Restaurant review: Lucky Buddha Eatery, Auckland CBD

The lamb ribs at the Lucky Buddha Eatery on Fort St, Auckland. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Address: 48 Fort St, Auckland City
Phone: (09) 309 3990
Rating out of 10:Food: 8, Service: 8, Value: 8, Ambience: 7

Over the past year, good old Fort St, home to seedy nightclubs and massage parlours, has taken several steps up. Just a couple of blocks from Britomart, it's now part of the Auckland Council's "shared roads" system and, if Lucky Buddha is anything to go by, is also rapidly turning into yet another foodie haven.

Over the road is the excellent Israeli restaurant, Ima, which is about to move down the street, upsize and meld with its terrific new deli. Taking up its old premises will be a serious version of Britomart's cupboard-sized Milse dessert restaurant. And, we hear, there's more to come.

But for now, Lucky Buddha, only seven months old, is a worthwhile reason to visit Fort St on its own. Its team of Korean-born chefs includes Michael, who worked at The Grove, Merediths and Vinnies, which adds up to the kind of creativity that make a place like this sing.

Although it bills itself as Asian fusion, there's a lean towards the stronger, more exciting Filipino and Malaysian flavours. Everything is served in unique handmade pottery bowls, the chopsticks are slim, sleek and a joy to hold, the service absolutely excellent and the prices reasonable, to put it mildly.

We started with drinks from the surprisingly sophisticated list. The house Chinese beer for me, recommended by our seasoned Asia-travelled companions, house sake, served in a pretty blue and white decanter, an excellent La Bastide syrah and a Lucky Buddha CR chardonnay to accompany our starters.

First to arrive were two sriracha steam buns which were liberally stuffed with roasted pork, scented with hoisin sauce, spiced peanuts and I'm sure there were some greens there somewhere too. We cut them into halves to share and demolished them in seconds. The bun texture was fluffy and perfect, the pork inside shredded, super-tender and tasty enough to set our evening off with a kick.

Next came the eggplant, which was swaddled in a sauce of sweet miso, sesame and parmesan. Again the flavour was knockout.

Last in that round was shumai, a dumpling rather than a bun, which tasted a little bland on first bite, then came into its own with its magic texture of diced crunchy water chestnuts, chunks of prawn and delicate dough, kicked along with the little jug of orange oil plus hoisin sauce.

We also tried the wakame-cured salmon from a selection of three raw dishes, which with its accompanying creamy avocado, wasabi and crispy nori turned out to be another taste explosion.

After that we had to regroup. Just one course in, we felt as though we'd eaten much more. Twice we sent away our charming Japanese waiter while we relaxed, glanced round at the row of caricature-style paintings and the bar made of timber pieces, and decided on three larger plates to share plus vege.

First came the braised beef shin with pine nut crumbs, caramelised miso and swede. It was delicious. The meat was meltingly tender and the sweet miso, pine nuts and swede brought it together in a sweet/sour taste. Next were the lamb ribs, this time with a sweet/sour effect. Shredded apple and carrot provided crunch.

The king salmon was totally different. Roasted and served on a bed of creamy laksa sauce, it came with vermicelli, mung beans and shallots. This was the Malaysian arm of Lucky Buddha's incredible repertoire and beautiful it was. Even the plainish, reassuring plate of steamed Asian leaves with garlic and oyster sauce and seasonal greens, in this case runner beans, had a sweet-yet-tangy sauce that kept us picking at them.

Then to dessert. The coconut snow made with coconut granita, caramel and tapioca was divine, even if the tapioca was hard in the middle, while the three rice pudding with its tricolour of rice colours and tropical fruit was pretty good too.

Altogether, a sensational meal. Lucky Buddha has a well-seasoned pedigree and it shows. Its two chefs are truly remarkable, its owners obviously experienced and duty manager Eddy Nadarajah, formerly of the Hip Group, adds expertise, colour and personality.

Our meal: $255 for three starters, one "raw" dish, three mains, two sides, two desserts, a carafe of sake, a beer and four glasses of wine.

Wine list: An excellent line-up from both home and abroad at reasonable prices. There's also a selection of beers from Japan and China (the Chinese was particularly good) as well as sake, served either hot or cold.

Verdict: In a city awash with Asian restaurants, Lucky Buddha stands way out on top, for flavour, originality and pure excitement, especially in its price range. Service is excellent with just enough information and no annoying interruptions. Don't miss it.