Mar 21, 2025 Metro Eats
Kia ora,
Every year, the sun and heat and optimism of summer inevitably recedes into cold and rain and gloom. And, every year, I am inevitably caught off guard by the abrupt changing of the seasons. I reflected upon this regretfully while scuttling down Queen St toward Waitematā Station (Britomart) on Monday afternoon, dodging murky-looking puddles and darting across uncovered patches of footpath, umbrella-less and sporting flimsy suede ballet flats. I’d even checked MetService before leaving the house that morning: “rain showers”, the forecast warned me. And yet despite that valuable information, I decided to head out for the day with the stupid shoes and the stupid lack of umbrella, as if these objects might be magical talismans capable of warding off downpours simply by their presence (or lack thereof).
I like to think of the world around me as interconnected and collective, a shared experience — but sometimes it is just you, and your soaked ballet flats, and your regrettable decisions, standing in a train station lobby. In an effort to lift my spirits, I decided to order a hot chocolate from one of the cafe kiosks in the station. There are few things that I like as much, yet consume so little of, as hot chocolates. As the barista frothed the milk, she asked if I’d like marshmallows. “Oh yeah, why not?” I said as if I hadn’t been imagining that final gooey, chocolatey, marshmallowy sip when I’d decided to order it. I wandered down to the platform with my warm paper cup in hand, took a seat on the just-arrived train and learnt, one sip in, that there is an ineffable joy to drinking hot chocolate on a train at 5.20pm in autumn. In fact, on a train at 5.20pm in autumn might just be the perfect time and place to drink hot chocolate (too bad most cafes aren’t open past 3pm though). About halfway through my drink I shared a bemused look with a fellow train passenger (who had a very cool tote bag) as a man stormed past yelling into his phone. Sometimes it is just you, and your soaked ballet flats, and your poor choices, standing at the train station. But sometimes there’s also an angry man on a phone, and a stranger with a cool tote bag, and the person driving the train, a friendly barista and a hot chocolate to keep you company.
I also want to let you know that the latest issue of Metro will be in shops, online and in letterboxes (if you’re a SUBSCRIBER) next week. The Autumn issue features the return of Cheap Eats, mall food courts, reviews of restaurants and instant curry pastes, a profile of the Instagram food critic Awful Food Reviews and a hunt for the perfect thick burger. Beyond the food section, there’s features on Golriz Ghahraman, on David Grr, lots and lots and lots on contemporary art and much more. Of course, I am biased, but I think this is an especially good issue. I also think it would pair well with a hot chocolate.
Hei konā mai,
Charlotte
P.S. You have one week to give your feedback on Auckland’s Annual Plan 2025/2026 (this is essentially the annual budget for the city which sets out what the council plans to achieve over the next financial year and how those plans will be funded — it’s important!). Consultation is open until 11.59pm on Friday 28 March HERE.
Comings and goings.
BAYYĀRA is a new online boutique supplying an array of Palestinian goods — most of which are actually made in Palestine. You’ll find kufiyya, tatreez, traditional ceramics and so on, but also a whole lot of food-related products. They’ve got cookbooks (including two of my all-time favourites: The Palestinian Table by Reem Kassis and Bethlehem by Fadi Kattan) and ingredients produced in Palestine: olives, watermelon seeds, dukkah, dried herbs and more. I’ve already bought a couple of bottles of the organic olive oil they stock which is made in Nablus. Palestinian products like these are immensely complex to get made, let alone import to Aotearoa as a result of Israel’s ongoing military occupation, blockades and assaults on the West Bank and Gaza (this week more than 400 Palestinians, including children, were killed in a series of the most violent air attacks by Israel since a ceasefire began on 19 January) — a state of affairs that is both heartbreaking and infuriating. That context makes these ingredients and objects all the more precious.
As the Bluff oyster season kicks off, seafood-centric restaurant DEPOT have announced that they will not be serving the delicacy this year. The decision, according to a post on the restaurant’s Instagram, was made in response to conversations with their suppliers and Ngāi Tahu, who had raised sustainability concerns with the restaurant about the state of the species. “For the last three seasons, Ngāi Tahu have noticed a decline in the quality, size, and quantity of Bluff Oysters being fished in the Foveaux [Strait], raising concerns around the sustainability of these oysters,” the Instagram post reads. “As a restaurant we recognise the responsibility we have to invest in the sustainability of our natural resources and [t]aonga here in Aotearoa”. This is the first time I’ve heard of a restaurant taking Bluff oysters off the menu for this reason and it’s a decision that I have a lot of respect for. It will be interesting to see whether other establishments follow suit.
Those missing HI TOASTIE’s presence in the central city since they shut their original Elliott St location (I am one of them) will be pleased to hear that they’ve found a new spot in unit 6 of the Strand Arcade — a place that seems to be making a comeback itself, with a rejuvenated mix of galleries and cafes and restaurants and boutiques opening within the last few months.
At long last! PUEN EATERY & BAR, which has had “opening soon” signage up since at least July last year at their site on the corner of Mt Eden Rd and Symonds St, has opened its doors. The menu here is Thai and Lao in provenance, they’re open for lunch and dinner, and it looks like they’ll be doing regular live music — fun. Nice to have something a bit different open up.
MASTER PIG PORK RICE, which opened its first outlet on Dominion Rd last year, has opened a second spot on Lorne St with the same menu, made up mostly of braised meats served on rice alongside pickles, greens and a boiled egg. If you’re on the hunt for the place, keep your eyes peeled for the pig with the tattoos and oversized sunglasses.
I’m uncertain why the new(ish) spot on Durham St West that does Korean food, mostly in hefty group-sized portions, is called I AM SOLO. Naming confusion aside, it looks like another good one to add to the central-city late-night dining options list, since they’re open till midnight or later seven days a week.
Is the soft-serve frozen yoghurt shop making a comeback? In Parnell, at least, yes. Frozen Yo has just opened on Parnell Rd with all the self-serve frozen yoghurt machines and customisable toppings you need to mentally transport yourself back to the heady days of the early 2010s.
THE SMASH is a new smash burger joint in Glen Eden (in the old Crafty Baker site). Go here for five kinds of smash burgers (including one vegetarian option), hand-cut fries and an expensive, but presumably yum, cookie.
You have one week to visit ROSES and sit in their purple dining room and eat the delicious plates of food and say your goodbyes before their last trading day, which is on 28 March. You’ll regret it if you don’t.
Where we’re going.
Peter Gordon is joining Aryeh’s Lucas Parkinson for a special collaboration dinner on 28 March. The one-night-only dinner at the Piha restaurant will involve a five-course menu designed by the two chefs — including an especially fun-sounding dessert of chocolate mousse, avocado sorbet, roasted Albany grapes and chilled honey taro crisps. Bookings are $144 per person and can be made via the WEBSITE, email (bookings@restaurantaryeh.com) or phone (027 411 7046).
From the archive.
