Jul 26, 2024 Metro Eats
Kia ora,
If you cast your mind back to this time last year, stories about ram raids, smash and grabs, and youth crime were a daily fixture on the home pages of local news media — the victims often dairies, wine shops and hospitality businesses. Impressed into the nation’s psyche, it seemed, was the idea that crime was ‘out of control’ and that this swirling dysfunction demanded some kind of ‘crackdown’. In the lead-up to the election, politicians were pressured to respond with force, and this year the coalition government has introduced a series of ‘tough on crime’ policies: setting up military-style boot camps, promising more police officers, ending public funding for cultural reports and planning to reintroduce three-strikes laws.
It might seem out of place to be talking about crime in a food newsletter (this is meant to be a place for things that are yum and fun, right?) but I’m a subscriber to the idea that if you have a platform to say something, you should make the most of it. Bear with me.
Earlier this week, the final report of the Abuse in Care Inquiry was released. In short, the inquiry found that at least 200,000 people, many of them children, were abused and tortured in state and faith-based institutions from the 1950s to the 1990s. The report revealed systemic racism and discrimination, especially against Māori and Pasifika. Many of those who suffered in state care later became entangled in the criminal justice system, their trauma leading to mental health issues, substance abuse and criminal behavior.
So why bring this up in a food newsletter? I do so because I think that certain figureheads (not all though, I should stress) of the industries I write about — food retail and hospitality — have helped to propel a tough-on-crime rhetoric that perpetuates the trauma of people who were abused. When I look back at crime stories from the last year, there are copious stories of Auckland restaurant and dairy business owners discussing their growing frustration with crime rates and calling for heightened law enforcement and harsher penalties. A Restaurant Association survey last year found its members (hospitality business owners) prioritised the following measures to tackle crime: greater police presence at night, funding for security cameras, security patrols in the area, opportunity to be part of a steering group to discuss the problem, and greater punishment for repeat offenders (which, alarmingly, was the most common response of the lot). Understandably, those affected by crime want and deserve some kind of action. But these gut-response, heavy-handed approaches not only fail victims by not actually preventing future crime, they ignore the root causes of this dysfunction, which come from wider societal failings including the horrors inflicted by our care system.
For an embarrassingly long time, I avoided reading about the Abuse in Care Inquiry — too dark, too uncomfortable, too unpleasant. It was only when I had to cover it in my previous role at The Spinoff that I began facing up to the confronting stories told by survivors. And yes, reading about it was and is dark, uncomfortable and unpleasant, but it’s also necessary for us not to look away, to fight for redress and justice for those survivors, and to ensure we don’t repeat the same injustices in the future. (As a starting point, I recommend this piece.)
I’ve been thinking a lot about something Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick said in Parliament this week after the release of the final report. “The attitudes that we have about the humanity and the worthiness of people and of groups of people”, she said, gesturing to her fellow MPs, “inform and create policies that do and can cause real-world harm.” I can’t help but feel that the same applies to the rest of us too.
— Charlotte
Comings and goings.
I popped into the new taco spot, called That Taco Place, in the container that formerly housed Kai Eatery just across from the Central Library (thanks to a tip from Metro contributor Sam Brooks who has two pieces in our latest issue). My dinner order was a pair of tacos — one with pork and one with paneer, served with birria. Both were very tasty (though I’d probably skip the paneer next time… it was yum but maybe just a one-time kind of thing), and I was especially charmed by the experience of standing alone in the central city on a work night wolfing down extremely messy food — my kind of freedom.
It’s a big week for tacos in the city! Wellington Californian-Mexican eatery Rosie ’s Red-Hot Cantina has a new outpost at the Viaduct. They’ve got a range of tacos, including birria — which seems like an essential requirement on any local Mexican menu these days — taquitos, ceviches and margaritas, either on the rocks or in slushy form.
There’s been a lot of chatter about the state of Ponsonby Rd this week in response to the closure of SPQR. My opinion, and it may not be popular, is that as sad as it is, especially for those who are immediately affected, it is inevitable in a market economy that restaurants won’t stick around forever. On that note, Sammy’s, a new deli/diner which opened in Ponsonby Central last night, feels like the type of place people really want at the moment — casual, with tasty food and drinks for under $50 per person, in a low-key environment that still feels fun and fizzy.
One Tree Buffet has just opened on the outskirts of Alexandra Park Raceway. The per person price starts at $119, putting them at the pricier end of the buffet restaurant scale. This does seem justified from the pictures I’ve seen, though — they include a bountiful array of sushi, teppanyaki, chargrilled meat, dim sum and a lot more. I’m particularly curious about the raw seafood bar which, from the pictures, looks extraordinarily luxurious: pāua, freshly shucked oysters, mussels, scampi clams. Surely it wouldn’t be hard for someone (me) to eat more than $119 worth of expensive, fresh kaimoana in one sitting? Maybe they’ve got some restrictions in place, or maybe it’s a free for all? (In which case, how dreamy!)
There’s a new joint in the old Agnes Curran space on Franklin Rd called Nala. I hate to offer you such little detail, but we can’t find anything about it online and I’ve only managed to catch fleeting glimpses of the place while waiting at the lights when driving back from the supermarket. If anyone happens to check it out before I do, do let me know.
I like the look of Hanoi Haven, a new restaurant on Hurstmere Rd in Takapuna that describes itself as serving “contemporary Vietnamese cuisine, reimagined with a touch of French elegance”. No menu online as of yet, but the pictures on their website look good — like really, really good.
While popping into Pie Fee on Wednesday for my weekly pie, I was shown a video of one of their entries for this year’s Bakels Supreme Pie Awards (they’d been up since 4am getting the baking done) and it was possibly the most majestic-looking pie I’ve ever seen. I asked whether you had to be a Bakels customer to enter (I’ve long been suspicious that the competition was rigged toward bakeries who buy Bakels industrial mixes), but apparently that’s not the case. Anyway, the results should be out next week — all the best to this city’s pie makers!
Where we’re going.
Wine label Decibel is bringing their pop-up offshoot Danny’s to Tāmaki Makaurau this weekend. Inspired by winemaker Daniel Brennan’s Philadelphian roots, this Saturday (28 July) they’ll be transforming Ponsonby Social Club into a sandwich joint serving Philly cheesesteaks and roast pork hoagies, alongside glasses of the brand’s wine. From 1pm until sold out.
Head to the Auckland Showgrounds in Epsom today, tomorrow or Sunday for The Food Show. There will be cooking demos, wine masterclasses, food and product stalls and more. Buy tickets here.
It’s the final week of Eat It, Karangahape Rd’s (first ever) restaurant month, paying homage to the street’s red-light identity. This week’s line-up of celebratory dishes includes Bar Céleste ’s ‘Between Clients’ pesto pizza, Gemmayze Street’s glazed lamb shoulder, Madame George ’s ceviche with citrus and spicy leche de tigre, Carmen Jones’ Pink Pussycat cocktail and Atelier’s ‘K’rdon Bleu’.
Winetopia is on at the Viaduct Events Centre today and tomorrow (26–27 July). As well of a selection of tastings from more than 60 local wineries, there will be entertainment and pop-up restaurants from the likes of Beau , Bossi, Nanam and Copia . Tickets start at $50.
As someone who forgot to buy advance Film Festival tickets last year, meaning that by the time I got my act together the films I wanted to see had sold out, I strongly advise that you buy your tickets ASAP and avoid regret.
What we’re sipping.
A couple of weekends ago, I went to By The Bottle to taste the latest wines from Ashleigh Barrowman. It was a rare treat. While Ashleigh’s wines are on some of the best lists around town, I’ve never seen them offered by the glass (though she was a winemaker in residence at Roses a while back) or in store, so they always seemed like wines that existed on Instagram more than in the real world.
Ashleigh learnt her trade locally at Hans Herzog before travelling through Australia, Sicily, Burgundy and Jura. Now based in Marlborough, and using grapes from the Wrekin Vineyard, she makes wines that require a lot of work, a lot of risk, and a lot of time. In Jura, she learnt about ‘sous voile’, a method in which wine ages in barrels that aren’t topped up, allowing the yeast to form a film over the liquid’s surface that stops the wine from becoming completely oxidised. Over the three years Ashleigh left her ‘The Magician’ chardonnay in barrel, around 60 of the 225 litres evaporated, resulting in a deep, rich, golden complexity — a chardonnay like no other chardonnay I’ve ever tasted. A very special wine. — Henry
Kajiken Giveaway.
Kajiken!
Following up on our review of Kajiken last week, we have three $50 vouchers to give away to visit! — just go to this Instagram post and comment with the handle of the person you want to take. You must be following Metro and Kajiken to win. Good luck!
