Auckland Diner's Diary: September 2014

The changing face of Auckland eating opportunities... As usual, please let me know if I have missed something!

Suburban Cafes

• Meadow - cafe in Meadowbank from the duo behind Parnell's 46 & York
• Open Table - crowd-funded cafe in Ellerslie with a focus on community and sustainability
• The Collins - cafe and bar in Greenhithe with local and free-farmed produce, in an old bungalow
• Foundation on George - a new fit out underscores the brick beauty of this cafe close to Parnell's Jubilee Building, previously the Foundation Espresso Room
• Blend - coffee and bikes at Ponsonby concept store The Shelter
• [Added 25 August 2016: Armadillo - cafe in Rothesay Bay with a laid back vibe]

Craft Beer Fix

• Sweat Shop Brew Kitchen - what used to be Sale St has embraced its former life as a factory by calling itself the "hardest working bar". They've certainly put in the effort, with a boutique brewery and an in-house grill and smokehouse.
• 16tun - "a New Zealand free house" at North Wharf with an impressive range of beers, cherry picked from around the country. The food menu looks good too, from smaller items ("half tun") like paua fritters and merino lamb to larger items ("full tun") like ribs and burgers.

Breaking Bread

• Panscape - spacious bakery in Newmarket with European pastries as well as an interesting range of Turkish dishes alongside standard cafe options
• 4&20 - technically opened in August, this Remuera bakery (by founder of food store Zarbo) uses organic, free-range or locally sourced ingredients where possible

Viva Mexico

• La Taqueria - tiny container stall next to Atrium on Elliott, selling burritos and of course tacos
• Flying Burrito Brothers - this franchise that you might have known from Wellington has now opened its second branch in Newmarket

Coming Soon

• Greedy Guts - Wellesley Street food spot opening early October, from the founders of Cereal Killa
• Italia Square - cafe, restaurant and marketplace for Italian goodness in Parnell
• Miss Saigon - cafe and Vietnamese restaurant opening in Newmarket in November
• Apero - presumably a wine bar opening on K'Rd

Upcoming Events

• New Zealand Cheese Month - 1 to 31 October, organised by the NZ Specialist Cheesemakers Association. Tastings, a goat farm open day, cheesemaking demos and more (click on "Regional Cheese Month Activity" on the Cheese Month page).
• Taste of Auckland - 13 to 16 November, for the first time held at Western Springs rather than at Victoria Park

A Meal in Brief: Boy and Bird

We came here because our friends suggested it, and we had been meaning to check out Mike van der Elzen's latest venture (with co-owner Marie Colosimo) anyway.

The menu was chicken-oriented (all free range), but still catered to those who want to eat other meats or vegetarian dishes. Also, while the Food Truck Garage's focus on healthy eating meant that you could only have baked chips, Mike has brought back the deep-fried options here, clearly marked with a little red devil on the menu.

The setting was delightful. The bright colours and cartoonified food art reminded me of a theme park.

Seating area.

The service was as you would expect in a fun, casual environment.

What we ate included:

• chicken flavoured popcorn ($4) - the waitress made sure we understood that this was something completely different from popcorn chicken.

Chicken flavoured popcorn.

• son in law eggs with sticky pork, crunchy sprouts & seaweed ($16) - this unusual dish included a deep-fried whole egg which still had a viscous yolk.

Son in law eggs with sticky pork, crunchy sprouts & seaweed; chicken roll with pickled slaw.

• half bird, citrus brined, spice rubbed, rotisseried and chopped, served on chunkies with gravy ($19) - a fancier hot chicken dinner, with crunchy potato and plenty of sauce, so you can forgive the somewhat reheated feel.

Half chicken with served with chunkies and gravy.

• hot roll with chickpea cauliflower fritters, bombay mayo, crunchy sprouts, feta ($12) - you wonder why the bun is so buttery and delicious, until you re-read the menu and realise it's a steamed purple wholemeal brioche roll. The filling was also great, though you might want to remove most of the large feta cubes to prevent it from being too salty.

Vegetarian hot roll; hot carrots with seeds and truffle.

• hot carrots with seeds & truffle ($5.50) - this side dish tasted mostly like boiled carrots (albeit sprinkled with black and white sesame) to me, though our friends assured us that when they ordered it last time, it had a much more liberal dose of truffle oil.
• juices and sodas ($5) - these refreshing drinks felt healthier than you would get elsewhere, not very sugary. I am keen to come back to try their chocolate milk too, which is apparently made from almond milk, dates and cocoa.

Fresh carrot & coconut; cola.

Overall, Boy and Bird is a place that you can bring your entire family to, and it just makes you feel good. The decor is cheerful, the menu inviting, and you can rest assured that their chickens grew up free range at a Waikato poultry farm. Despite some touches of decadence, and a lack of variety in the vegetable department, the food is generally wholesome and satisfying. Unlike many other casual eateries, this chicken kitchen lets you book online for small groups too.

More good design: their business card folds out into the takeaway menu on the other side.

Restaurant Details

Boy and Bird
222 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby
(09) 361 3222