Auckland Diner's Diary: October 2016

New in Town - Something Special

• Culprit. - first restaurant of ex-Depot and Federal Delicatessen chefs Kyle Street and Jordan Macdonald, with "New American" food offered yum cha-style on trolleys, available at three seating times at 6pm, 7pm and 8pm from next week, where The Black Hoof used to be on Wyndham Street
• Miann Britomart - second store of the dessert restaurant is in Britomart, with more of a chocolate focus than its nearby Fort Street sister, for which a Valrhona hot chocolate blend which is exclusive to the store has been created

New in Town - Burgers and Wraps

• Lord of the Fries - first overseas venture of the Australian vegetarian fast food joint has opened in a shipping container at No. 1 Queen Street
• Velvet Burger Federal Lane - fifth store of Velvet Burger has opened at Federal Lane, where Mi used to be, but going through to Victoria Street
• Acho's - this former market vendor has now found a permanent spot in St Kevin's Arcade, serving Japanese sharing dishes such as steamed buns and mapo eggplant
• The Raw Kitchen - after relauching the Ponsonby and Newmarket stores as WELL+GOOD, The Raw Kitchen has opened a new store at the City Works Depot, serving all manner of healthy offerings, including salads, wraps, raw sweets, smoothies, coffee and milkshakes
• Istanbul Shawarma - shawarmas and pizzas near the library, previously on Queen Street

New in Town - Food on the Go

• Indochine Express - takeaway Vietnamese lunches from Indochine Kitchen are now available from a little corner of Canterbury Arcade
• Jango Mumbai Street Food - Elliott Street container stall serving Indian snacks and chai
• Double Dutch Fries - market vendor of Dutch-style hand-cut crispy frites now has a permanent spot on Elliott Street

New in Town - Watering Holes

• Lovebucket - little bar at the back of the K'Rd Food Workshop, with cocktails on tap and enticing bar snacks
• REC - record store by day, with sandwiches and filter coffee, this Britomart venue transforms into a bar at night, with DJs and bands from Thursday to Saturday
• Caretaker - New York style cocktail bar downstairs from REC, paying attention to details like hand-carved ice and fresh-pressed juices
• [Added 1 March 2017: Halo - bar and restaurant near Myers Park]

Fringe Feeds

• Po' Brothers - pan-Asian Ponsonby Road restaurant from the team at Kingsland's @Bangkok, with such items on the menu as soft shell crab salad, pork belly skewers, crispy chicken skins and deep fried bao with matcha ice cream and red bean paste
• Lac Viet - Vietnamese restaurant opposite the Ponsonby Road Foodcourt, with dishes such as beef stew with noodles, pho and papaya salad
• Frasers - beloved 18-year-old Mount Eden cafe has revamped itself into more of a bar and eatery (minus outdoor chairs), with a new menu on the way
• [Added 9 November 2016: Tao Restaurant - Chinese fusion in Newmarket]
• [Added 30 November 2016: The Humble Villager - cafe with "old fashion" food in Epsom]

Suburban Charm

• Lord Kitchener - Sandringham local at Warings Corner, named after a British Army officer who supposedly cured himself of malaria with a cold pint and good sleep
• Woodworks Cafe - this Avondale cafe is back after being gutted by an electrical fire 18 months ago, but without a dinner service
• Sarap - Filipino restaurant in New Lynn, with dishes like bulalo and jackfruit/banana turon and ube ice cream
• Kibōきぼう - Japanese restaurant in Panmure, whose name means "hope"
• Yu Tea 御茶 - Taiwanese milk tea (with googly eyes!) and snacks in Henderson
• [Added 9 November 2016: White Cloud Spur - South African brand icon arrives in Albany]
• [Added 2 January 2017: Sudoku Traditional Hot Pot 九宫格老灶火锅 - Chinese 9-gridded hot pot restaurant in Epsom, where No. 1 BBQ used to be]
• [Added 21 January 2017: Apron Empowered - vegan treats at Westfield Albany]
• [Added 2 June 2017: Moloko - Meadowbank cafe with a Russian twist, serving such items as sirniki ricotta pancakes, Russian pies, and pelmeni]

Coming

• Shaka Bowl Poké Shop - little High Street eatery specialising in Hawaiian raw fish salads (opening 8 November)
• Olly - art, coffee and donuts at the historic old Crystal Palace in Mount Eden, from former mayoral candidate Chlöe Swarbrick
• Snickel Lane - you might snicker at the name, but the upcoming laneway between Commerce Street and Fort Street promises plenty of foodie openings, starting with a coffee bar from Altezano Brothers and a Spanish tapas eatery this November
• The Grounds - five-star family dining from Benjamin Bayly (The Grove, Baduzzi) at the Whoa! Studios park, which also includes a huge inflatable obstacle course and water slide, and a 'one of its kind' in Australasia crochet play net by Toshika Horiuchi MacAdam (opening in December)
• Hobson Indian Takeaway - Indian street food on Beach Road
• Sugarpuff Pastry - little corner store on Federal Street for French-inspired pastries and celebration cakes
• Still unnamed French Mediterranean restaurant from Chris Rupe of SPQR, in the old Ponsonby Post Office building

Other Food News

• Celebrity chef Robert Oliver is equity crowdfunding to open Kai Pasifika, a restaurant to celebrate Pacific Island cuisine
• My Food Bag has launched a new product called My Express Bag, which comes with pre-cut vegetables and pre-mixed spice blends and sauces, so you can put dinner on the table in under 30 minutes
• The guys behind Brothers Beer have opened Piha Beer, a brewery based at the Piha Bowling Club
• Social enterprise Eat My Lunch has expanded into Wellington
• Best Ugly Bagels has also opened in Wellington
• [Added 3 April 2017: Vege Bouquet delivers edible bouquets around Auckland]

Pop-ups & Markets

• Cloudy Bay Sail Away (19 October - 16 November) - month-long pop-up  at 46&York in Parnell offers a four-course tasting menu from chef Sam Mannering, with matching wines from Cloudy Bay in a transformed setting
• Lobster & Liquor (every Wed - Sat till December) - Ostro's City Terrace and the NZ Rosé Co are hosting a Britomart pop-up offering lobster rolls and frosé
• La Cigale Market is making Britomart a second home from 12 November, greatly expanding the existing City Farmers Market with the stallholders from La Cigale, as well as some completely new vendors. The Britomart market will also be open on Sundays.
• The Auckland Night Markets has started at Sylvia Park again, now on Sundays
• Green Bay Street Food is on every Friday from November, with a monthly vegetarian/vegan event called Double V
• The Mt Albert Market is trialling a Viva Las Veges vegetarian/vegan night every Saturday night from 12 November, following the success of their Friday night Street Food Station events
• Auckland Night Noodle Markets (30 November - 4 December) - started almost 20 years ago in Sydney, the Night Noodle Market will be offering hawker-style food at Victoria Park for 5 nights
• [Added 2 February 2017: Te Atatu Night Markets - monthly Friday night market in Te Atatu, with local produce and food trucks galore]

Other Events

• Te Matuku Oyster Festival (Saturday 5 November) - rescheduled from 15 October due to weather, this Waiheke Island festival at Rangihoua Estate’s olive grove offers fresh oysters, celebrity chefs, and entertainment
• Pith by Mini (Saturday 5 November) - New York dorm-room chef Jonah Reider pops up in Auckland in collaboration with KitchenAid, bringing his supper club Pith to a 40m2 apartment, for one day only
• Baking Classes (5 & 6 November) - The Bread & Butter Bakery and Cafe is offering an Introduction to Bread Baking and Introduction to Sourdough Baking in Grey Lynn
• Urban Street Fest (Thursday 10 November) - indoor street food market, this time in Grafton
• Federal Street Festival (11 - 12 November) - food and festivities from the Federal St restaurants
• Kai Auckland Hui (Sunday 13 November) - talk food politics and/or have a community meal in Three Kings
• Coconut Grove (Thursday 1 December) - celebrating Auckland's Pacific food, culture and history on K'Rd
• La Longue Table du Chef (Saturday 3 December) - Auckland's biggest French street dinner will see 120 people seated at one long table on Upper Vulcan Lane