The special sushi night everyone in Auckland should know about, and the Burmese restaurant next to a cemetery offering one of the best cheap eats in town.
We’re used to thinking of destination restaurants as being perched somewhere on a cliff above San Sebastian – or perhaps on a Norwegian
Moe Palae’ Myanmar Restaurant is tucked away behind a service station next to The Gateau House and something called “Pizza Club Max”. It’s almost impossible to find, even using Google Maps – you know when it says “you have reached your destination” and you’re sitting in a dark driveway outside a set of flats? – and though I’d like to say it was a relief when I finally sat down in a warm dining room, the truth is that the temperature inside Auckland’s best and probably only Burmese restaurant is about the same as it is outside.
It was clear that this would not be somewhere appropriate to review – it had no music and no alcoholic drinks (no soft drinks either), and the service was somewhere between faint and non-existent. But what was I going to do? Go eat a piece of gateau at the graveyard? I ordered a bunch of things and decided to make the most of the evening.
I’m so glad I did. This menu is a real treat, and a great chance to try a style of food you’ve probably never come across. Think of it as a mix of Chinese, Indian and Thai, with a few indigenous flourishes. I started with a pan-scorched rice flour pancake that was heaped with chopped raw vegetables – carrots, cabbage, green chillies and sprouts. There were a few soft chickpeas (apparently ubiquitous in this part of the world) scattered about the dish, and though it wasn’t massive on flavour, it was a lovely fresh introduction to the menu. My next dish was a bowl of mashed, spiced potato – flavoured like dahl and almost impossible to stop eating, though I was trying to save room for the main. It was strongly garlicky and had something like a chili ghee poured over the top.
The menu is massive and there were 50 things I wanted to order, but for variety I chose what looked like Moe Palae’s signature rice noodles – served with shrimp, chicken, and a pretty moreish pan-fry sauce. It was served with a spicy-dressed salad on one side and a deliciously subtle bowl of chicken broth on the other, and for $20 it’s one of the loveliest cheap eats in town.
Instead of padding out the 45 minutes I spent here into 800 words, I’m going to use the extra space to talk about my favourite discovery of the year: a Japanese restaurant called Ikkyu in the university district up near Symonds St. Once again, the atmosphere is only a shade more sophisticated than lunch at a St Pierre’s, but the food is truly wonderful: a city oasis for anyone still thinking about their trip to Japan and wondering whether they can recapture that magical feeling.
Ikkyu does a full menu of ramen and fried delights, but I’ve now visited twice on “sushi night”, a special event the owner puts on from 5pm each Saturday. You know the chef takes fish seriously when he is only willing to serve it for one exacting session each week, and it’s a real joy to show up for such a limited edition offering. There is no fanciness or ceremony: you just sit down and his lovely staff bring you a photographic menu of the various nigiri (raw fish laid over a nugget of seasoned rice) on offer. You write down how many you want of each on a printed piece of paper and then watch him go to work, using the expertise of a lifetime to cut and mould small pieces of sushi for you to enjoy at your table.
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We went for (of course) the salmon but also tried the tuna (available standard or premium-fatty) and the scallop. Then we tried vinegared trevally, a deep-cut from his native Osaka, which really does make you feel like you’ve uncovered somewhere special. Filling up on premium sushi can be an expensive matter, so at some point we reluctantly moved on from the fish counter to the stock pot; Ikkyu’s ramen is soulful, lavishly garnished and available spiced with chilli if you like. The best part? A pat of cold butter, placed on top just before serving. As you stir the bowl it melts and covers the thin noodles in a layer of golden fat you can taste in every mouthful.
There is an extensive sake menu at Ikkyu, which makes it feel more like a complete night out. Still, neither of these restaurants is somewhere I’d send you for a special occasion. At both places, the food itself is the special occasion. Alongside the five-star bistros and fine dining kitchens, a great city needs restaurants like these: unique in their own way, and inexpensive enough that you could visit every week.
Moe Palae’
Cuisine: Burmese
Address: 4161 Great North Rd, Glen Eden, 09 650 1026
From the menu: Mont yae Parr (veg) $10, Aloo Htaung $10, Myait kat Kyay $20
Ikkyu
Cuisine: Japanese
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From the menu: Miso Red Hot Chilli Ramen $21.50, tofu salad $16, prawn tempura $12, nigiri sushi $4-$7.50 (per piece)
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