This month, we begin with breakfast, before visiting a whole host of neighbourhood restaurants. There are also plenty of treats to pick from. <\/p>\n
Fishy business from Bestie. Photo \/ Madeleine Crutchley<\/p>\n
Fishy business, $29, from Bestie<\/p>\n
\n Bestie has become a go-to for morning and midday meals, when I\u2019m showing off T\u0101maki Makaurau to visitors. Situated in St
\n Kevin\u2019s 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 \u2013 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. \u2013 Madeleine Crutchley\n <\/p>\n
Shop 13, St Kevins Arcade, Karangahape Rd<\/p>\n
Timmur is a Nepalese restaurant in Avondale. Photo \/ Kim Knight<\/p>\n
Badam sadeko, $18 at Timmur<\/p>\n
\u201cShall we get the peanuts?\u201d I wrinkled my nose. Moral of this story? Go with your vegetarian companion\u2019s 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\u2019s 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<\/p>\n
4\/1784 Great North Rd, Avondale<\/p>\n
Saut\u00e9ed green river shrimps, baby spinach flavours, water chestnuts, mushrooms, $48, at Huami<\/p>\n
New head chef He Jia\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s also the perfect-size main, suitable for both sharing or a larger solo meal. \u2013 Mitchell Hageman <\/p>\n
87 Federal St, central city<\/p>\n
Hidden Village’s lamb longanisa skewer. Photo \/ Kim Knight<\/p>\n
Lamb longanisa skewer, $4.70 apiece at Hidden Village<\/p>\n
The little I know about longanisa suggests that, traditionally, this sausage would be made from ground pork. The lamb version at Ponsonby Central\u2019s 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<\/p>\n
Ponsonby Central, 136\/146 Ponsonby Rd<\/p>\n
Vegetarian thali. Photo \/ Madeleine Crutchley<\/p>\n
Vegetarian thali (with all the fixings), Hyderabad Hotel at Satya Chai Lounge<\/p>\n
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\u2019ll 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. \u2013 MC<\/p>\n
271 Karangahape Rd, central city<\/p>\n
Mushroom skewers from Mt Eden’s Sora. Photo \/ Kim Knight<\/p>\n
Mushroom skewers, $8.80, at Sora<\/p>\n
The sashimi at Sora looks like a special occasion but won\u2019t break the bank ($58.50 for a visually spectacular five-species selection that, every time I\u2019ve 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\u2019ed shiitake mushrooms will set you back $8.80 \u2013 the perfect snack to pair with a by-the-glass wine menu that is still (unlike its city counterparts) mostly under $15. \u2013 KK<\/p>\n
Sagrado Cantina’s esquites. Photo \/ Kim Knight<\/p>\n
Esquites, $8, at Sagrado Cantina<\/p>\n
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. \u2013 KK<\/p>\n
St Kevin\u2019s Arcade, Karangahape Rd, central city<\/p>\n
Coco’s Cantina has a daily 4pm-6pm happy hour. Photo \/ Madeleine Crutchley<\/p>\n
Burrata, $29, margherita pizza, $15, and a spritz, $9, from Coco\u2019s Cantina <\/p>\n
A visit to Coco\u2019s 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 \u2013 if you\u2019re after something spirited try a spritz (the housemade sour-sweet grapefruit and lemon \u2018cello 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 \u2013 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 \u201csummer pink\u201d (think vodka, strawberry cordial, lavender syrup and lemon). \u2013 MC <\/p>\n
374 Karangahape Rd, central city<\/p>\n
Little treats <\/p>\n
Sweet servings and to-go pastries were on this month\u2019s menu. <\/p>\n
Andiamo’s olive oil cake<\/p>\n
Olive oil cake, $16, at Andiamo <\/p>\n
My introduction to desserts dressed with a generous glug of olive oil was the olive oil cheesecake at Karangahape Rd\u2019s Pici, and I\u2019ve 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\u2019ve dreaming about this dish ever since. \u2013 Ashleigh Cometti<\/p>\n
Sticky date pudding from Juno. Photo \/ Madeleine Crutchley<\/p>\n
Sticky date pudding, $18, at Juno <\/p>\n