Skip to content

Tag Archives: First Date

BOLAVEN

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Photographs: David Straight We need more places like this. Bolaven is named after the Bolaven plateau, in the high country of Laos – owner Sip Mounlath’s parents came from Laos in the 1970s and so her new restaurant has that wonderful and rare combination: cute fitout, decent wine list, authentic food. It opened a few weeks back and, […]

Filed in Bistro, Local | Also tagged , | Comments (0)

SECOND HELPINGS: THE ENGINE ROOM

Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Photographs: David Straight The Engine Room has always been brilliant. Now it’s better. It opened eight years ago in a 1930s post office and when it did it caused a sea change in Auckland dining – you could have some of the best eating in town, but it didn’t need to be somewhere posh: you […]

Filed in Bistro, Local, North Shore | Also tagged , , , | Comments (2)

MR ZHOU’S DUMPLINGS

Friday, February 14, 2014

  Photographs: David Straight You’ll recognise the menu. Last year, the owners of New Flavour – that of the rustic dumplings and the terrible service – sold the legendary restaurant to new owners and frankly, it’s never been the same since. Then word came by email from a kind reader. Mr Zhou, the former owner of New […]

Filed in Cheap and Cheerful, Chinese, Out West | Also tagged , , , | Comments (13)

SECOND HELPINGS: COCO’S CANTINA

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Photographs: David Straight We’ve never asked who Coco is, and nor does it matter. When Coco’s Cantina opened four years ago, it somehow defined a moment in Auckland: these days, it’s everyone’s favourite bistro – and you get the impression owners Damaris and Renee Coulter prefer it that way. The music is loud, you will […]

Filed in Bistro, Uptown | Also tagged , , | Comments (4)

ORPHANS KITCHEN

Thursday, August 29, 2013

Photographs: David Straight Orphans Kitchen is the kind of place that opens and you like it so much it induces a mild anxiety: if this wasn’t here, where would I eat? It’s owned by two nice young fellows – Josh Helm and Tom Hishon – who bought the late, great Ella Cafe a few months […]

Filed in Bistro, Inner West, Local | Also tagged , , | Comments (4)