Esther's Everyday We're Truffling lunch menu, available until the end of truffle season, features their popular Textures of Mushroom dish.
Esther's Everyday We're Truffling lunch menu, available until the end of truffle season, features their popular Textures of Mushroom dish.
It’s finally truffle season in New Zealand, which means these flavoursome fungi are gracing restaurant menus across the city.
Truffle season in Aotearoa typically lasts from June to August, meaning chefs have a limited time to include the freshest truffle flavours on their menus.
Anacquired taste, their rich earthy flavour adds depth to countless dishes, whether fine dining or comfort foods, such as toasties and mac and cheese. It even lends itself to combinations you’d never expect - truffle-flavoured cocktails and desserts, anyone?
As we head into winter, why not spend the cold evenings truffle hunting around Tāmaki Makaurau? Here are just a few places where you can find dishes that will satisfy all your truffle cravings.
K’ Road restaurant and bar Candela, featured on this year’s 100 Iconic Auckland Eats list for its Lamb Belly Pintxo with Mojo Verde, offers a Mushroom Croqueta on its tapas menu.
With flavours of black truffle and Manchego, it’s a favourite on the Spanish restaurant’s menu for a reason - one or two won’t be enough.
Apéro
Also on K’Rd, wine bar Apéro counts its truffle cheese toastie as a firm favourite on the menu.
Now, chef Leslie Hottiaux’s Truffle and Comté Cheese Toastie has returned as a seasonal special, making for the ultimate winter warmer with a twist.
While we’ve just marked Matariki with a public holiday on Friday, June 20, the celebrations last for around a month.
Food is a big part of those celebrations, whether it’s enjoyed at home or when dining out with friends and family. This month, Queens Rooftop & Wineshop has a Matariki Special Pasta on the menu, featuring saffron fettuccine and creamed pāua from the South Island, topped with shaved black truffle.
It’s available now until the end of June.
Queens Rooftop and Wineshop's Matariki Special Pasta. Photo / Jake Dennis
Andiamo
Herne Bay restaurant Andiamo is famed for its mac and cheese, flavoured with parmesan, fontina, bacon, chilli and truffle.
The truffle love hasn’t stopped there - now they’ve created a truffle-themed menu especially for the 2025 season, including stracciatella with sourdough, a mushroom-and-truffle risotto, three-cheese pizza, pasta and of course, fresh truffle itself, shaved directly on to your plate.
Andiamo's famed mac and cheese with truffle. Photo / Supplied
Esther
QT’s Esther is another Auckland restaurant offering a special truffle menu this season.
Chefs Sean Connolly and James Laird have created the Everyday We’re Truffling lunch menu using Canterbury and Riwaka truffles, made up of six dishes including textures of mushroom, duck, bucatini pasta, and even a decadent choux bun with truffle icecream and truffle honey for dessert.
It’s available from 12-3pm on Wednesday to Friday each week, from now until the end of truffle season.
Bar Albert
Ever heard of a truffle cocktail? Now you can try one at Bar Albert, on the rooftop above Voco Hotel in central Auckland.
The limited-edition drink combines Amaro Montenegro liqueur, truffle oil-washed vodka, lemon and saline - perfect if you prefer a savoury cocktail over a sweet one.
You can also add shaved truffle to any dish on the food menu for $12.
Osteria Uno
The elite combination of chocolate, coffee and liqueur means many of us simply can’t pass up a tiramisu when the dessert menu comes around.
Osteria Uno in Birkenhead has added the rich flavour of truffle to the mix. Finish up your truffle tour here with a serving of their decadent truffle tiramisu for dessert.
