumn, this is my favourite kind of weather. The air is crisp and sweet and the days are warm while the nights are cold.

We lunched with The Koala’s parents on the deck at Fisherman’s Wharf on Norwich Quay in Lyttelton. Any fish lover will be impressed with the promise that their fish is fresh daily from their own boats. Fantastic location and it’s a wonder why this kind of business hasn’t always been here.

As one of the only restaurants still open for business they are doing pretty well post-earthquake. They were due to open a day after the February earthquake, but opened for business a the following Saturday after being given the all clear. I heard that they started using cardboard containers after their shipment of crockery was broken/delayed after the earthquake, but the locals loved it and the cardboard stayed. They may or may not upgrade to real china once the aftershocks subside.

Much like a fish and chip shop, you must order every item of food you want. No set meals with fish, salad and chips here. If you want fish, salad or chips, you must order it. I have this salmon addiction problem where I always order salmon if it appears on the menu. I did it again the next day. It’s a bit silly since I know there are other things on the menu that could be equally delicious, but I haven’t been disappointed by ordering salmon yet. Something about that fatty, creamy fish just wins me over.

My foil baked salmon was delicious and the chips were golden and a generous serve. The small coleslaw (with black sesame seeds and an asian flavour) which was too big for me. I usually find fish and chips a bit heavy so a salad was a very welcome addition. They should have a smaller portion available for those that just want a little serve of salad. Tomato sauce in bottles would have been better as the little packages you get are just not enough. I bought an extra aioli and The Koala got an extra sauce. Easy fixes really.

The bill came to $90 for 4 salads, 2 fish, 1 salmon, 1 steak, 3 chips and 1 kumara fries. On the expensive scale for fish and chips, but the food was pretty good and you can see that they will be popular even when Lyttelton rebuilds. In the meantime, the monopoly must be nice!