We’d had a couple of places in mind when we set out to find dinner our first night in Christchurch.  Each one proved to be either too expensive, too crowded, or too zen for family dining.  Then we happened on The Flying Burrito Brothers.  Wendy, in particular was not hopeful.  We live in Northern California, surrounded by amazing, authentic Mexican restaurants.  What chance was there that a place called the Flying Burrito in Christchurch, New Zealand was going to measure up or even be passable?  But hunger and tired feet and the late hour all won out and soon we were being welcomed by the friendly wait staff. 

The first thing that impressed us was the wide variety on the reasonably priced menu.  Sure, not everything is super authentic – but it’s cool!  There was lots to choose from that was inventive and fun. 

Wendy had the Quesadilla de Berenjena, $19NZD (quesadilla with eggplant – a quesadilla is a hot sandwich made with tortillas rather than bread).  It was made with grilled eggplant and goats cheese and was extremely flavorful!  This fun twist on a traditional favorite was served with guacamole, beans, sour cream, salad and salsa.

Ian had the fajitas, $25NZD.  He chose chicken and shrimp, which is served sizzling, of course, and with lots of extras.  There was plenty of guacamole, rice, sour cream, beans, salad and salsa.  An extra 2 tortillas were $3NZD. 

The service was helpful and very friendly.  The decor was super fun with star light, candles and loud music – very family friendly!  They also provided us with an excellent Stokke highchair – nicer than the one we have at home!  There were lots of vegetarian options and Wendy had no trouble finding something to eat.  Our only complaint was that the restaurant was oddly smoky from the fajitas.  Now, we’ve eaten at so many places that serve them and yes, they sizzle and yes, some smoke comes off them, but we’ve never had this problem before.  It was odd.

The smoke didn’t discourage us from ordering dessert, however!  After the delicious main meal we decided to splurge and ordered the “Aztec Treasure” – a huge slice of chocolate cake with ganache, vanilla ice cream and the fresh whipped cream, $11NZD.  Ian accompanied his share of the chocolate cake with a cappuccino, which he found was very good with great foam.

The “Aztec Treasure” was more than enough for two and we were in heaven with this very rich, dense cake.  Moist and not overly sweet, it was coated with a powdered chocolate and cinnamon mix.  A sweet end to a delicious dinner!  Dessert service was oddly slow, but profuse apologies more than made up for the delay. 

All in all, we left very happy – and very full!  We heartily recommend this excellent restaurant!