Tequila Mockingbird

This could have been such a good spot but it was let down by really unsuccessful cooking and by lackadaisical service. The concept is great – somewhat Tex-​Mex, somewhat New Orleans food with interesting cocktails in a funky atmosphere. You are meant to share the dishes, which is also a great idea that I’d like to see more of in NZ. But the dishes we ordered were, with only one exception, not quite right. The successful dish was an order of scallops with a sort of pico de gallo and a cream sauce (I may have the elements wrong) that was very nice indeed, but the filling of the empanadas was very dry (though the pastry was great) and the «crispy» chicken was not at all crispy and the sauce was lacking in flavour. And when I mentioned to the server that the chicken was not crispy his reaction was to ask if I wanted it crispy (that is what it’s called after all). Perhaps we caught them at a bad time but I was disappointed.

My partner and I have been excited to try this place out since we moved and finally found a perfect occasion when some friends came in town for the night. We made a reservation for 8:30 (already a little late for dinner, but it was one of the few options available). We arrived at 8:25 and were told our table was finishing up and it would be a few minutes. We settled in at the bar for some cocktails (of which they have a very impressive list of wines, Mexican beers and cocktails) to wait for our table. Over 30 minutes later we still had not been seated, despite inquiring several times. What is the point of a reservation if the restaurant is not going to honor it? In general, I find that ChCh restaurants are very straightforward when it comes to telling patrons that they need the table to turn over at a certain time and this is the only restaurant I’ve ever had an issue in. I want to thank the bartender for offering us complimentary drinks with dinner for our inconvenience.
Their sharing plates are small and meant for two people, so be prepared to order a few items. Our table shared two orders of the Crispy Chicken, which was quickly devoured. The sweet potato salad was definitely a highlight. Those who can stand the taste of jalapenos enjoyed the Pao de Queso, but I can’t handle the flavor so I didn’t try them. We also had the Huanta Style Roasted Lamb which was a crowd pleaser as well. Prepared to perfection.
The lighting was pretty dark throughout the restaurant, which is great for mood lighting, but was hard to read the menu; I was impressed with the quality of the food, but very disappointed by the service. Really wanted to have a better experience than I did, because TM really does have great food.

I still can’t figure out the vibe of this restaurant. The décor and dress level of the staff suggested it was a casual latin restaurant. Most of the servers were wearing short sleeves and jeans and seemed happy. The part that confused me was when I looked around and noticed all of the patrons dining in the bar (barring me) were in suits and dresses. It was a very interesting observation as it didn’t seem like a formal restaurant at all.
When I first arrived at this restaurant, I was asked if I had a reservation. I found this question weird as there was only one party of two eating at a table in the corner when I showed up. They then told my partner and I that they only had seats in the bar, which is where patrons enter the building. This was fine with me as I didn’t see any different between the dining area and the bar area to begin with.
The food certainly didn’t suggest this restaurant was known for its fine dining. I shared the chili rellenos (12), the chorizo (24), and the noquis (20) with the table. The chili rellenos were basically just stuffed jalapenos. The chorizo was very good and came with a great chimichuri and some flavorful patatas bravas. I only had a bite of the noquis, but they were ok. I didn’t expect much from this dish from a latin restaurant though. None of these items justified the high prices to me.
Overall, this restaurant was a bit of an anomaly. I still can’t figure out what type of ambiance they are going for. I can’t say I would ever go back because I didn’t find the food justified the high prices.

Great food! Best I had in NZ so far. Sharing plates are tasty and filling. Consider 2 à 3 plates pp. Place is very nice too, so is service. Expect to pay around 50 dollar pp for food. For me the highlights were the tuna loin, crispy chicken and chorizo sausage.

A better name than a restaurant. That being said, we did arrive fairly late, as far as I can tell, by Christchurch standards so they may have been off their game. Further, getting mexican food in NZ in general is not for the faint of heart so given what my expectations should have been, it was overall pretty good. It was not totally clear from the menu but I think this is not actually meant to be a mexican place at all since many of the dishes were argentine or central american.
We tried many of the sharing dishes, but the only one that really stood out was the pork in green chilli sauce. That was genuinely good and I would probably go back for that. The Chilli Rellano should be avoided at all cost as it is horrible, hilariously so.
They have some pretty good cocktails, including margaritas and pisco sours. There seems to be a taco place next door and I suspect that is worth checking out as well. Although I wasn’t blown away, this place was pretty good and I would go back. Christchurch lacks for quality restaurants in the Victoria street area and this one is worth trying again.

I had pretty high hopes for this place. I came here one evening with a couple of friends for early drinks and tapas prior to a rugby match, meaning I had a 7.30 deadline to be home for kickoff! As an aside I love the name of this place — so clever!
The decorations are cool, probably a highlight of the place. We didn’t have a reservation so we ate at a high table. One side had high seats (which I really don’t like as I’m pretty short!) and the other a sort of bench seat thing.
The food didn’t impress me, I was actually quite disappointed with it. One of our members is a fussy gluten-​free vegetarian who just ate chips as is her standard! The patatas braves were good. The menu isn’t labelled as GF though which means you will have to ask your waiter for some hints. We also ordered the arepas, fundido, calamari, crispy chicken, pork shoulder and chorizo. Quite a lot for two people but the menu looked good and we had difficulty deciding! If only the food had been as good as it sounds. Flavours were lacking punch, the calamari was disappointingly cold and chewy, and it was overall overwhelming. Not a single dish stood out, maybe the chorizo for taste?
Service was ok but a little slow up until the point the poor waiter tipped my gin and tonic all over my phone. I managed to rescue it and dry it off and he was very apologetic. And then he bought my other friend a free soft drink to make up for it! Even though it was my drink spilled and my phone in the firing line. maybe because she is prettier than me? Quite amusing in any case.
Bottom line: there are better places in Christchurch if you are after this type of dining experience. Try the Monday room or even Mexicanos just down the street.

We went for dinner and we got this «sharing menu» and we ordered 5 items. I assumed by the name «sharing menu» and the price they charge that there would be enough food to share among us. However the amount of food on each plate was about enough to be considered a snack. We also ordered a pitcher of sangria and I have never seen a pitcher that was so comically small. It was about the size of a small flower vase. The only thing that was of any size was the bill. We paid about double what the food was worth, what a rip off. I am giving 2 stars only because the food was actually pretty good.

Table for 2 on a busy Friday night! We opted for the set menu suggested by our wait staff and what a great choice! Selections I possibly wouldn’t have ordered but tasty, tender and totally full after the last Churro! Probably the best meal and dining experience we have had in chch post quake!
Well done TM!

We went here early on a saturday evening and the bar area was busy and lively. The restaurant area was quiet to start with but by the time we had left was full. We chose 3 or 4 ‘small plates’ and shared a ‘large plate’ between us. The cerviche was a subtle, yet interesting variation on a classic dish and the coffee cured venison had some very intriguing flavours. The black bean soup with pulled pork was delicious also. Ae orsered the only vegetarian ‘large plate’ on the menu which was a corn meal gratin. This dish is this restaurants achilles heel. Aside from the fact its presentation is lacklustre and you could buy all the ingredients for less than $ 1 (onions, corn meal, spinach and goats cheese) compared with its menu price of $ 26, the flavours and tastes are boring and uninspiring. The argument that it is ‘traditional’ dpes not wear as the ‘traditional’ black bean soup was stunning. I am moved to say its the worst dish I have ever ordered in a restaurant. Nonetheless, if you can avoid this dish there is some great food on the menu and to finish we had the rum mousse which was off the charts!