The upstairs entranceway to Ponsonby's Lucky 8, where the restaurant name is reflected in the price of the food. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
The upstairs entranceway to Ponsonby's Lucky 8, where the restaurant name is reflected in the price of the food. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
In their own words: “A tap bar and Asian tapas concept with a new social dining experience like no other.”
First impressions: At Lucky 8 all of the dishes and many of the drinks are a pleasantly economical $8.88 apiece. (They used to be $8 but inflation, etc). If themenu is cheap, the aesthetic is not. Head up the stairs to the vibrant dining room that ticks all the requisite Ponsonby boxes - exposed brick, warm wood, red leather, neon signage and more 20-somethings than a BA grad ceremony. Am I the oldest person in the room? (Yes). Is my mobile phone charged? (No). Help!
In the kitchen: Scan the menu’s QR code into your phone, place your order digitally and the sweet and spicy cucumber salad will be with you before you’ve decided which teriyaki barbecue skewer to get next - Lucky 8′s chefs are the Usain Bolts of small plate dining.
On the floor: A cheat sheet explaining that digital ordering system might have been useful for our geriatric table. Fortunately, the wait staff who sped across the floor with our plates were happy to take their time ensuring the over-50s didn’t accidentally dial up 88 mojitos.
The menu: Tapas meets yum char meets bar snacks. The 28-dish list runs from “too good to share” (think spicy lamb ribs or slow-cooked black pepper beef cheek) to dumplings, salads and skewers. A “share with care” section makes excellent use of the deep fryer - pork belly fries are the meaty chip opportunity all other restaurants are missing.
Best bite #1: Smashed cucumber is the new ceviche. It’s on every second Auckland menu and ideally suited to this city where every climate-changed summer is more monsoonish than the last. Lucky 8 takes the sweet-spicy flavour of the cucumber classic and delivers it with a (literally) sophisticated twist. The thing that sets this restaurant apart from other low-cost eateries is the care that is taken to garnish and plate - minimal cost, maximum eye candy and definitely the prettiest cucumber in town.
Hao's chilli chicken, cucumber salad and golden-crusted shrimp with mayo from the menu at Lucky 8, Ponsonby. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Best bite #2: Creamy mayo makes the world, and a crispy-coated shrimp, a better place. Order twice as many as you think you want. Speaking of delicious and diminutive, if you’re a fan of Mr Hao’s chilli chicken, the Lucky 8 version is just as moreish, but more manageably-sized than the dish made famous at namesake restaurants on Dominion and Oteha Valley Rds.
The jury’s still out: The speed of delivery suggests a fair amount of pre-cooking which is not a problem in itself, but I couldn’t help wonder just how far in advance a wedge of banana leaf-wrapped salmon might have been prepped. The flesh was tight and the taste was strong. I thought it was overcooked but then a perfectly rare centre was revealed and I was forced to consider that, perhaps, the whole thing was just not that fresh.
On the side: On a recent visit to a downtown tapas restaurant, I paid $22 for a single wood-fired, farmed baby pāua. Lucky 8 cuts its abalone with squid - quite a lot of squid and even more bean sprouts, to be honest - but $8.88 for one of these little cuties will make your budget table look extremely luxe.
Bar seating for walk-ins and bookable tables for groups of four or more at Ponsonby's Lucky 8. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Dessert: There’s only one official pudding (coconut puffs) but this is the moment to let those $8.88 cocktails shine. “Seoul sipping” (pineapple soju and yuzu sake) came with a big wedge of fruit and lime-spiked tapioca pearls; a “Viet dragon” with vodka, coffee liqueur and condensed milk was the ideal finish on a hot summer’s night. Connoisseurs might bemoan the lack of namechecked spirit brands on the cocktail list, but my pre-Christmas cash-strapped credit card wasn’t complaining.
Perfect for: Champenoise tastes on a Coca Cola budget. This is a fun food and drink experience that looks twice as expensive as it actually is. Lucky 8′s dishes run slightly sweet and the chilli levels are unlikely to set your mouth on fire - but your wallet won’t feel the burn either.
