Jul 18, 2024 Metro Eats
Kia ora,
If you were to scroll through my internet history, the one browsing habit you’d find is my ritual afternoon check of the latest “for rent” listings on Trade Me. Hopefully my landlord isn’t reading this (or perhaps I secretly hope they are), but while I like the place I rent, it’s also woefully cold and damp at the moment and has regular issues with leaks and burst pipes and broken locks and literally any other thing that you can imagine might go wrong with an old villa. Then there’s the outrageous cost of the rent, which makes me feel a little ill every time I pay it. It could be worse, but it’s also not great. That is to say, I’m trying to keep my options open.
Anyway, in my persistent search for a home, something I’ve found especially striking is how rare it is to see houses with decent spaces for cooking and/or eating. There are so many kitchens designed (I use the term ‘designed’ loosely here) without bench space or storage, or with unusable layouts ($500 a week for an apartment where your kitchen is about half a metre from your bed?). Things are even more dire when it comes to spaces for eating food — space for an old-fashioned dining-room table is practically non-existent (understandable), but even modern benches which you can eat at are elusive. Admittedly, I’m on the extreme end of the need-for-a-kitchen/dining-room spectrum — I hoard serveware and ingredients (you name a spice and I’ll have it) and I’m highly attached to the idea of sharing food with people around an actual table. Even so, I don’t think it’s a particularly extravagant thing to suggest that people should be able to cook a decent meal and have somewhere to sit and eat in their own home.
Earlier this month, as part of a raft of new housing policies (some of which seem good), housing minister Chris Bishop proposed the abolition of minimum floor area and balcony requirements. This would presumably mean even worse provisions for cooking and eating. To critics who pointed out that removing minimum dwelling sizes will likely result in poor-quality housing, Bishop responded that any apartment, whatever the size, will be bigger than a car or an emergency motel room. Of course, this is true, but it’s bleak to think that policy, especially around something as important to wellbeing as housing, should be ruled by the philosophy that anything is better than nothing.
Perhaps those who rent out these houses are operating on the assumption that those who rent don’t care about cooking or eating at a table? Certainly, that will be true for some renters — and more power to them. But speaking on behalf of the rest of the renters of this city: Please, give us some pantry space.
— Charlotte
Comings and goings.
Beloved night market birria taco purveyors Tokos Tacos have recently found a permanent home at 1954 Great North Rd, Avondale (just across from the big spider). Open Tuesday–Sunday, for lunch and dinner, they’re serving birria tacos and fish tacos at the moment, with more (including a koko Sāmoa flan!) to come.
Pint-sized cafe Omusubi Cafe Plat opened last week on Vulcan Lane. Their specialty is omusubi — a kind of Japanese stuffed rice ball, which they make in a variety of flavours — but they also do a range of snacks like burdock chips, croquettes and edamame, plus coffee. I popped in this week to try the grilled mackerel omusubi and a hojicha latte — which were both very good.
Sora, a new Japanese restaurant, has opened in the old Red Cross opshop space in Mt Eden Village. The menu is broad-ranging, with sashimi, tempura, gyoza and more. From the looks of it, they’re also big fans of dry-ice.
A new joint from Nic Watt (MASU, Shoku, and INCA) called CānTīng, described as a “smart casual, upmarket modern Chinese, Asian restaurant and bar”, will be opening soon in Commercial Bay. Central to the operation will be a duck oven for their signature BBQ duck, and I’ve seen mentions of other luxurious-sounding items like hand-crafted dim sum, king crab leg, fresh-cut sashimi, and king prawn and sesame toast.
The Lincoln Rd outpost of ramen chain Ajisen is officially open: seven days a week for both lunch and dinner.
While waiting for an appointment with my GP this week I noticed that Three Kings Malaysian restaurant Jalan Alor seems to have reopened, after months of being shuttered.
Origine chef Gilles Papst, who also set up L’Atelier du Fromage cafe at Maison Vauron and has worked at The French Café, Bracu, Kermadec and Cazador , is returning to Europe this August after nearly two decades in Aotearoa.
SPQR, one of the few restaurants in this city that the word ‘institution’ can accurately be attached to, closed last week after a heroic three-decade-long run. For a place that was such a scene, especially in its heyday, it feels especially sad that it closed quietly and unannounced, without a final and presumably debaucherous hurrah. I never actually dined there, because for my entire adult life it had the reputation (perhaps not entirely accurate) of being for certain types of people only (which is fine, not everywhere needs to be for everyone). Even so, walking past and surveying which sunglass-wearing celebrities — some glamorous, some less so — were parked out the front at those linen-clothed tables has been a constant for my whole life. End of an era, indeed.
Where we’re going.
The Grove will be celebrating its 20th birthday on Sunday 11 August by welcoming back three notable chefs who have come through the restaurant for a five-course dinner, with tickets open to the public. Michael Meredith, Sid Sahrawat and Ben Bayly will join current chef Cory Campbell for the birthday celebration, which starts at 6pm. Tickets are $285pp for snacks, five courses, petit fours and a glass of Champagne on arrival. Buy tickets here or email: info@thegroverestaurant.co.nz
Tickets for Whānau Mārama: New Zealand International Film Festival 2024 are on sale today. The Tāmaki Makaurau leg of the festival runs from 7 to 18 August. There is an intimidating number of films to choose from this year, 105 in total, but my three picks for films tenuously linked to food are The Story of Souleymane, Menus-Plaisirs — Les Troisgros and The Speedway Murders. You can book tickets here.
A reminder that Homeland is holding an on-site garage sale this Saturday and Sunday (20 and 21 July) from 10am to 3pm. There will be Temuka pottery, glassware, kitchen items, books, retail, aprons and more. I also spotted a bunch of gleaming stand mixers in an Instagram story displaying what was on offer — run don’t walk.
The Great NZ Toastie Takeover (New Zealand’s only national toasted sandwich competition, established in 2018 by McClure’s Pickles and Cook & Nelson) is on now until late August. There are 170 eateries across the country taking part with signature toastie creations, and you can find Tāmaki Makaurau-based toasties via this directory.
Kajiken x Metro.
Kajiken!
Soupless ramen in the central city.
3 O’Connell St, Central City
09 368 1133
In its simplest form, abura soba is a noodle dish similar to ramen, but without the broth. Instead, the flavor comes from a blend of oils and sauces beneath the noodles and toppings. When served, diners use chopsticks to swirl everything in the bowl together, then it’s ready to slurp.
Founded in Nagoya, Japan, fourteen years ago, abura soba restaurant Kajiken has expanded to over 100 locations worldwide, including China, Singapore, the US, Australia, and now central Auckland.
At the branch situated in O’Connell St, the menu features seven varieties of noodles, all deeply umami and all extraordinarily comforting. On a recent rainy day, we ordered the original noodles, which involved a pile of bouncy noodles, chashu pork, menma, nori, scallions and “special sauce” – this is the most popular bowl on the menu, and for good reason. We also tried the roast beef noodles, which came topped with thinly sliced beef and a mix of crispy onions, scallions, chaliapin sauce, yoghut sauce, and a raw egg which amalgamated to created a bowl of savoury, glossy, goodness.
Customization is encouraged at Kajiken. At the centre of each table are vessels filled with vinegar, chilli oil and sesame seeds, and additional toppings like chashu, egg, corn, and bamboo shoots can be ordered from the menu. There is also an assemblage of appetizers like takoyaki, gyoza and karaage. Oh, and they’re licensed, with a selection of sake, beer and chu hi to wash it all down with. For those who simply can’t go without broth, Kajiken offers a selection of tonkotsu-based ramen, which, while not the star of the show, seem to be made with the same care and precision as everything else.
Despite being a long way from where they originated, these bowls of noodles are still expected to replicate the same standards as one would find in Nagoya. Portions, ingredients, and equipment are all carefully chosen to exact specifications, and the noodles themselves are made locally to precise requirements and cooked in filtered water to ensure perfect springiness – its meticulousness you can taste.
