This month, we begin with breakfast, before visiting a whole host of neighbourhood restaurants. There are also plenty of treats to pick from.
Fishy business from Bestie. Photo / Madeleine Crutchley
Fishy business, $29, from Bestie
Bestie has become a go-to for morning and midday meals, when I’m showing off Tāmaki Makaurau to visitors. Situated in St
Kevin’s Arcade, the cafe provides a sunny view over Myers Park, the spike of the Skytower and all the liveliness of Karangahape. Beyond the setting, the menu is reliable and tasty. Often, I opt for the tempeh cheese toastie, in which aged cheddar and quince jelly deliver proper punch. On my last visit, I sampled something different – a pile of sourdough toast topped with beetroot-cured salmon, burnt orange cream cheese, boiled egg, pickled radish and dill. The citrus-tinged spread is a great example of the subtle surprises dishes at Bestie offer. – Madeleine Crutchley
Shop 13, St Kevins Arcade, Karangahape Rd
Timmur is a Nepalese restaurant in Avondale. Photo / Kim Knight
Badam sadeko, $18 at Timmur
“Shall we get the peanuts?” I wrinkled my nose. Moral of this story? Go with your vegetarian companion’s gut. The salad of skinless peanuts, fresh tomato, red onion, cucumber and soft green herbs was super moreish and a must-try if you, like me, are new to Nepalese food. We were a table of seven who had to be fed, watered and at The Hollywood Avondale within the hour. Timmur (another name for Szechuan pepper) delivered on every front. The restaurant’s tongue-tingly namesake was most obvious in a potato and black-eyed pea curry; meat eaters should order the Nepali lamb curry for a richer gravy and slightly more subdued mouth experience. – Kim Knight
4/1784 Great North Rd, Avondale
Sautéed green river shrimps, baby spinach flavours, water chestnuts, mushrooms, $48, at Huami
New head chef He Jia’s updated menu at this SkyCity restaurant keeps faithful to classic Chinese fare while showcasing a mastery of modern technique, and this sensational seafood dish is no exception. The blended baby spinach creates a beautifully textured, glossy layer on the tender shrimp, mixed in with the earthy flavour of water chestnut and mushrooms. It’s simple, elegant and can be paired perfectly with sticky rice, green beans and many of the other impressive side dishes that Chef Jia has to offer. It’s also the perfect-size main, suitable for both sharing or a larger solo meal. – Mitchell Hageman
87 Federal St, central city
Hidden Village’s lamb longanisa skewer. Photo / Kim Knight
Lamb longanisa skewer, $4.70 apiece at Hidden Village
The little I know about longanisa suggests that, traditionally, this sausage would be made from ground pork. The lamb version at Ponsonby Central’s Hidden Village was a sticky-sweet-spicy skewer that set the tone for every exemplary thing that came next. Highlights included pulled pork in a spongy pancake and a suck-the-bones good Filipino oxtail yellow curry with warm cinnamon undertones. – KK
Ponsonby Central, 136/146 Ponsonby Rd
Vegetarian thali. Photo / Madeleine Crutchley
Vegetarian thali (with all the fixings), Hyderabad Hotel at Satya Chai Lounge
This recurring pop-up is a collaboration between Garage Project and Satya Chai Lounge and features South Indian street food (along with a chai-tinged beer). In terms of starters, you’ll find deep-fried dishes like onion bhaji, curry fries and fried chicken, alongside crispy bites of smashed dahi puri and papdi chaat. But the mains are what our group visited for, looking for a satisfying overdue dinner on a Friday night. Most of us opted for a thali, the options including vegetarian and chicken biryani. I selected the former and added all the vegetarian extras: kadai paneer, kachumber, raitha and fryums. The result is a texturally complex and moreish meal. The collaboration is set to continue until December 14, so pop in before then to get your fix. – MC
271 Karangahape Rd, central city
Mushroom skewers from Mt Eden’s Sora. Photo / Kim Knight
Mushroom skewers, $8.80, at Sora
The sashimi at Sora looks like a special occasion but won’t break the bank ($58.50 for a visually spectacular five-species selection that, every time I’ve ordered it, has included salmon, scallop and tuna), but my absolutely favourite dish at this Mt Eden village Japanese restaurant is far humbler. Two skewers of plump, yakitori-sauced and kewpie mayo’ed shiitake mushrooms will set you back $8.80 – the perfect snack to pair with a by-the-glass wine menu that is still (unlike its city counterparts) mostly under $15. – KK
Sagrado Cantina’s esquites. Photo / Kim Knight
Esquites, $8, at Sagrado Cantina
Any corn kernel on a November restaurant menu is still being sourced fresh from the can and/or freezer, right? When my dining companion put esquites on her must-have list at Sagrado Cantina, my inner food snob sneered. How wrong could I have been? The bright, sweet pops of corn were slaked in butter and lime, with a little background chorizo smokiness, and it all came together courtesy of splodges of goat cheese and mayo. Add an order of guac and corn chips and scoop with the latter for a transcendent corn-on-corn experience. – KK
St Kevin’s Arcade, Karangahape Rd, central city
Coco’s Cantina has a daily 4pm-6pm happy hour. Photo / Madeleine Crutchley
Burrata, $29, margherita pizza, $15, and a spritz, $9, from Coco’s Cantina
A visit to Coco’s Cantina during happy hour rewarded with a cheesy and pleasing dinner. Their offerings from 4 to 6pm include a margherita pizza, pasta and selected antipasto. Drinks start from $9 – if you’re after something spirited try a spritz (the housemade sour-sweet grapefruit and lemon ‘cello are both light and refreshing). The burrata, not part of the menu, was a bright addition to our order of a melty sourdough pie. It was plated with fresh fennel, mandarins and radicchio – though the change of season means you can expect new additions to this plate soon. The summer cocktails were also being concocted when I ducked my head in to ask for a streetside table. This sunny season, they will be serving a frozen mango daquiri, grapefruit and basil ice tea and a “summer pink” (think vodka, strawberry cordial, lavender syrup and lemon). – MC
374 Karangahape Rd, central city
Little treats
Sweet servings and to-go pastries were on this month’s menu.
Andiamo’s olive oil cake
Olive oil cake, $16, at Andiamo
My introduction to desserts dressed with a generous glug of olive oil was the olive oil cheesecake at Karangahape Rd’s Pici, and I’ve been sniffing out similar takes ever since. Imagine my delight when I spied the gluten-free Olive Oil Cake on the menu at the newly revamped Andiamo Bar & Dining Room in Herne Bay. A friend and I ordered one slab each, which was layered with slices of fresh mandarin, whipped ricotta and a scoop of mandarin sorbet. Perfectly moist (and moreish), each bite was melt-in-your-mouth good, and I’ve dreaming about this dish ever since. – Ashleigh Cometti
Sticky date pudding from Juno. Photo / Madeleine Crutchley
Sticky date pudding, $18, at Juno
I’ve heard plenty of rumblings about both the coffee and desserts at Juno: my penchant for sweet treats won out over the other (but I will be returning soon for a caffeine hit). From the menu, our table of two picked a sticky date pudding to share, which arrived promptly and encouraged an “ooh” upon service. Juno’s take on the very English dessert is a little oceanic – the spongy cake is sculpted to resemble a shell and generously salted. The dish, though it appears really rich and certainly delivers big buttery and caramel flavours, is so easy to eat: there’s a mild vanilla cream that balances everything out. We downed the dessert in about five minutes and almost licked the plate clean. – MC
20 Williamson Ave, Grey Lynn
Maison des Lys’ ham and cheese croissant. Photo / Madeleine Crutchley
This patisserie is among the most exciting plant-based spots in town, serving up flaky, buttery pastries made with French cooking techniques. Their sweet treats are particularly popular, filled with caramel and chocolate and glazed with a sugary syrup. On one Sunday morning, I picked up a savoury offering instead – a ham and cheese croissant topped with crunchy sesame seeds. The pastry pulls apart in fine layers and the small slashes atop the treat add extra crunch. Vegans and vegetarians will find lots to love here (grab a seat out on the street on a sunny morning). – MC
567 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn
Gifted
These are the treats that came across our desks, and on our travels, this month.
The chef’s tasting menu, Pio Pio restaurant at Milford Sound Lodge
It’s not often you think of innovative fine dining when you picture Milford Sound, but nestled into some of New Zealand’s most iconic natural wonders is just that. I was hosted at the breathtaking Milford Sound Lodge and was blown away by its experiential dining at Pio Pio. We took part in head chef Josh Cronin’s tasting menu, meaning we got to experience some of the restaurant’s most loved dishes, like Fiordland wild venison, alongside some not yet on the main menu, like rabbit terrine. We opted for the Central Otago wine pairings, and our incredible server guided us on a relaxing culinary journey set in paradise. – Jenni Mortimer
Milford Sound Lodge, State Highway 94, Milford Sound
Giapo has launched a new range of gluten-free baked goods. Photo / Michael Craig
Best known for its outlandish ice cream and gelato creations, like the colossal squid, selfie frame and Sky Tower cones, Auckland’s Giapo has branched out into baked goods. The range, available from the Gore St store from 10am each day, features brioche buns, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts with milk chocolate coating and cocoa nibs or lemon curd, chocolate brownies, cookies (chocolate chip, hokey pokey, hazelnut and alfajor), and “brookie” pies (a cookie crust and gooey brownie interior). The best news is that all are gluten-free, made with ingredients including almond meal, millet and wild flours. Giapo’s founders, Annarosa and Giapo Grazioli, and their children are all coeliac, so they’ve created this new range for themselves as much as their loyal customers. Favourites for the Viva team were the doughnuts and cinnamon rolls, but everything was very moreish, with no hint of the inferior flavours and textures that gluten-free baking can often bring. Expert taste-tester Kim Knight was a fan of the brookie, commenting: “The slightly crispy base and the insanely fudgy filling was the bittersweet best of every baking world”. – Stephanie Holmes
12 Gore St, central city. Giapo.com
Foccacia pizza, from $9, at Scratch Bakers
I am at Scratch Bakers perhaps too often. But its proximity to work (directly opposite our building) has nothing to do with it. It’s the kind of place I go when the hours are running a little too fast and I need something to ground me in warmth. Usually that means caffeine, cosiness and carbs. Sometimes separately. Always in that order. They’ve recently revamped their summer menu, which now includes an array of focaccia and sandos. I took a bite of the focaccia topped with mortadella, burrata, basil, pistachio, truffle oil and loads of ham. $10. Fully loaded. Made from scratch. Gourmet at a good price. Full belly. What more do you need? We also received a selection of their of their sandos and other facascios earlier in the month, which include several vegetarian options. Every bite was pleasant. – Varsha Anjali
5 Graham St, central city
More on food
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