Aqua

Under a thatched awning and two red lanterns on Methven's Main Street you can find Aqua, and the type of Japanese food a high country town has no real right to expect. Ramen, sushi and izakaya-style plates with personality arrive with the mark of chef-owner Chanaka "Chan" Jayabahu, who has cooked the cuisine from Singapore to Christchurch. 

Chan is as likely to be chatting at your table as he is back in the noren-concealed kitchen, table-side attention being as much a part of Japanese dining as the food itself. Enjoy tuna sashimi and a shot of sake from cushioned booths softly lit by bare-bulb pendants, with bamboo blinds, retro travel posters and geisha prints adorning the timber walls.

A doorway knocked through into the old neighbouring cinema means there's room for a crowd when skiers descend each winter. After a day on the slopes you could be forgiven for thinking you've been teleported to a backstreet bar in Sapporo, Aqua’s ramen crowned with soft egg and nori. The signature tempura sushi (rolls battered, crumbed in panko and fried until hot and crispy) wins over even the most raw-fish-shy country diner and regularly sells out. Chan's Sri Lankan roots surface by way of ginger and garlic fried off in the manner of kottu roti street food, and a Japanese curry tweaked with a few flavours of his own, which vanishes whenever it hits the specials board.

If you like the sound of all that but don't have the time to stop in for dinner (though it's highly recommended you do so), then Aqua Takeaways in Tinwald handles the quick-fire orders, and a busy catering arm keeps the kitchen humming through the quieter months. The Main Street dining room remains the heart of it all, and Aqua a reminder that quiet country towns can still serve up excellent fare.