A Meal in Brief: Brunch @ Kiss Kiss

We came here because we were just wondering where to get coffee in Balmoral the other day, and the newly-opened Kiss Kiss was the answer. Also, it took us several years to finally visit L'ouef, Celeste Thornley and the Maignot brothers' first venture, and we weren't going to make that mistake again with their latest eatery.

The menu featured Thai variations of signature L'oeuf dishes such as a kaffir lime scotch egg, and Burmese style pork belly curried baked beans, as well as additional Thai dishes like the pork mince larb with som tum salad. The daytime menu is quite different from their menu at night, which we will have to return for too.

The setting was similar in style to L'ouef, with long wooden benches, palms, and what looked like giant cocktail umbrellas, but with more than twice the space for seating.

Plenty of space at Kiss Kiss.

The service was standard, friendly and laidback. We were asked where we wanted to sit, given drinks and menus to start, and checked on at regular intervals.

Flat white at a table outside.

What we ate included:

• Bangkok filled roll with pickled vegetables and crushed peanuts ($12.50 + extra fried egg $2.50) - this was fresh and beautifully crispy at the edges, and the egg yolk was still oozy. The tanginess of the pickled carrot and daikon sticks (in the salad served on the side) nicely offset the butteriness of the bun with mayo.

Bangkok filled roll with fried egg.

• Fragrant crispy rice salad, served with herbs and homemade Northern Thai sausage ($18.90) - spicy and refreshing, the flavours were as vibrant as the colours of this dish. I thought the crispy rice might be puffed rice, but they were more like arancini that have been deep fried multiple times. Yes, please.

Crispy rice salad.

Overall, these guys clearly know what they are doing. We came in with high expectations, and were not disappointed. The dishes we tried not only looked pretty, but tasted delightful. Check this place out and bring some colour into your life too.

Counter food is also available.

Restaurant Details

Kiss Kiss
1 Rocklands Avenue, Balmoral, Auckland
(09) 600 3076

Opening hours:
Tuesdays to Sundays 7am - 3pm (daytime menu), 5pm till late​ (evening menu)

Kiss Kiss is on a side street where Drum City used to be.

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

Sydney Sojourne: Home Thai Restaurant

A number of years ago, we did a cooking class in Vietnam. One of the most eye-opening things, for me, was steaming our own rice sheets, made from a batter of soaked and blended white rice, which we then sliced up into rice noodles for phở.

At the Home Thai Restaurant in Sydney, this same method is used to make wrappers for dumplings and fresh rolls. You can watch the chefs at work through the big front window while you wait in the queue outside.

Making fresh rice flour wrappers.

Don't forget to leave your name and take a number, or you could be looking at the open kitchen for a long time!

Paper-based queuing system.

Although I was not terribly hungry, I made sure to order a noodle roll entree called keuw tiew lod, a vegetarian dish filled with bean sprouts, hard tofu, shiitake mushrooms and garlic chives. There was a picture of it on the menu with a blue wrapper, so I asked for the same. Although there was no mention of the blue option in the menu, I worked out afterwards that they would have added an extract of the butterfly pea flower. Despite the vibrant colouring, I don't think there was any flavour difference from the white version—it was just a beautful fresh rice noodle roll with some tasty accompaniments.

Keuw tiew lod.

One of the dishes that we use for benchmarking Thai food is the pad thai. This one did not disappoint, with great presentation and flavour. I've never been even remotely tempted to stir in the white sugar, but chopped peanuts do add a nice fragrance and crunch.

Pad thai.

Unfortunately (or fortunately for my waistline), they did not have their pumpkin custard special dessert available, so I made my way to the counter to pay, taking another good look at the kitchen activities long the way. (FYI: there's a 2 AUD surcharge for paying by credit card.)

Another view of the bustling open kitchen.

Home Thai doesn't really remind me of home - we have never gone to the effort of steaming our own rice wrappers. It is, however, a popular little restaurant for good reason, and I would love to return for more.

Queue outside Home.

Restaurant Details

Home Thai Restaurant
Shop 1 - 2, 299 Sussex Street, Sydney, Australia
+61 (0)2 9261 5058

Opening hours:
Mondays to Sundays 11am - 11pm