Poi at one of her lifelong favourite Auckland spots, The Civic (Photo: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
OK, first things first. What\u2019s the best thing on the menu at Hugo\u2019s Bistro?<\/p>\n
Hugo\u2019s is pretty well known for steak frites, including the best Friday night deal in town \u2013 steak frites and a glass of red for $50. If I\u2019m with my kid, there will always be steak frites on the table. She does a good job smashing a lot of it, but does have to share. Me and my partner Niccol\u00f2 will try anything new that Hugo\u2019s head chef Alex Llewellyn has on the menu\u2026 If I could only choose one dish to have for the rest of time it would be the market fish. But I\u2019m cheating because that one always changes. Zingy tamarind glazes have featured lately, and lime leaf curry sauces. So good.<\/p>\n
What about Odettes, any stand outs?<\/p>\n
Our head chef Jonah Huang is really good at delicious vegan dishes. He\u2019s also recently come up with an amazing buffet\/mezze menu for events. He also does these fermented chillis that I love, and I can\u2019t stop eating the short rib coconut curry.<\/p>\n
Dressed up to go to The Civic (Photos: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
You said you love going to a show at The Civic, why?<\/p>\n
My primary school would often go on trips to matinees at The Civic. We\u2019d see operas, ballets, all of that stuff. Now, I try to go to anything\u2026 the NZ International Film Festival, the ballet. The Civic feels like you should dress up, you know? I used to wear Mum\u2019s coats from her Wellington days. We\u2019d go with my sisters and my Mum and dress up and it\u2019s fun. I\u2019ve been to some great ballets there. But the most stand-out shows are the ones I missed, like Prince and Al Green.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re going to The Civic what\u2019s your itinerary for the evening?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s usually a quick snack first. Last time we went to Coco\u2019s Cantina for a speedy pizza, and then Tanuki\u2019s Cave after for a skewer, a sit down and a glass of cold Asahi\u2026 I like that you have to commit to going [to the Cave]. You can\u2019t walk down there and then leave again, unless they\u2019re full, because everyone can see you \u2013 in a non-scary way.<\/p>\n
The Cave (Photo: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
Who are some hospitality figures you appreciate?<\/p>\n
Hugo from Ground Wine Bar is particularly great; very lovely, super keen and interested. But he won\u2019t get carried away by the waffle. He\u2019ll serve you first. Always Mo at Apero. I think he\u2019s probably every hospo person\u2019s favourite hospo person\u2026 he always has secret things that he\u2019s ordered just for himself to try, and there\u2019s always something that\u2019s not written [on the menu] so you can feel a bit more special. He\u2019s cheeky without being gossipy and he\u2019s a consummate professional. My friend Emile, who co- owns part of Coco\u2019s Cantina, is the funniest Australian and his food is awesome; you should always eat his specials. Sophie, who is the restaurant manager at Onslow, used to be the restaurant manager at Hugo\u2019s. And another Sophie, who was the restaurant manager at Gilt, was my maternity cover here. [The Hugo\u2019s team] will quite often go for dessert at Gilt after we finish up\u2026 The vibe is exactly what you want after work; you recognise people, you\u2019re looked after. And they do a very yummy zabaglione with granita.<\/p>\n
What about hospo people, where do you go for \u2018afters\u2019?<\/p>\n
Everyone goes to Tanuki\u2019s Cave or Ken\u2019s Yakitori for afters. That\u2019s the vibe. Because they\u2019re open way later, you don\u2019t have to commit to a full meal. We\u2019ll pop down to Ken\u2019s and be in and out in like, 45 minutes, after one beer, skewers and snacks\u2026 It\u2019s good for a quick wind down, especially if we\u2019ve had an event. Kemuri Hi-Fi, the listening bar in Commercial Bay, [hospo people] go there. The Night Car. And I\u2019ve gone to Queens Rooftop. What I quite like about that is, again, you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re walking into. And I also really respect how they fully commit to having DJs that are really good\u2026 Depending what time you finish work, you can pop down to Gilt, or Ground or Caretaker too.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone goes to Tanuki\u2019s Cave or Ken\u2019s Yakitori for afters. That\u2019s the vibe.\u201d (Photos: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
How can diners ensure they\u2019re going to get a big-night-out experience?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Tell [the restaurant] you just want to take it real slow \u2013 hopefully they\u2019ll pick up on that, respect it and roll with it. Lots of booking systems also have questions like \u2018is this a celebration?\u2019 The more info you give there, the more you\u2019ll get back. If the staff know it\u2019s a birthday thing, they\u2019re not going to rush you. But if it\u2019s a five o\u2019clock booking, it\u2019s almost always a pre-show dinner.<\/p>\n
Where\u2019s the best place for people watching?<\/p>\n
Probably somewhere old school, like Soul Bar, on a Friday night.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s such an institution.<\/p>\n
Yes! And one of the things they do exceptionally well is look after people who are in a wheelchair, or anything like that. My partner\u2019s aunt, who was in a wheelchair, would go often and they would never miss a beat; they would have the ramp ready, door open, an appropriate table. Anytime I went with her I was impressed with the foresight!<\/p>\n
What other restaurants are good with accessibility?<\/p>\n
At Odettes we try to be. We will take a booking at any time, no matter how busy if someone says they need a wheelchair table. We also have a wheelchair entrance into the main building.<\/p>\n
How long have you worked here at Odettes?\u00a0<\/p>\n
10 years.<\/p>\n
It was here that I first met you. I was working at a fashion magazine and our office was next door, and you\u2019ve always been so well dressed. Where do you like to shop in the city centre?<\/p>\n
I love Commercial Bay for shopping; I think Juliette Hogan always has amazing stuff. I\u2019ve got coats of hers from 15 years ago still in perfect condition. I also wear a lot of twenty-seven names\u2026 I have way more of an idea of what works on my body in those shops \u2013 what cuts will work and what fabrics I like. Something I\u2019ve learned in the last couple of years is to try on absolutely everything in the shop at the start of the season. Everything. I\u2019ve had a couple of really surprising finds. Like things I never would have tried on, I did and loved them.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s actually great advice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I\u2019m also trying to send a message to my child, often in the change room, that we just give everything a go. And if it doesn\u2019t feel right on our bodies, it\u2019s just the clothes.<\/p>\n
Speaking of parenting, where would you go for a family friendly dinner?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve gone to Apero and Coco\u2019s Cantina. We do a lot of K\u2019 Road at night, because we can walk there from home. We also go to Uncle Man\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Yes, Uncle Man\u2019s! They\u2019ve opened another spot, on Lorne Street, now. What do you get there?<\/p>\n
I\u2019m really boring. I just get the roti canai. And then a noodle, but the noodle dish I get changes. I like to have one dish that I know is great, and then try something new\u2026 I do get takeaway from there; the roti canai travels really well. But I think with eating in versus takeaway, you get that little bit more experience, often for the same price\u2026 Sometimes ordering from those apps can be even more expensive than dining at the restaurant. But I can see the purpose, especially if you\u2019re post-partum or can\u2019t leave the house. Bowler is great. And Vie Coffee and Vietnamese Street Food.<\/p>\n
Skewers on the go at Tanuki\u2019s Cave (Photos: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
Now, where would you go for a really special occasion?<\/p>\n
I think Onslow gives a super special, luxe experience. And they also have super reasonable days where you can get a special set menu\u2026 Plus, it\u2019s so fun to get dressed up and be greeted by someone in a suit jacket. My sister always bangs on about the lamb there, but I like the small dishes.<\/p>\n
I feel like I\u2019m getting the true ma\u00eetre d\u2019 experience; you have so many amazing recommendations! Can I get one more? Where would you go for a staycation?\u00a0<\/p>\n
I like any hotel with a pool. I do quite enjoy Cordis, because you can be close to K\u2019 Road. They\u2019ve got a pool. And you don\u2019t even need to book a room; you can go to Chuan Spa, get a massage and use the pool, sauna and stuff on the rooftop.<\/p>\n
Wow, great hack.<\/p>\n
And you get four hours of free valet parking.<\/p>\n
That is such a good idea.<\/p>\n
I also like what they do at The Hotel Britomart. And I enjoy Britomart as a concept. Jeremy Hansen [director of communications and community] does amazing work\u2026 I love the art everywhere. I think that\u2019s such a cool spot.<\/p>\n
Any favourite spots down Britomart way?<\/p>\n
I love Alma, their anchovy toast is next level. I love looking in Fabric. I do go to Amano sometimes, for dessert. Caretaker\u2019s down there; I send people there all the time, especially if it\u2019s 11 o\u2019clock on a Friday night.<\/p>\n
A lot of people say that nothing happens in Auckland at night. What would you say to that?<\/p>\n
I think you just need to sign up for all the news. After I went to Splore, and then went to a couple of gigs, I realised \u2018oh I need to be out more, this is really fun\u2019. So I make sure I get [newsletters from] Under The Radar, Ticketmaster, Live Nation, whatever. And I do think it\u2019s important to spend a bit of money on the experiences, but there\u2019s also so much cool free shit on in Auckland.<\/p>\n
The Civic\u2019s iconic interior (Photo: Sophie Miya-Smith)<\/p>\n
What do you enjoy about the city after dark?<\/p>\n
It just feels like a small town, but in a good way. I used to walk home from the club as a young adult and I still have absolutely no fear of walking around now either. I like what they\u2019ve done in lower Queen Street. And I\u2019m excited for the City Rail Link to open.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What do you love about having spent your whole life in Auckland city?<\/p>\n
What I used to not love about it, I now love about it. I\u2019m one of five, so I was always someone\u2019s sister and people knew a lot about you. But now I really like it. I like recognising people and the shared history that happens when you work in hospo or live in Auckland for ages. I had a woman in on Friday during lunch, and I looked at her for a while, and then realised she used to come in every Thursday night, 15 years ago, after yoga class with a girlfriend, at Mondial [when I worked there].<\/p>\n
It makes you feel like you\u2019re part of a neighbourhood, just knowing all these people.<\/p>\n
Yeah. It\u2019s a nice feeling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nocturnalists are spirited members of Auckland\u2019s nighttime scene, and in this series they take us on a tour…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[51,193224,156,111,139,228463,188772,69,143,228464],"class_list":["post-448396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-auckland","tag-auckland-restaurants","tag-entertainment","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nocturnalist-s2-poi-eruera","tag-nocturnalists","tag-nz","tag-partners","tag-the-civic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448396"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448396\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}