Sep 1, 2023 Metro Eats
Hello everyone,
Metro is bringing back Wellington-based Townhouse Ramen for a pop-up on the 16 September at Ozone Coffee Roasters , in partnership with our friends at Stella Artois. For those who remember, we organised a pop-up with Townhouse a couple years ago now, which sold out almost immediately, and was a big success mostly because of how delicious it was – that paitan broth is still, to this day, one of the best ramen soups I’ve had the pleasure of slurping up, almost desperately, from the bowl.
We’ll be releasing tickets mid next-week, with Metro Eats subscribers getting first access to a limited number of tickets via email before we release the rest. If you’d like to receive this email, make sure you’re signed up at metromag.co.nz (I’m assuming some of you are reading this on the website). There aren’t a whole lot of tickets; we’ll only be serving one type of ramen, with a vegetarian option available. It will be good!
In other news, Metro is a few weeks out from getting another issue out. In the food section, we’re doing a feature on late-night eating: places in Auckland you can grab a bite after around 10pm. Say, you’re working late and skipped dinner and you’ve emerged from your office at 10pm ravenous, where do you eat? Or, you’ve just grabbed drinks with friends and suddenly it’s 12am? Or, you’re winding down a night out around 2am and you don’t want it to end just yet – to elongate it a little more with some kai and idle chatter around the table? If you have a favourite spot that you do any of these things in (that isn’t fast food), I’d love to know about it – email me at jean@metromagazine.co.nz.
I feel like I always forget to say this, but thank you, again, for reading my little newsletter. I hope it’s helpful to you!
– Jean
P.S. Would you like 25% off an annual subscription of Metro? If so, use the code DADS23 at the checkout and four issues of Metro is yours (or someone else’s which you so thoughtfully gifted) for $44.85.
What’s happening
Top 50 cafe Fort Greene are turning 8 on Friday next week, and to celebrate they are bringing back their doughnuts will be doing free coffee from 8-9am for people that buy them. There’ll also be sandwich specials throughout the day — get some!
Goodnight are popping up at Orākei cafe Good Day , serving up aged beef cheeseburgers, hot wings, fries and a chocolate sundae for $49pp on 7-9 September. See the Instagram post for more details on how to book.
Bloc Collective is celebrating Father’s Day with 50 free Baby G Burgers available at BLOC from 11am onwards – burgers on sale for $15 after the 50 have sold out. Sunday September 3.
I really like this small Maker’s Market in Britomart, organised by Wonder Journal, where a collection of stalls selling ceramics, plants, crafts, plus baking and food, gather. Korean food, Japanese food, baking and more, Saturday 2 September 10am-2.30pm.
What’s good
Every weekend, a revolving line-up of food stalls seem to pop up outside of Taiping Albany – I happened to be in the area when Shelley’s Kitchen, a Malaysian street food place, were selling kuih, curry puffs and curry chicken on rice. I had a Malaysian spiral curry puff, which is definitely of a similar size and taste to what you’ll get back in Malaysia. (It also pops up at Jadan in Balmoral on occasion.) Another food truck, Jack’s Corner Cafe, serves Hong Kong street food like curry fish ball, bread rolls with butter and milk, and yong tau foo.
Metro x Plan B Lounge: We were invited to dine in at Plan B Lounge, a casual eatery in Parnell that will remind central city foodies of Satya Chai Lounge – small plates of saucy, fried things; curry; Peri Peri fries; dosas; and plenty of beer in the fridge. The vibe is distinctly not Parnell, but instead invokes somewhere more comfortable and pleasantly worn-in (the main event on the walls, for example, is a sign of beer cans spelling out Plan B). We reckon it’s best to come here for a round of drinks and things to snack on – we liked the Plan B chicken (always order the dish the restaurant is named for) and crispy prawn.
I went to Hankki, a new Korean restaurant in Rosedale, which serves food typical of what you’d expect at a Korean restaurant. They had a noodle soup with clams that looked interesting but I ordered my usual pork bone soup (a control) and thought the pork bones themselves were really well seasoned and, as always, I enjoyed the dish.
I had a lovely meal at Annabel’s recently, cooked by Carlo from The Strawberry Pig, who does pop ups every now and then. The menu details escape me (sorry, I’m awful when not on the clock) but I remember really liking the raw fish with scattered poppyseeds on top and fermented kiwi on the bottom (?) and the dessert, with Jerusalem artichoke chips (second time I’ve had this in a dessert recently!).
What’s new
Tappo opens tonight, a wine bar and shop to the left of Pici , brought to you by the same team. Think small plates and wine.
Also small plates and wine: Orphan’s Kitchen is open for nights again, with wine by Everyday Wine and “delicious snacks” (so small plates).
More natural wine! Pouring soon.
