Zodiac is a new restaurant on The Terraces. Its arrival on the dining scene in Christchurch is surprising in these Covid times when the hospitality industry is struggling.

Tonight, however, this Chinese restaurant was very busy. We were seated at a table near the front of the restaurant, and so I had my back to the remainder of the room. The friends seated opposite me were facing the back, and commented on the fish tank. It wasn't until we stood to leave that I was able to check it out. It's a large fish tank with an assortment of what I perceived to be tropical fish allowing for a view of the kitchen through the glass. It was a sight to behold.

There were 6 of us, and I suspect that the high table with bar-stools at which we were seated was supposed to seat 4 people. We were cramped. Had we wanted to do a plate-sharing meal, it wouldn't have been possible. There was simply no room to put anything more than a glass and a plate per person.

The service was slow too. Han, who was our waiter, tried his best, but he did seem to have a large number of tables he was taking care of, and so we were forced to get his attention on more than one occasion.

I chose Kung poa chicken - roasted peanuts, dried chillis and sichuan pepper  - which was spicy and quite delicious. It was piping hot too. There was a large bowl of food though, and I brought home about 40% of it.

Jane chose Bang-bang chicken salad, with "strange" dressing  It was a very spicy plate of food. Jane actually needed the rice to tone it down a bit.

Kung pao chicken
Bang-bang chicken

Everyone else at the table chose pork in various guises and said their meals were very tasty.

Service: 3.5/5 Food: 4.5/5 Ambience: 3/5 Total 11/15

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