3 Chinese Restaurant Signs that Survived their Closure in Auckland

I haven't been posting much lately, other than my lists of new openings. You know how it is - life gets busy, and it's much easier to just send out a quick tweet or two. Once you've procrastinated enough, all those blog ideas you had don't really seem so relevant anymore.

Anyway, to add some pictorial content back to my blog, here are some restaurant signs I've seen around the place. I find it pretty amusing how long some of them have lasted for, since these Chinese restaurants closed years ago!

1) Ding How 頂好飯店

Ding How is probably the restaurant I remember the most of the three in this list, since I actually went there with friends using an Entertainment Book voucher, rather than just having a vague childhood memory. I'm not too sure when that was, but I found a review from 2007 online, and it was still around for the St Patrick's Square opening celebrations in 2009.

The upstairs space is now home to the Heaven Scent Food Co. It's a great place for pies and salads, but from the red sign outside their windows on the side that's away from the square (overhanging Albert Street), you could easily mistake it for the Chinese restaurant which no longer exists!

No Ding How Chinese restaurant here, despite appearances (picture from September 2016).

2) New Orient 新東方酒家

New Orient in the Strand Arcade was Auckland's oldest Chinese restaurant*, and closed in 2010 after nearly 40 years in business. Originally "The Orient", it was sold in 1978 and renamed "New Orient."

* (Presumably it had been operating the longest of all the Chinese restaurants in Auckland at the time, since the first Chinese restaurant in Auckland was in the 1920s or even earlier.)

I don't remember much other than going down the stairs to the basement restaurant, but apparently they had a full Chinese buffet for lunch or dinner which was popular.

New Orient sign outside the Stand Arcade (picture from September 2016).

New Orient sign inside Strand Arcade (picture from December 2016).

3) Palace Restaurant 皇宫酒家

Unlike the previous two examples, the signage for Palace Restaurant is just fading paint on the side of a wall now. You have to stand across the road to see it, otherwise the awning over the footpath gets in the way, and until recently, it was covered up by advertisements. I don't have any recollection of this restaurant at all, though the business apparently existed from 1993 to 2000.

The company listing shows it was on level 10 of the red pagoda tower known as Choice Plaza, which used to be called the Orient Towers. The distinctive building was commisioned by Mangere's Chan family in 1988, and designed by Auckland architect Ron Sang.

Palace Restaurant painted on wall (picture from October 2016).

Bonus Signage: Sri Makhota 滿金香 (City Branch)

Sri Makhota is Malaysian restaurant whose original East Tamaki branch was purchased by the Chin family (founder of the Hansan Vietnamese chain) in 2008. While that restaurant and its sister in Epsom are still around, the city branch, which opened in 2010 on Upper Symonds Street, closed quietly last year, despite a renovation in 2014.

Closed sign (April 2016) and menu from Nice Dumplings (November 2016) at the same location.

You could be forgiven for thinking Sri Makhota still has a third restaurant though, since the city branch is still listed on their website. And if you go around the corner and peer down Stable Lane, you will still see the restaurant sign hanging out the back.

Sri Makhota sign in Stable Lane (picture from November 2016).

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What is it about Chinese restaurant signs that give some of then such an extended life span? Do you have some other examples I have missed?

A Bite in Brief: Satya Spice and Chai Shop

We came here because we were checking out the Sandringham Street Festival, and came across the intriguing little entranceway next to Satya Restaurant while hunting for chai.

Alleyway entrance to the chai lounge.

The menu was mainly taken up by drinks of various forms (including chai, craft beer and cocktails), but also had a selection of Indian, Indo-Chinese and non-Indian street food.

Part of the menu - there were also 30+ types of craft beer.

The setting was cozy and casual, with a natural look from the upcycled furniture made from coffee sacks, pallet boxes and tree trunks. Edison bulbs and plants on planks hung overhead. From other people's pictures, it appears quite magical at night with fairy lights too.

A hidden hideaway in Sandringham village.

The service was engaging and informative - the person who looked after us not only told us about the specials and provided details about the menu items, but shared interesting things like:

• his parents own the four Satya restaurants
• the chai lounge has been around for about 6 months (the spice shop somewhat longer, and the restaurant next door has been there for 16 years), but it had a quiet start as it didn't have all the signage out the front
• he decorated the place over the space of a month while his parents were on holiday, with help from his friends (one of whom works at a landscaping business and another at Allpress coffee)
• the reason there are Chinese-sounding items such as fried rice is because India and China are close to each other, and Chinese immigrants have influenced Indian cuisine
• idli and dosas are traditionally eaten for breakfast

We were also invited to take a look at the spice shop in the next room, a corner of which was being used to cook our food. Apart from spices and teas, you could also buy idli and dosa batter from the fridge!

Spice shop area.

What we had included:

• Spiced buttermilk ($2) - this was a savoury and refreshing drink, seasoned with coriander leaves and spices

Spiced buttermilk.

• Masala chai ($1 small, $2 larger) - we ended up ordering another one of these because we loved the blend of flavours in this milky tea

Masala chai.

• Vegetable manchurian ($12) - these freshly fried balls were delicious! The sweet soy flavour of the brown sauce went well with the spicy and gingery bites.

Vege manchurian.

Overall, we were stoked to have stumbled upon our first chai lounge in Auckland, where you can relax, snack on tasty food, and choose from a wide selection of drinks. Others have even apparently played a game of carrom there, but we don't need entertainment to entice us back for another visit!

Store Details

Satya Spice and Chai Shop
515a Sandringham Road, Sandringham
(09) 845 8451

A Meal in Brief: Burger Bar K'Rd

We came here because this burger bar opened at St Kevins Arcade around the same time as the glowingly reviewed Lebanese eatery Gemmayze St just steps away, yet I couldn't find anything about it online other than on their Facebook page.

The menu not only ran through their selection of burgers, sides, sauces and drinks, but gave some details that they really ought to slap on a website. Things like:

• "Our patties are handmade and we mince our beef, pork and lamb fresh on site"
• "Our chips are hand cut and condiments and sauces made in house"
• "All buns are wholemeal"
• "We stock a wide range of locally made boutique soft drinks and an even wider rage of craft beers"
• "We have a strong focus on minimising waste"

The setting had a vintage feel, which was perfectly suited to the iconic arcade. From the wonky lamp and retro furniture, to the classic board games and tea towels with burn marks, to the colourfully mismatching plates, this places manages to be both delightful and different.

Retro couches with TV dinner trays and National Geographic magazines.

Cutesy robot table numbers.

The service was given with a smile, from a lady wearing a soft burger hat. I had to ask how to open my bottle of CoAqua coconut water (just $4!)—I only realised afterwards that I captured the opener in the photo above—but I easily spotted the herb salts and sauces you can help yourselves to.

Board games, herb salts and sauces.

What we ate included:

• Lamb burger ($14) - stacked tall and skewered into place, you could clearly see each layer of filling: salsa verde, cumin and rosemary lamb, brie, kale and spinach, tomato, beetroot, and red onion, sitting between two halves of a wholemeal Wild Wheat bun. It was fresh and flavourful, and though you don't generally expect wholemeal bread in a burger, it really worked.

A tall and tasty lamb burger.

• Vege/vegan burger ($11) - we were given the option of having cheddar cheese or brie with this, but it seems they left it out in the end. No matter - it was already a filling meal as it was. The spiced pumpkin, chickpea and lentil patty was a little soft (so it squished out the sides if you squeezed too hard) and also a little underseasoned (but that was easily fixed with the aforementioned herb salts). The vibrant colours, including the bright pink of beetroot hummus and the pale green of the coriander yoghurt, helped bring out the different components of the burger.

A colourful vege burger.

• Homemade coleslaw ($4.50) - creamy without being heavy, a great addition to boost your veg intake!

Overall, the Burger Bar K'Rd has everything going for it: a great location, tasty and wholesome burgers and sides, a neat atmosphere, and an ethical philosophy. It deserves so much more press than it is currently getting, and we can't wait to come back and try some more (for instance, their duck breast, chicken liver pate and crisped parsnip special looks epic)!

The Burger Bar K'Rd is a perfect addition to St Kevins Arcade.

Restaurant Details

Burger Bar K'Rd

Shop 18, St Kevins Arcade, 183 Karangahape Road, Auckland

theburgerbarkroad@gmail.com

Opening hours:

Mondays to Tuesdays 11am - 3pm

Wednesdays to Thursdays 11am - 9pm

Fridays to Saturdays 11am - 10pm

Sundays 11am - 7pm

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

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

3 Places that Magically Appear at Night in Auckland

We keep hearing about the skyrocketing house prices in Auckland, with people turning to pint-sized apartments in order to live in a central location. But our population growth is putting pressure on commercial property too. We've all seen those tiny shops and semi-permanent carts around town, and it seems that the creative uses of retail space have been taken to new heights recently.

Kebabs and "sensational chicken" being sold from a window of a convenience store.

Not only are places opening where there has previously been little foot traffic (Little and Friday's Tuck Shop and the Scratch Bakers HQ are examples of this), but they are popping up where you would never have expected to find a store at all, like Elsie's spot under the stairs near Myers Park.

Elsie is tucked away under the stairs.

The latest phenomenon that has intrigued me is the concept of stores co-sharing a space. I don't mean businesses diversifying their offerings (like Barkers having an espresso bar in their menswear shop), or even communal areas being used by multiple operators (as in food courts). Rather, I have started seeing stores take turns using the same facilities in a kind of time-sharing system.

To some degree, this was already happening at popular eateries, where tables have been known to spill into neighbouring businesses at night, when the space would otherwise have been unused.

Having dinner inside a hair salon.

Here are three eateries I've come across, which you would not have known existed at all, unless you turned up at night.

1) O Bar (오빠)

O Bar has been around for years, but during the daytime, you just see a cafe from the street.

Caffe Madison by day.

The Korean bar used to be easier to find at night, because they would hide the cafe counter behind black partitions, forming a corridor leading to the covered courtyard area of the nocturnal drinking hole.

O Bar entrance appears at night.

Now, however, they have started operating the cafe at night too, so you kind of have to know that you can walk through it for fried chicken, kimchi pancakes and more.

O Bar can be found out the back at night.

2) One Shot (소주한잔)

You might see the One Shot symbol hanging over the footpath outside the takeaway part of Kushi on Durham Street West, but you can easily be forgiven for thinking that someone had just forgotten to update their signage.

Kushi Takeaway by day.

At night, however, the Kushi shopfront is covered by what looks like roller blinds, printed with the One Shot name and Korean cuisine menu, offering a number of different dishes, from sashimi to Korean pancakes to popcorn chicken.

Night time signage on display.

3) Bien Street Stall

According to their website, Bien has six different locations around Auckland. I can tell you that there is at least one additional one, though it is not permanent. Situated where the Buns Cafe is on High Street, there is no indication that it exists at all during daylight hours.

Photo from the Buns Facebook page.

Swing by at night, however, and you will find a little stand selling Japanese street food in the cafe courtyard: okonomiyaki, yakisoba and takoyaki.

Bien street stall at night.

Have you seen any other examples of eateries that only pop up at night, on a daily basis? What other hidden gems have you come across?