May 2, 2019 Restaurants
Azabu is a finalist in the Metro Peugeot Restaurant of the Year 2019 awards for Best Smart Restaurant and Best Drinks List. To see a full rundown of all our winners, click here.
We always have fun here, a testament first and foremost to the buzz of happy chatter, moody lighting and pumping music which carries diners happily into the night, or through to the Roji Bar for a late-night cocktail. The food is an undeniable drawcard: this is the only restaurant in Auckland shining a spotlight on Nikkei cuisine, a finessed fusion of Japanese-Peruvian flavour that arose from the Japanese community’s mass migration to Peru. Executive chef and co-owner Yukio Ozeki honed his skills at Ebisu, but it’s at Azabu he gets to play: expert cuts of sashimi are cured lightly in spikes of aji and soy, and skewers of wagyu are paired with chimichurri sauce. Eat early with the kids and they’ll be happy as anything with their own smart bento box.
What it offers: Shared-plate options / Set-menu options / Good for vegetarians / Good for kids (kids’ menu) / Bar
A favourite dish: Spiced lamb cutlets with smoky aubergine and coriander purée
Awards:
Finalist, Peugeot People’s Choice Award for Best Dish
Finalist, Best Drinks
Hours: Lunch Wed-Sun, Dinner 7 days
Bookings: Yes
Price: $$
Chef: Yukio Ozeki
Ponsonby
26 Ponsonby Rd
Ph 320-5292
