A Meal in Brief: Saan

We came here because we had read glowing reviews about this northern Thai (Lanna and Isaan) restaurant in Ponsonby.

The menu was printed on one page, with four sections which the waiter explained were like starters, small sharing plates, larger dishes, and sides. Everything looked different from what we have seen in other Thai restaurants—where were the spring rolls and numerous curry options? Or white jasmine rice for that matter? Is this what it means to eat northern Thai?

The setting was beautifully fitted out, as one would expect from a Cheshire Architects design, with ceramics made in Thailand by an artisan potter. The sun came in through the slats of venetian blinds, illuminating a bit of smoke, giving the room a hazy atmosphere.

Beautiful restaurant fitout.

At the back of the restaurant was an open kitchen area, where you could see the chefs preparing the meals.

Open kitchen area.

The service was flawless, with our water topped up discreetly and regularly. Staff were available when you wanted them, without being overly attentive. When our larger dishes arrived, we were given a little bowl of cucumber, cabbage and crushed ice as a palate cleanser—a nice touch!

Weeping Butterfly cocktail and caramelised pineapple shrub.

What we ate included:

• Theu Kha Kho (deep fried taro cakes and tofu, chilli dipping sauce and peanuts, $12) - while the taro cakes were surprisingly firm and dense (probably more rice flour than taro), the tofu triangles were fried to perfection, crisp on the outside and moist and soft inside.
• Pak Som (house pickled seasonal vegetables, $8) - a mix of stir-fried cabbage, dark greens and pickled vegies, this side dish had a tangy flavour and reminded us of something we've had at Chinese restaurants.
• Somtum Phu Plarah (pickled crab and spicy green papaya salad, tomatoes and snake beans, $14) - this version of a papaya salad came with hard and salty crab legs for sucking on, but was somehow less exciting than the other items we tasted.
• Miang Jin Nuea (semi cured beef on perilla leaves with peanuts, toasted coconut and tamarind chilli jam, $15) - it was good that we could see the fried shallots, fresh chilli slices, coconut flakes and chopped peanuts, because once you wrapped everything in a leaf, it became a more mellow blur of flavours.

Clockwise from left: Theu Kha Kho, Pak Som, Somtum Phu Plarah, and Miang Jin Nuea.

• Sai Ua (Lanna pork sausage with aromatic spices and kaffir lime with young green chilli paste, $15) - unlike any other sausage we'd tried before, the kaffir lime flavour came through clearly in this dish recommended by the waiter. The accompanying Vietnamese mint leaves, chopped shallots and green chilli paste added extra aroma and freshness. Well worth trying.

Sai Ua - Lanna pork sausage.

• Gaem Wua Sarm Ros (twice cooked beef cheeks with spicy pickled chilli and tamarind sauce, $26) - we enjoyed the beef cheeks in its sour and spicy sauce, but there was a lot more meat there and they could easily have cut back on it.

Gaem Wua Sarm Ros - beef cheeks.

• Larb Ped (wok seared spicy duck and mint salad with ground toasted rice and fried kaffir lime leaf, $25) - this was the best larb we have had, with a fatty duck mince complemented by the minty, spicy dressing, and garnished with crunchy fried duck skin.

Partially eaten Larb Ped - warm duck and mint salad.

• Tub Tim Grob (caramelised water chestnuts, palm fruit, jackfruit, and young coconut meat in jasmine and rose syrup, topped with smoked coconut milk, $12) - drizzled with coconut milk at the table, this delicate and floral dessert was thankfully relatively light and a great way to end our meal.

Tub Tim Grob dessert.

Overall, Saan is almost certainly the best Thai restaurant in Auckland today. The food is exquisite, particularly the larger dishes we sampled, playing confidently with flavour, texture and presentation, and making good use of fresh herbs (though we were tempted to pluck some more Vietnamese mint from a pot plant next to our table). We can't wait to come back again.

Restaurant Details

Saan
160 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby, Auckland
(09) 320 4237

Opening hours:
Mondays to Tuesdays 5pm till late
Wednesdays to Sundays 12pm till late

A Meal in Brief: Indochine Kitchen

We came here because the newly opened Beirut restaurant was packed at dinner time, and Lucky Buddha down the road was fully booked out, though we thought we spied some free tables.

Large painting on one wall.

The menu was not too long and not too short, with tempting Vietnamese tapas dishes, many cooked on a charcoal BBQ. There was also a $25 prix fixe menu with several choices for three courses (including a vegetarian/vegan one for each), but we chose to order a la carte.

The setting was dim, casual and aesthetically pleasing. On the night we went, there was a person dining alone, as well as a work group of around 30 people. Stay away from the toilets if you can though, as you have to go outside and down a long corridor a couple of doors down, to use the facilities shared with neighbouring restaurants.

Hanging lights and small picture frames on another wall.

The service was warm, particularly from the bartender, who always seemed to notice even if you didn't manage to catch the attention of one of the waitresses. We were also given complimentary spiced peanuts to munch on while we looked through the menu.

What we ate included:

• Uncle Ho cocktail ($12) - although not food, I thought I would mention this as we really enjoyed this drink made with white rum, coconut milk, lychee, pineapple, ginger infused syrup and kaffir lime

Uncle Ho cocktail (right).

• Tôm nướng ($7) - a pair of charcoal grilled Black Tiger king prawns, seasoned with lime, coriander and chilli, split open for easy access. Nicely cooked and a great start to the meal.

Black Tiger king prawns.

• Nem rán ($8) - these crispy fried springs rolls (with prawn, pork, vermicelli and vegetables) were still tongue-burningly hot when they arrived at the table. Thoughtfully sliced in half to reveal the contents, this also helped to scoop up the warm vinegary dipping sauce they were served with. Pretty good value considering the quality and quantity of these rolls (I think we already ate a piece or two before I took the photo below).

Beautiful spring rolls.

• Bún chả ($15 for three serves) - I looked around for a vessel of fish sauce to pour over the charcoal BBQ pork belly and pork mince on rice noodles, but it turns out the condiment was already sitting at the bottom of the bowls, of which there were strangely three. I guess it makes for easy sharing and a more artistic presentation. We would have liked more herbs (there was only a small piece of perilla and a couple of coriander leaves in each bowl), but overall a tasty rendition of one of our favourite Vietnamese dishes.

A single serve of bún chả.

• Rau Hấp ($10) - the steamed Asian greens with sesame and organic soya sauce included snowpeas, green beans, a leafy vegetable that I would guess was gai lan, and pea sprouts. Mostly blanched, I liked the generous portion size and variety of vegetables. We didn't notice until afterwards that there was fish sauce on the table—we would probably have added a bit of that to add another dimension to the flavour.

Asian greens - nice helping of vegetables.

• Xôi xoài ($12) - the coconut sticky rice and fresh mango pudding was the weakest part of our meal, even though it was the only dessert option on the a la carte menu. It was not very sweet, which is how I like my desserts, but it just seemed a bit bland, if you can say that about a pudding. I was also surprised the sticky rice was at room temperature, neither hot nor cold.

Coconut sticky rice and fresh mango pudding.

Overall, Indochine Kitchen is a small but stylish modern venue with some well executed little dishes, great whether you only want something light, or a more substantial meal.

Restaurant Details

Indochine Kitchen
42 Fort Street, Auckland Central
(09) 974 2895

Opening hours:
Mondays 11am - 3pm
Tuesdays to Fridays 11am - 3pm. 5pm - late
Saturdays to Sundays 5pm - late

A Meal in Brief: IKA Seafood Bar and Grill *CLOSED*

[Added 25 April: IKA has closed to transform into a "very special new restaurant"]

We came here because we had read good things about this seafood restaurant, including in Metro magazine's 50 Under $50. The previous restaurant O'Sarracino was a favourite of ours, and it took that kind of encouragement before we could bring ourselves to try the new place.

The menu had plenty of seafood, as you would expect, but also steak, ribs, and vegetarian on request. It offered a couple of dishes from some very different cuisines (Malay sambal stingray, for instance), which made us hesitate, the way we are generally filled with scepticism when we see a menu with a split personality (though we approve of the Vietnamese and fish and chips place in Wellington).

Seafood on display by the front counter.

The setting was trying to be casual, with handwritten blackboard signs, brown paper over the tablecloths and felt tip pens on some tables, but there were still ornate light fittings and other incongruous bits in this former funeral parlour.

Interior of the restaurant.

The service was warm and helpful. We knew Laila Harre was involved in the previous restaurant, because she helped bring in a living wage to O'Sarracino, but we didn't expect her to be taking our order at the table. She let us know that there was a persimmon mocktail not listed in the menu, and that a main dish would probably be enough to feed two because it comes with a selection of sides.

Fresh persimmon mocktail, and pot of felt tip pens behind the salt and pepper shakers.

What we ate included:

• Warm Italian flatbread with garlic, herb, olive oil and rocket ($10) - this was hot and crisp, fragrant with plenty of garlic.

Freshly baked Italian garlic flatbread.

• Scallops with mixed leaf salad and lemon herb dressing ($14) - fresh and flavourful, beautifully seared.

Scallops with lemon herb dressing.

• Charcoal grilled flounder with potatoes and greens ($30) - who knew such a plain and simple dish could be so tasty? The fish was cooked with skill, the potatoes crisp; the seasonal greens were unexpectedly made up of choi sum, Shanghai bokchoy, green beans and bean sprouts.

Grilled flounder, skilfully cooked.

Overall, we can highly recommend the simple yet flavourful cooking we sampled. Chef Brendon Peterson clearly knows what he's doing, and we look forward to trying some more from the menu.

Restaurant Details

IKA Seafood Bar and Grill
3 Mount Eden Road, Mount Eden, Auckland
(09) 309 3740

Review: Ortolana, or 26 words you never knew

Ortolana means "market gardener" in Italian, which is apt as this restaurant in Britomart always offers a good selection of vegetables from their own farm. It has an inclusive menu in that they cater effortlessly for vegetarians, but can also be daunting in that you might need to ask the staff to actually explain the words on the page.

Beautiful decor and high ceilings at Ortolana.

I thought I was a bit of a sophisticated foodie already. I've eaten cavalo nero and quinoa (though I have a complex about pricing native peoples out of their own grains). I knew the meaning of aioli years ago, before BurgerFuel started serving it with their chips. I've tried making my own paneer and labneh is on my to-do list. But every time I go to eat at Ortolana, I have to check on the meanings of a more than a couple of words.

Open kitchen area.

How many of the following terms do you know? If you eat out at high-end restaurants a lot, you may be acquainted with some of them already, but I'd be surprised if you understood them all. I mean, really, nduja? I had no idea that Italians even made that sound combination. And painisess, which was on the menu in April, was not a word that Google knew about at all!

1. bagna cauda
2. bistecca
3. burrata
4. chitarra pasta
5. choggia
6. cotoletta
7. crema fritta
8. crudo
9. fazzoletti
10. gnocchetti
11. gnudi
12. kieffer
13. lardo
14. lasagnotte
15. nduja
16. pangritata
17. piadina
18. pillus pasta
19. polpette
20. nooch
21. remoulade
22. rillette
23. salsiccia
24. spatchcock
25. stracciatella (in this case not a type of ice cream)
26. strangozzi pasta

How many of those did you get? I would have guessed that lasagnotte is similar to lasagne, but it is actually a narrower ribbon pasta that is ruffled on one edge. I've eaten burrata enough times now to be familiar with this creamy fresh cheese, but did I really equate it with mozzarella stuffed with stracciatella? I correctly supposed that crema fritta meant "fried cream", but what came out wasn't how I expected it at all!

We keep returning to Ortolana, not for the linguistic challenge, but because it has lots of things going for it: a central location close to the Britomart train station, a pleasant atmosphere with polished service, and above all, delicious food at reasonable prices. The portions are on the smaller side, so you have an excuse for some excellent dessert. Oh, and there's unlimited free sparkling water—bonus!

As if you might forget the meaning of the restaurant name, practically every dish is strewn with micro-greens. Not that I am complaining—I always like to have some vegies with my food.

Kingfish carpaccio and chicken cotoletta with plenty of greens.

The piadina is a constant fixture on the menu, and can be eaten for lunch or dinner with a variety of fillings. This thin Italian flatbread is a great option for a light meal.

Mushroom and mozzarella piadina.

As the menu changes depending on what is in season, not everything is guaranteed to be available. A few weeks ago, we were told that the chestnuts in a dish would be replaced by walnuts, and the jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut soup that I enjoyed last year is not offered at all right now.

Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut soup, back from April last year.

It's not all about vegies at Ortolana. Their cheeses are beautiful, whether you order a fresh cheese as a main or entree, or savour a washed rind one with honey as part of your dessert.

Mozzarella fior di latte, olio nuovo, apple, sorrel.

The pastas are skilfully cooked, and come in a variety of different shapes, as you can tell from the list of foreign words above.

Rigatoni, nduja, sorrel.

You can choose from a range of great meat dishes too, from fish to chicken to red meat. Most recently, they had the very gourmet-sounding "spatchcock" on the menu, served with quinoa, pear, rewarewa and walnuts, though no one at my table ordered it.

Rib eye bistecca, fried green tomatoes, oregano relish.

Pretty much everything we have ordered has been spot-on (though we didn't care for the kale crisps with nutritional yeast), but don't forget to save room for dessert as these are amazing too. A few months ago, they let people order anything from dessert-only restaurant Milse next door (yet another inspiring eatery from The Hip Group). That proved to be problematic, however, so you only get to pick from a cut-down list of choices again. You can, of course, add yourself to the queue at Milse if you want the full experience.

Panda Recommends

The menu changes regularly, so make sure you talk to the staff to find out what the specials are, and to get a better idea of how things are served.

Drinks: There is an unusually large selection of non-alcoholic drinks. Their hot spiced apple drink ($5) was particularly apt for a cold winter's day, and we have enjoyed their refreshing sodas and other drinks too.

Vegie Pandas
You generally have a couple of entrees ($18-$19) and pastas ($20-$23) to choose from, and if you are not very hungry, the piadinas ($15) are great too. The potatoes are cooked with lardo and therefore not vegetarian, but the cheese options will be quite filling.

Lunch menu - July 2014

Dinner menu - July 2014

Dessert and drinks menu - July 2014

Note

This restaurant does not take bookings. Turn up early and leave your name and number, until a table is free.

Restaurant Details

Ortolana
31 Tyler Street, Britomart, Auckland Central
(09) 368 9487

Opening hours:
Mondays to Sundays 7am - 11pm

Modern bistro in Britomart.

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Review: Sun World Chinese Restaurant (新世界海鲜酒家)

According to the Cuisine Magazine, Sun World was one of the first places in Auckland to offer yum cha. It is certainly still very popular, with queues going out the door during the busy weekend yum cha rush. As a Chinese seafood restaurant, it also has an excellent a la carte menu, and plenty of live seafood for you to look at while you wait, from lobsters to paua (abalone) to geoduck to clams.

Kids checking out the lobsters by the front door.

The restaurant's Chinese name 新世界 actually translates to "new world", but the word "new" in Cantonese is pronounced "sun", and presumably they didn't want to call themselves "New World" to avoid confusion with the supermarket chain. It has apparently been in Newmarket since 2000, and every time I go I wonder what used to be there before that, because the Roman gladiators on the side glass doors don't seem entirely in theme.

Roman gladiators on the side doors.

Yum Cha

The restaurant's website says that they have been offering yum cha since 2007 (fellow blogger Her Worldly Pleasures has documented some dishes from this time). Perhaps that is true for their Newmarket location, but friends remember having yum cha at Sun World when it was still in town, and yum cha has been available in Auckland for at least 25 years, if memories serve correctly.

At Sun World, as with most restaurants of this type in Auckland, yum cha is still offered in the traditional way, with someone pushing trolleys or carrying trays around, although you can, of course, also order a dish rather than waiting for it to appear.

Trolleys with a variety of dishes, from dumplings to spare ribs.

We found the options at Sun World to be varied and plentiful, so it was easy to select different dishes without waiting a long time for what you want. All the usual delicacies were available, including the various steamed dumplings, congee, ricesheet rolls, pork spare ribs, turnip/taro cake, and BBQ pork buns. For dessert, there was also plenty to choose from, such as egg tarts, jin deui (fried sesame balls), various buns and bak tong gou (steamed "white sugar cake").

Yum cha favourites including siu mai, pork spare ribs, chicken feet, and chicken tail buns.

The food was fresh and tasty, and even when we picked the special (more expensive) dishes like deep fried crab or vegetables in oyster sauce, the bill came to a surprisingly small number. Sun World definitely offers one of the best yum cha experiences in Auckland!

Steamed things, fried things, baked pastries - all are available and delicious.

The only reason we don't eat here as often as we would like is that the place is almost too popular. The crush of people and the long queues can be off-putting. Sometimes the waiters are so rushed that they forget to bring your tea, or you find that you have to wait for some time before you get all your crockery. But hey, it is all part of the fun, and did I mention that the food is good?

Dinner

Dinner at Sun World is less frantic than the lunchtime yum cha sessions, so you will have better service and a more relaxing atmosphere to go with the excellent cooking.

Free range chicken with garlic ginger paste.

As with all Chinese restaurants that are not cheapie eateries, you should go with a group and order a variety of dishes so that you can share a balanced meal. (It sounds ridiculous saying this, but one knowledgeable person should do the ordering. I have seen customers unfamiliar with the cuisine attempt to get each person to pick something they like, and it always ends in disaster, even if there are no duplicate dishes, e.g. no one orders vegetables. In case of doubt, ask the waiter for advice.)

Stuffed tofu.

The menu is large, but everything we tried was of a high standard, both well-presented as well as having great authentic flavours.

Steamed fish and roast meat.

Sun World is a popular institution in Auckland with good reason!

Restaurant Details

Sun World Chinese Restaurant (新世界海鲜酒家)
2A York Street, Newmarket, Auckland
(09) 520 3218

Opening hours:
Mondays to Fridays 11am - 2:30pm, 5:30 - 10pm
Saturdays to Sundays 10:30am - 2:30pm, 5:30 - 10pm

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Review: Baduzzi

Baduzzi is the Sicilian word for meatballs, but this Italian restaurant is not the loud and raucous family affair the name may conjure up. There is no grandmotherly figure filling your plate with huge and hearty portions of food. Rather, it is an elegant and sophisticated place with a relaxed atmosphere, where you can savour your meal rather than shovelling it down.

Front door to this classy yet inviting restaurant.

The service is excellent. When we turned up one night, and the only table free was outside, right by the wind tunnel of Fish Lane, the owner brought over a woollen blanket to keep us warm. When someone dropped a fork, a new one magically appeared. If you have four people at your table, and order meatballs which normally comes as a set of 3, the wait staff always check whether you want to add an extra portion.

Plenty of drinks to choose from too.

The menu is divided into a number of sections, with only one featuring meatballs. All are delicious, and I like the fact that nothing is so huge that you cannot eat anything else.

Piccolo (Small Dishes)

You could treat the small dishes as entrees, or you could get a bunch of them to eat as tapas. As with everything else at Baduzzi, they are flavourful, well-presented, and simply a pleasure to eat.

Half of a dish of flame grilled sardines.

Breaded courgette flowers, with additional portion.

Polpette (Meatballs)

The crayfish meatballs are apparently the restaurant's signature dish. We tried these only once, at the Taste of Auckland festival, where I was amused they painted on a swoosh of spring carrot puree, even though they were using paper bowls. This dish at the event was about $4 cheaper than dining in, but was not as amazing as we had expected for a price tag of nearly $5 per ball (after paying the entrance fee), especially when you are using plastic cutlery, perched at makeshift tables. Perhaps the surrounding atmosphere interfered with our taste buds.

Crayfish meatballs with braised chickpeas.

The wagyu meatballs we ate at the restaurant, however, were juicy and delicious, worthy of the restaurant's name.

Wild deer meatballs, portabello mushroom, cauliflower crema.

We had expected the meatballs to come with pasta or other form of carbohydrates, but what you see is what you get. These dishes therefore do not make a balanced lunch, but would be a great starter to share.

Primi (First Course) / Vegetarian

The first course section comprises mainly of pastas, and overlaps significantly with the vegetarian menu. There is absolutely no need to eat meatballs to enjoy a great meal at Baduzzi!

Eggplant parmigiana.

Risotto with asparagus, broad bean and mint.

I was surprised by the naming of the dishes. I don't speak Italian, but I thought "gnocchi" were little potato dumplings. What came out looked more like what I would call "tortellini". (I was also surprised that the sauce was a bit sweet, but I guess burnt butter is already heading towards the direction of caramel.)

Saffron gnocchi w goat curd, burnt butter, almonds and herbs.

Likewise, the wild rabbit ravioli were more like meatballs in disguise, with plenty of filling in a tall lump, with a token pasta wrapping.

Wild rabbit ravioli, turnip puree, barolo reduction.

Close-up of an opened rabbit ravioli.

Secondi (Second Course)

The items in the second course section focus on meat, and despite the price, are not necessarily much larger in size than the previous dishes.

Pulled milk fed goat with grilled lettuce, polenta and rosemary.

Pheasant "en brodo" with fregola, young celery & new season potato.

Desserts

I am thankful for the relatively small portion sizes, because the desserts at Baduzzi really stand out. They are presented in a fun and artistic manner, and taste as good as they look.

Tiramisu with Bailey's & amaretto ladyfingers, chocolate cream.

Cannoli w ricotta, citrus confit & chocolate chips.

Chocolate torta caprese with vanilla ice cream & amaretti.

There are many mediocre restaurants on North Wharf, but fortunately Baduzzi is not one of them!

Panda Recommends

This restaurant may be named after meatballs, but the other sections of the menu are just as enticing. Make sure you save room for dessert!

Menu.

Restaurant Details

Baduzzi
Corner of Jellicoe Street and Fish Lane, North Wharf, Auckland Central
(09) 309 9339

Opening hours:
Mondays to Sundays 11:30am till late

Baduzzi is one of a row of restaurants at the bottom of the ASB Building at North Wharf.

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