Auckland Diner's Diary: December 2016

Market Stalls

• Hye Croquette 惠 - Asian croquettes from chef Fred Wong
• [Added 22 January 2017: Las Masitas - vegan tamales from a couple of chicas, which first debuted at the Mex Festival in October]

City Eats

• The Kimchi Project - Korean-inspired eatery on Lorne St with a private room, from the owners of O Bar, which used to be in the courtyard area out the back
• Fish and Ships - fish and chips pop-up in the Viaduct Harbour supporting independent fishermen and sustainable fishing methods, with fresh fish straight off the boats
• Lord of the Fries - a second Auckland branch of the Australian ethical fast food restaurant has opened in St Kevin's Arcade
• Yang Guo Fu 楊國福 麻辣燙 - chain restaurant serving malatang in the IMAX building (apparently opened on Boxing Day)
• The Tandoor - Indian takeaway on Elliott Street
• BBQ Duck Café has opened a new branch on High Street [Added 21 January 2017: called Café BBQ Duck]
• [Added 8 January 2017: Yummy Jianbing & Noodle 一薄一脆 老北京薄脆煎饼 - Chinese jianbing and noodles opposite Aotea Square]
• [Added 21 January 2017: Tama Bar & Eatery - Nepalese food on Upper Queen Street, where Wooden Board Kitchen used to be]
• [Added 21 January 2017: Black Box Sushi - donburi, noodles and sushi on Wakefield Street]
• [Added 1 March 2017: Spicy 麻辣101 - Chinese eatery where CooCup used to be, with dishes like congee and duck blood soup]

Food on the Fringe

• Azon - Filipino and fusion restaurant in Parnell, run by Masterchef finalist and former pig farmer Leo Fernandez and co-owned by software architect Lloyd Macrohon, has finally opened
• Paneton - the French bakery based near Victoria Park (which also supplies "ready-to-rise" and "ready-to-bake" products to retailers) now has a second home in Newmarket 

Out and About

• The Grounds - family fine dining restaurant headed by Ben Bayley (The Grove, Baduzzi, TV2's My Kitchen Rules)—the first restaurant that is all his—at Whoa Studios in Henderson, brainchild of millionaire David Sutherland
• Iti - Titirangi eatery named using the Maori word for "little"
• Tuck Shop - coffee, eats & treats in Matakana Village, where they recognise the importance of using locally-sourced, free-range and organic ingredients
• Delish Lounge - Fijian Indian and Chinese food in Flat Bush, certified halal
• [Added 8 July 2017: Tigerlily - Asian fusion restaurant from Rickshaw Eddy's at Mission Bay]
• [Added 22 October 2017: 25mL - cafe at Hobsonville with two unique coffee blends, and popular pork dumplings]

Coming

• Indochine Express - another little outpost selling Vietnamese food from Indochine Kitchen is opening at Auckland University (9 January)

Other Food News

• The Real Meal Company - meal delivery service with food which is sugar free and low in carbohydrates
• Sunfed Meats - chicken analogue with a stringy texture made from yellow peas will be hitting shelves in a few weeks
• If you are just starting a food business, you can get mentored by the likes of Mike van de Elzen if you are one of the winners of the Good Food Boost (entries close 25 January)
• Clooney has a new head chef, Jacob Kear
• [Added 30 January 2017: The Realness - directory of independent, local restaurants using ethically sourced animal proteins, launched by the sisters behind Coco's Cantina]

Closed

• Tony's on Lorne Street, which opened in 1968, has closed, but Tony's in Wellesley Street and Victoria Street are still serving steaks
• Little Bird Organics has closed their Kingsland Unbakery, but the Britomart and Ponsonby stores are still going

Events

• Belles x Culprit (8-9 January) - Nashville style fried chicken from Melbourne-based restaurant Belles Hot Chicken will be available at Culprit for 2 days
• Brazilian Day Festival 2017 (Saturday 28 January) - Brazilian culture, food, dance and music at Rocket Park
• Auckland Lantern Festival (9-12 February) - annual celebration of Chinese New Year in the Auckland Domain