The Countryman Restaurant is a Chinese restaurant at 108a Hautapu Street in Taihape, Rangitikei, holding a Google rating of 4.2 from 181 reviews.
Chinese restaurants in small New Zealand towns have long been a fixture of the main street, most serving the familiar Cantonese-style favourites such as sweet and sour dishes, chow mein, fried rice and chop suey, alongside whatever the family behind the kitchen does best. Portions tend to be generous and built for sharing, so a couple of mains over rice usually feeds more than one. Locals often know to ring ahead on Friday and Saturday nights, when travellers on State Highway 1 and town regulars can fill the tables quickly.
For a small country town like Taihape, a well-reviewed Chinese restaurant on Hautapu Street is a genuinely handy thing to have, whether you live there or are just passing through.