Five of the best: Pork buns in Auckland

Coco Li from Go Believe at Albert Street's Food Alley. Photo / Doug Sherring

This is a five of the best that’s been on my belly for a while. I’ve been taking notes of memorable buns as I eat my way around Auckland and have found five that I need to tell you about. My mouth is watering as I write the list. Tick all of these off. Today.

The Blue Breeze Inn

146 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby

We still remember our first barbecue pork experience at Blue Breeze Inn. Che Barrington's Pacific/Chinese menu changed everything we thought about the bun. You need to wrap your mouth around one of these - the pillowy, steamed dough is gentled folded around a thick slice of marinated pork belly, complete with crackling and a side of pickled cucumber ($10). This dish is so darn good it won People's Choice Award for the city's favourite dish at this year's Metro Awards.

Nanam

126 Symonds St, Royal Oak

It's hard to get a table at Nanam these days, a recently opened gem by the bustling round-a-bout at Royal Oak. The Filipino fare is cooked by couple (and chefs) Jess Granada and Andrew Soriano and the TacoPao or taco buns ($12) are the most popular dish (we can see why). Listed on the "assemble your own" menu, these soft, steamed Nanam buns are coloured bright pink from beet juice. They are served alongside sticky pulled pork, chopped peanuts, homemade pickles and pork crackling.

Janken

158 Jervois Rd, Herne Bay

This little Jervois Rd Japanese eatery has a cool, calm interior, sweet service and an organic, free-range menu that will leave you feeling oh so righteous. From the list of starters, get the pork belly buns ($10.50). The milk-buns are made in-house, smeared with hot wasabi, filled with a succulent slab of soy-glazed, caramelised pork and stuffed with lettuce and carrot.

Go Believe

Food Alley, Shop 3, 9 Albert St, Auckland

We indulge in one of these big, fluffy pork buns at least once a month. It might not be the most glamorous eatery (far from it), but Go Believe is conveniently located downtown as you enter Albert St's Food Alley, a favourite lunchtime haunt for inner-city suits. An entire warmer is filled with fresh, steamed buns, but the barbecue pork is the best. We like it best on a plate with a little side of soy sauce to pull apart and dip in to. They're just $3 a pop, or take a mate and get two for $5.

China Yum Char Restaurant

2 Beach Rd, Britomart

It would be rude not to include one yum cha restaurant on our list, and Britomart's China makes the cut for best barbecue pork buns. As you would expect from any good yum cha sitting, you'll find three chubby little steamed buns, served in a bamboo steamer, ready to break in half in your bowl and eat. These ones are fresh, fluffy and the insides are sweet and delicious. It's our pick of the dishes when dining during yum cha service.