The schnitzel sandwich at Depot, in Auckland central. Photo / Babiche Martens
The schnitzel sandwich at Depot, in Auckland central. Photo / Babiche Martens
A K Rd collab with Stella Artois, a whimsical Japanese festival celebrated in the city, and a quick last-minute one-pan dinner - here's a selection of our food editors' and writers' favourite bites this week.
Purple kumara crisps with roasted hazelnut hummus at Atelier, K Rd
Opened last December byKélian Monteil and Alexis Petit (oui, Français, and also the owners of Pt Chev's popular Ambler, and Wander at Wynyard Quarter), Karangahape Rd's Atelier is a large space for a restaurant on the infamous street. It feels airy and elegant and, yes, quite European.
Although usually closed on a Tuesday night, for the next month Atelier will be hosting a weekly evening called Bon Appetite, in conjunction with the Belgian pilsner Stella Artois. The menu is both lovely and long – 10 dishes in all, as well as two large (500ml) glasses of beer. It's a smorgasbord of delights - pork rillettes and cornichons, aged saucisson sec, and purple kumara crisps served with hazelnut hummus. Next, a stracciatella so creamy and gooey, I tipped the plate to scoop out any morsel left behind. Sous vide beef also features, and house-cured salmon and much more, all washed down with a glass or two of Stella Artois.
Cured salmon, pork rillettes and stracciatella with fennel and pear, at K Rd's Atelier. Photo / Maggie Wicks
To finish, île flottante, a cloud-light meringue floating in vanilla custard, with cognac and toasted almonds, so surprisingly light, it was easy to forget we'd just finished our 10th course.
Bon Appetit has just eight sittings between July 19 and August 9. Tickets are $80 for a 10-dish meal and two 500ml glasses of beer. Click here for tickets.
Bon Appetite with Stella Artois, at Atelier, K Rd. Photo / Supplied
Tanabata with Haku vodka at Masu
You know when you get home from dinner, and you just can't stop thinking about that one dish? For me, it was the wagyu with black diamond truffle, kimchi chimichurri and pumpkin puree at Masu this week. After Pacific oysters (perfectly shucked, huge mouthfuls that slipped elegantly from their shells, no bashful chin wiping required) and black beer sourdough (so sour, so soft, so smokey - plus the wagyu butter, which is fat + truffle), the beef was the star. Honestly, that steak below looks too rare for me. But it was perfect - melt-in-your-mouth good, with chimichurri bringing brightness and contrast without stealing away from that fatty goodness.
Unapologetically half-eaten wagyu at Masu. Photo / Maggie Wicks
The restaurant is celebrating the Japanese Star Festival of Tanabata this month and next, with a specially created drinks menu, and a competition to win a fabulous trip to Japan (just make your wish and hang it on the bamboo tree to enter).
To drink, mixologist Akira Ohki is behind the bar stirring up his creations - delightful, arresting cocktails full of surprise and flavour. A Haku vodka martini (the Hakutini) with a twist of fresh yuzu, the Orihime with fresh clarified strawberry juice which tastes like a posh Strawberry Dream from a box of Roses, the Blue Okawa Star with blue curacao to transport you on a tropical holiday, and the best of all - the NZ Tanabata harvest, with apple, pear, truffle, chocolate and bitters.
I make no claims to authenticity, but when the pantry and fridge are getting low and payday is far off, okonomiyaki is the most delicious and affordable dish to whip up. Okonomiyaki means "the things you like, fried", which is a solid clue as to its deliciousness. The internet is full of recipes, but the basic approach is eggs, flour and plenty of finely shaved cabbage. Mine also contain spring onion, frozen prawns, grated carrots and the end of a jar of sambal. Just keep a bottle of Kewpie mayo handy in the fridge and you're good to go. As seen in the pic, we absolutely ate it straight off the chopping board. Aussie/Malaysian chef Adam Liaw has a good online introduction to the dish here.
A quick and inauthentic okonomiyaki. Photo / Maggie Wicks
Chips in a sandwich at Al Brown's Depot
This week, Jesse Mulligan dined at Al Brown's Depot, and found it better than ever.
"If you thought sliders would be Al's legacy, you might have to try his Four Square sashimi. Made with trevally, arguably New Zealand's best fish to serve raw, the dish is designed to be made with ingredients that don't come from a fridge or a tree.
"The combo is simple but perfect: a syrup of soy sauce and sugar, some smashed wasabi peas and a few dots of Kewpie mayo. He's shared this recipe on his Instagram, so I don't think he'll mind me passing it on here - though his exact technique for getting the texture of that fish so perfect might be a trade secret. All I'll say is if you've ever caught and filleted your own trevally, try this dish and reconsider everything you thought you knew."
