Looking for a traditional British pub experience in central Auckland? Jesse’s found it.
If you thought last week’s restaurant site next to Westmere Butcher was cursed, try making a go of it on a triangular traffic island beside a major intersection.
The old Grey Lynn firehouse is a brick
building of significant civic heritage and, as such, should be a prime spot for a hospitality business but nobody has been able to make a decent go of it so far.
I was going to ignore this latest place for a year or so to see if it sticks around, but my editor sent me a message to tell me her mouth was watering over their social media posts and who am I to ignore a watery mouth?
The Grey Lynn Firehouse is a new pub just off Ponsonby Rd.
I must tell you that the vibes were good strolling in on a Monday night (okay, the lack of other options on this particular day of the week helped with the choice of restaurant too).
Staff are friendly and happy, with few signs of quiet despair or indentured servitude.
There’s a cosy bar area downstairs that feels more like an upmarket British pub experience than any other Auckland spot I’ve visited.
We sat on our jackets on high stools (please add a coat rack or some hooks to the bar) and drank Sawmill Bright IPA on tap with a plan to head upstairs for dinner once we’d loosened up a little.
The downstairs bar at Grey Lynn Firehouse. Photo / Babiche Martens
The nice woman behind the bar encouraged us with some urgency to eat downstairs instead, given that the dining room above was empty, but I went up to take a look and it was surprisingly inviting even without anyone else in it.
So we took a table up there and, wouldn’t you know it, the entire bar downstairs cleared out and joined us. I may only ever get the same two slightly unhinged people replying to my occasional Instagram stories, but it turns out I am an influencer after all.
So suddenly there were 10 of us, happily relaxing in leather booths in a room they’ve really put some thought into decorating. A nice coat of paint, some nice furniture and considered ornamentation and it really feels like one of the loveliest places in the area to escape for a feed.
There is a third space too – a rooftop-style outdoor deck that must be stunning when the sun’s out. How do people ever leave? Sure, the only view is of people wandering in and out of the supermarket across the road but if you don’t think that sounds entertaining you clearly haven’t shopped at Ponsonby Woolworths.
The dining room of Grey Lynn Firehouse. Photo / Babiche Martens
I found the wine list a little incoherent by the glass and would have liked some European options to accompany the usual local suspects, but we settled into a pretty good riesling and browsed the menu.
The food is bits-and-piecy too but that didn’t seem to matter much given how much of it sounded appealing. We ordered a tuatua sando (Auckland’s only tuatua dish?), a potato mille-feuille plus mushy peas and, um, three main courses because I was finding it difficult to choose.
The tuatua sando on the menu at Grey Lynn Firehouse. Photo / Babiche Martens
I should have ordered two sandos as I immediately found myself with the delicate job of clefting a battered clam in twain but I channelled the spirit of my surgeon grandfather (he sounded like a character; he apparently used to open the patient’s torso right up then look at the medical staff assembled around the room and say “yikes, what are we going to do now?”) and performed the bisection with expertise.
The dish itself was yummy if a touch claggy. It didn’t at all resemble those toasty white-bread Japanese sandos you grab from a vendor on the way to the bullet train but you’re not going to go wrong with shellfish, bread and tartare sauce, so on balance I would say: order it.
Chicken parmigiana is apparently their biggest seller, with daylight for second. So I ordered one and it was fantastic: brined for 24 hours to retain moisture under heat, battered and cheesed with a lovely Italian tomato sauce, it is heaped with rocket and parmigiano and would totally hit the spot for lunch with one of those IPAs to help numb the pain of returning to the office.
Grey Lynn Firehouse’s chicken parmigiana. Photo / Babiche Martens
But actually all of our mains were great – the steak perfectly cooked and tasty in a fairly classic but punchy cognac and peppercorn sauce (they slice it before serving – I have no problem with this but FYI). And the “hockhetta” (I’ve looked it up and this is definitely not a word) was a proper roast pork of the sort that is almost impossible to find, with genuinely crunchy crackling and a decent apple sauce.
Our major disappointment was the potato mille-feuille, which may work on a different day but was inedibly salty when we visited. This was also a problem with the chips (there were a lot of them – they came with the steak and the schnitzel) so somebody in the kitchen has a heavy hand.
In short. this is a great addition to the neighbourhood and they’re doing almost everything right. Book a table in the sun before the sun is all gone.
The Grey Lynn Firehouse is a new pub just off Ponsonby Rd.
Address: 1 Williamson Ave, Grey Lynn, greylynnfirehouse.co.nz
From the menu: tuatua sando $10, potato mille-feuille $16, scotch fillet $55, pork hock $45, chicken parmigiana $35, mushy peas $8
Score: 0-7 Steer clear. 8-12 Disappointing, give it a miss. 13-15 Good, give it a go. 16-18 Great, plan a visit. 19-20 Outstanding, don’t delay.
According to dining out editor Jesse Mulligan.