Jesse Mulligan Restaurant Recommendations: Where To Throw A Surprise Lunch In Auckland & Mt Eden’s Best Asian Eateries

In this fortnightly series, Viva’s resident dining-out editor shares advice on where and what to eat.

Do you have any restaurant-related questions or dining-out dilemmas? Jesse Mulligan is here to help.

Email Jesse at Viva@nzherald.co.nz and tell him what you need. Where and what do you like to eat? How much do you want to spend? If you’re visiting, where are you staying while you’re in town? Who are you eating with? Does anybody have access issues?

Here are some questions he’s been asked lately and his answers.

Hello Jesse,

In three weeks’ time, I have a special friend turning 70 and I would love you to recommend a great restaurant for a surprise lunch on the North Shore or Auckland.

We are both young 70s and avid foodies.

Look forward to hearing from you, and thank you.

Regards,

Hi Cath

Gosh, what a great brief. Congratulations to your friend! The only place on the Shore I’d feel safe sending you to is The Engine Room (always impeccable), though if you’re in the mood for food discovery, it might not be quite right – it’s more the best version of a classic you’ve ever had than a brand new food experience.

In the city, how about going to Sid Sahrawat’s space in the old French cafe? You could go with his new Asian menu at Anise or if the timing is right, see if the French Cafe menu is in operation. Either way, this is a beautiful lunch spot.

If you don’t mind the city (and city parking) head to Alma in Britomart. It’s really special Spanish-inspired food with great service and you will love sitting in the window of that restaurant. Enjoy!

Jesse, we’re visiting Auckland this month for a week, staying in an Airbnb in Mt Eden. We’re students, so not looking to push the boat out, but are there a couple of maybe Asian eateries you could recommend?

Callum

Hi Callum

Yes! Head to Pho Yen, the new pho shop (pho is all they do, plus some moreish breadsticks) at 617 Dominion Rd – look for the bright yellow building. Go for the oxtail version, but you may find they’ve sold out of it unless you get there early in the day. And don’t eat the red chilis that they serve in jars as a condiment, they are lethal! (A couple in your soup for flavour is good though).

If you want something a bit more social try Mr Zhou on Mt Eden Rd. You can share some dumplings around – they come in sets of 20.

Or, if you’re happy to go a little further, I’d love you to seek out Katsu Katsu on Khyber Pass which is just a little more expensive but brilliant. They also do dumplings here (just three at a time, drizzled in a beautiful chili oil) but you must order the katsu set – crumbed, fried pork or chicken fillet with rice and a range of delicious complements.

Have fun in Auckland!

Dear Jesse

This is a weird one but I wonder if you have any advice on picking wine? I find the supermarket very intimidating and always end up grabbing something that I’ve already tried before. We probably only buy a bottle a week, but I’d like to be a bit more adventurous. Any ideas?

Wendy

Wendy, I know exactly what you mean. The other thing about the supermarket is it’s very hard not to buy the one with the biggest discount – as you probably know these special offers don’t always reflect quality or “specialness” in the wine.

I would start going to a specialty wine store and talking to the staff. You could visit once every few months and get a selection (they will often offer a discount when you’re buying a few at once) and they will love helping you into something you’ve never heard of. A lot of our best wineries don’t do the volume (or deep discounting) to qualify for a supermarket listing which means that if you only buy wine with your grocery shopping you’re missing out on our best producers. I’ve found Glengarry a little hit and miss lately but historically they’ve been great. Otherwise, try Caro’s, Normanby, By the Bottle (where you can try a glass in situ) or anywhere else they seem to take wine seriously.

By the way, I used to work in food and wine in London and my old boss and fellow New Zealander Debbie started a business when she returned home to solve the exact problem you’re talking about. Look up “Winefriend”, who will run you through a series of questions about what you like then put together a pack for you, delivered to your door, which you can then feed back on in time for your next order. It works great even if you’re not buying very often – you can order either red, white or a mix of the two, delivered in the quantities you prefer as infrequently as once a quarter.

Thanks for the great question and let me know if you discover something you love!

Previously recommended by Jesse Mulligan

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