Oct 11, 2024 Metro Eats
Kia ora,
Without a doubt, the restaurant I return to most in the world is Mr. Hao on Dominion Rd. It’s not exactly a habit I’m proud of, but it’s not one I’m ashamed of either. It just is. My first experience with Mr. Hao was during Auckland’s final lockdown by way of huge boxes of takeaways that I ate at the dining room table of my flat where I was isolating alone – it’s my fondest memory of that grim period. Since then, it’s become a go-to for everything: big group gatherings with friends, where we order massive plates of food and beer towers, or family dinners with similarly oversized plates and glasses of beer rather than towers.
Mostly, though, I go with my boyfriend. It’s one of our steady, low-key rituals – something we book in after trying weeks or make a detour to when we’re feeling especially low energy. Mr. Hao is our ultimate comfort food. The routine is almost always the same: one of us gingerly suggests “Mr. Hao?” and the other immediately agrees and then we laugh about how we go there too much.
At the restaurant, our process is straightforward: scan the QR code menu, order two house lagers, cucumber salad, their mala seafood (the hottest spice level), one rice, and maybe a few skewers depending on how hungry we are. We eat it all shockingly quickly, make a comment about how the cucumber salad compared to the one we ate last time and then most likely, go home. Lately, on our visits, we’ve noticed the rise of their “all you can eat” dumpling deal – often being taken up by the tables flanking ours. But we’ve never been tempted – why go for dumplings when the most stupidly delicious spicy, garlicky, umami-charged plates of mussels, crab, prawns, rice cakes, and fish balls are on the menu?
But last week, something felt off when we arrived for our routine meal. I scanned the QR code, and my heart sank. Our usual dishes were gone. The menu had been overhauled, now almost entirely focused on dumplings and after confirmation from staff that our dishes had in fact been removed, we had no choice but to slip out of the restaurant awkwardly. Mr. Hao has switched to a dumpling-centric menu—no more seafood plates. It’s a sign of the times, I guess, but I hope they reconsider.
We ended up at a nearby barbecue spot, which was technically very nice but the skewers we ordered had managed to evade any of the char we loved at Mr Hao , and their version of a mala seafood pot lacked that punchy, idiosyncratic flavor, and also the crab. It’s funny how the discontinuation of a beloved dish or food item can feel like a minor heartbreak. Sure, in the grand scheme of things, it’s low on the trauma scale, but it still stings. We spent the evening feeling a little lost, a little mournful – and then a little embarrassed about how melodramatic we were being. We were, after all, probably eating at one restaurant far too often – this is our opportunity to branch out, break our boring routine and try some new giant plates of seafood (recommendations, please!).
Hei konā mai,
Charlotte
Comings and goings.
You’ll find Boishakhi, a new Bengali restaurant, in a shop inside a strip mall on Lincoln Rd. From my Google searches, this might be the only restaurant specialising in Bengali cuisine in Tāmaki Makaurau. First impressions are that the food looks really, really good and their website is very slick (and includes definitions of dishes when you hover your mouse over them). It’s top of my “to visit” list at the moment so I’ll report back once I’ve been.
Ultra-sleek coffee shop Bricks Roastery opened last month in Takapuna. Their focus is largely coffee done in a charmingly nerdy way, with some atypical options on the menu (like espresso over peach iced tea) but they’ve also got a small offering of pastries in the cabinet. The room looks especially cool: browns, maroons, deep purples, wooden accents and a lot of those shiny Special Studio stools (which seem to be heading in a similar direction as the Circus Stool in terms of cafe ubiquity).
After months of serving yum sandwiches and sfogliatella by day, Bodega Deli & Bistro is finally fulfilling the “Bistro” part of their name and extending their hours from the late afternoon to evening for an aperitivo service Thursday-Saturday. The menu will switch to wines, beer, and spritz to go alongside sharing plates – and astonishingly, none of them cost more than $20.
The much-awaited Warriors-owned sports bar Full Time opened in Kingsland last week in the spot previously tenanted by Holy Hop. From everything I’ve heard, expect something a little (a lot) more swish than your usual sports bar in both the fit out and menu, which includes slow cooked beef brisket wontons and a donut ice cream sandwich. There are also an impressive amount of screens (maybe 32 metres?) – which seems like a lot of screens even for a sports bar.
At the Metro office, we have had regular conversations bemoaning the limited number of decent lunchtime salad places in the city (we still love Revive, but there’s only one store left!). So, we were thrilled to hear about Bowler, the new grab-and-go salad bowl offshoot from Williams Eatery , now open at Les Mills Auckland City. Alongside salads, they’re serving breakfast bowls, virtuous-looking cookies, smoothies, coffee and hot drinks, including the curious-sounding, bone broth protein hot chocolate.
Another thing the city has been missing for some time is a café in the central library (the solid café at Christchurch City Library convinced me that every city library needs somewhere to linger with a coffee and a library book book and maybe a slice of cake too). The window-filled space adjoining the Auckland Central City Library, once home to Esquires, has sat mostly vacant aside from the occasional pop-up. Now, Honey Café, which also has locations in Takapuna and Ponsonby, has taken over the space. The blueberry pancakes sound especially good.
Takapuna Beach Cafe is launching a temporary fish and chip shop this week from their takeaway section. The pop up shop which will run until Sunday 6 April is serving line-caught fish, chips, fritters and donuts – and there’s also an oyster butty which sounds like a delight. The shop is open 7 days a week, 3pm-8pm and orders can be placed and picked up from the takeaway section of the cafe or made online.
Where we’re going.
On Thursday 17 October from 6pm, Candela will be hosting Dave Verhuel, the chef and owner of Melbourne restaurant EMBLA and maker of Saison Aperitifs for a one night only menu. Dishes will include Candela favourites alongside plates using Saison Aperitifs – like vermouth jello shots, sponge cake with clotted cream and vermouth drizzle and more. Book a table on Candela’s website. (Note, I got the date wrong in last week’s newsletter – apologies for the confusion!)
Lillius will be hosting a pop-up restaurant by Dinner Party Club (helmed by Lillius’ manager Ben Walls) from 31 October till 3 November. The dinner party-inspired pop-up will include a 5-course set menu blending European culinary influences with local nostalgia. Book here.
Nikau Street in Uptown (Eden Terrace) will be closed to cars this Saturday 12 October for the Uptown Festival. From 9am-3pm, the street will host an array of music, performances, stalls and food from local spots Mibo , Delissimo Deli, Ziggle and more. Entry is free!
Metro X Hi Sweety Malatang
You’ll find this charmingly named eatery nestled inside a complex of health food stores, hairdressers, grocers, dessert shops and restaurants in north Auckland suburb Rosedale. Inside, the first thing that’ll catch your eye is the cornucopia-like wall of ingredients: verdant piles of leafy bok choy and napa cabbage; an assortment of squiggly noodles; various species of mushrooms and seaweed; an assemblage of tofu; dumplings, wontons, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, shrimp, scallops, and so on.
To those familiar with this type of malatang shop, the method of dining here will require no further explanation. Those unaccustomed should be assured that it’s a simple process. First, collect one of the big empty bowls and a set of tongs. Then, mix and match from the selection of ingredients on display. When you’re ready, head up to the till where the price will be calculated based on the weight of whatever ingredients you picked. At the counter you’ll be asked to select how you’d like your bowl cooked from a selection of six flavours, along with your preferred spice level (if you like heat, we suggest starting with medium and moving your way up), before finding yourself a spot in the airy, light-filled room. On a recent lunch visit we tried their most popular flavours, the dry pot which was dancing with spices and chilli and the citrusy numb of sichuan peppercorns and the beef bone broth which was as tasty as it was warming. We’ve been daydreaming about those bowls ever since.
13/94 Rosedale Rd, Rosedale
Mon-Sun: 11am-8.30pm
027 396 5991
@hisweety_albany
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