AstoldtoJessicaRiggfor
TheLocalTongue. Formore
chef’sguidesfromaroundthe
world, seethelocaltongue.comClockwisefrom
right:Sidart’s
delicatelyplated
duck;taxidermy
atCazador;the
brightandbold
diningroomat
Lillius.Opposite:
Auckland’s
harbour.
Korean mademodern
Hanoffersa contemporarytakeon
Koreanfood,andit’samazing.You
cangothereandeatmoderndishes,
likea Koreanpancakewithhoney-
butteredsquid,oryoucanhave
traditionalKoreanbarbecue,which
is greatfunwithkids.Han’skimchi
is sodelicate– it’sspicybutsubtle.Wildgame in a
refined setting
Cazadorhasa totallyunique
approachtofoodandthecutsit
uses.Myfavouritedishis thevenison
heart– it’ssimplygrilledandserved
almostrarewithgremolata.It’slike
butter in your mouth. Chef DariushLolaiy’scharcuteriegameis really
strongandhelovestohuntand
displaytaxidermyonthewallsin
therestaurant.It usedtobehis
dad’splace,soit’sbeenaroundfor
a longtime.They’vealsorecently
openeda deliwhereyoucanbuy
curedmeatsandwildgamepies.Polished cooking
minus the pretence
Lilliusis a new-ishrestaurantthat
doeseverythingrightwithoutany
pretence.It servesbeautifulfood
ina beautifulroom,createdby
a beautifulcouple.Thefoodis
polishedandis madewitha lotof
passionandtechnique.It’selevated
but the service is nice and relaxed.K-Road cool
Coco’sCantinais sucha special
restaurantrunbygreatpeople,who
arealsoourneighbours.I hadmy
firstdatewithmypartnertheremany
yearsago,andit’sstillreallyspecial,
evenafter 10 years.Inmyopinion,
it’sthecoolestjointintown.You
definitelygotherefortheambiance.
It’ssuper-relaxed,super-friendly,and
thetypeofplacewhereyoualways
runintosomeoneyouknow.A neighbourhood fave
TheEngineRoomis a localgemthat
continuestobeamazingandis worth
thetripoverthe[AucklandHarbour]
bridge.It’srunbya couplethatjust
keepgoing.I havea lotofrespect
for what they do and also howtheydoit. It’ssuper-classicFrench
cooking.Theblue-cheesesoufflé
is famous,andthevealschnitzel
is delicious.Thestaffalsohave
incrediblewineknowledge.Modern Indian
with a view
I havespecialmemoriesoffine-
diningrestaurantSidart.Eating
chefSidSahrawat’sfoodis an
excitingandmemorableexperience.
It’smodern-Indiancookingthat’s
alsohighlytechnicalandincredibly
creative.TheviewofAuckland’s
skylineis prettyincredible,too.Late-night tipples
Afterservice,weliketogotoGG
x Flamingo,whichis acrosstheroad
fromApero.Sammytheowneris
sucha wonderfulhostandthedrinks
areon-point.Pro-tip:Nextdooris
SatyaChaiLounge,whereyoucan
findsomeofthetastiestIndian
streetfoodaround.There’salso
Caretaker:a cosybarserving
bespokecocktailsinBritomart.The best supper spot
If we’regoingtogetsomethingto
eatafterservice,Chinesedumpling
restaurantNewFlavouronDominion
Roadis theone.It’sBYOandit’s
openuntil4am.I alwaysorderthe
beefandcorianderdumplings,and
driedtofuskinwithcucumberand
crisppork– myguiltypleasure.Our wine bar, our way
Ina kindofanironicway,mypartner
andI createdAperoforourselves.
If weweretogoout,we’dwantto
gotoa placelikeApero.Wewanted
tocreatesomethingcasualand
relaxed– thekindofplaceyou
canstopbyfora glassofwineand
a pieceofterrine,orstayandspend
thenight.I’mFrench,soI cook
Frenchfood,andmypartnertakes
careofthefloorandthewinelist.
It’snota brasserie;it’snotfinedining.
We’re just Apero food and wine.●A chef’s guide
GOURMET TRAVELLER 115