Pāua doughnut, one of the snack list stars from Duo Eatery in Birkenhead, Auckland. Photo / Alex Burton
Pāua doughnut, one of the snack list stars from Duo Eatery in Birkenhead, Auckland. Photo / Alex Burton
In their own words: “Food & Beverage”. No, seriously, that was the only descriptor I could find. In a world awash with hype and spin that’s quite refreshingly brave (or very stupid).
First impressions: The low-key vibe continues. I love a room that’s obviously new but also feels like itmight have always been this way. Duo does it with panelled walls, a neutral palette and lighting that gives customers their own space within a space. It’s a suburban dining room in a block of shops and it hasn’t tried to hide that history. I was completely charmed, even before I saw the specials board (tempura fried oysters with wasabi mayo, lamb rump with rose harissa, whole roasted flounder, etc).
On the floor and in the kitchen: Sarah and Jordan MacDonald (ex-Culprit, Lowbrow and even further back to Fed Deli, where the pair met) are the hospo couple who have crossed the Auckland Harbour Bridge to open this business in Birkenhead. They were both working the night we visited and it was a well-oiled machine, ably assisted by friendly staff who showed zero irritation when we asked one million questions about the menu.
The menu: See above. I desperately wanted the $79 duck frites (two duck sausage stuffed duck breasts, served with garlic and pecorino fries) but my dining companion was vegetarian. The complicating factor - and this is mostly a very good problem to have - is that the vegetarian menu is actually a vegan menu. Could we have the vegan fried eggplant with the romesco, apple glaze and the non-vegan buffalo curd but without the nduja? And so on. Duo is a contemporary, casual restaurant with an emphasis on food from right here and (mostly) right now. It’s local, seasonal and, while there are larger dishes designed for two, sharing is by no means compulsory.
Inside Duo Eatery on Auckland's North Shore. Photo / Alex Burton
Best bite #1: Aubergine is the chicken of the vegetable world. It flits easily between cuisines, soaks flavour like a sponge and is now so ubiquitous as to risk contempt. In the right hands, it’s also a showstopper. Duo’s has a literally cracking rice flour crust and is meltingly soft inside. We had it with the sweet-sour veganised sauce and I think about eating it again at least once a day.
Best bite #2: I’d have loved the dial on the accompanying oyster cream cranked another notch, but the raw fish was otherwise sublime. Trevally has an unparalleled texture. Combined with the luxuriously rich shellfish cream and honest-to-goodness caviar, this dish was transformative. For a few minutes, I definitely had more money, influence and lovers than I do in real life.
The jury’s still out: Remember that “mostly”? A very visually impressive vegan starter (confit tomatoes, olive gremolata and cashew cream on sourdough) didn’t quite deliver the lush full flavour you’d expect had it been actual summer and not the strange seasonal twilight that was the entirety of April.
Auckland's most luxurious raw fish? Duo Eatery adds oyster cream and caviar to a city standard. Photo / Babiche Martens
About that plant-based menu: A recent conversation got me wondering whether vegans have ruined restaurants for vegetarians? It used to be easy to order dishes that were free of meat, but loaded with eggs and/or dairy. Increasingly, it seems, the trend is for dishes that go the whole (non) hog. I ordered parsnip puree-coated oyster mushroom gnocchi with trepidation. In summary, parsnip is still my least favourite vegetable but I sincerely didn’t miss the cheese or cream.
Dessert: By now, the table next to us had received their duck frites and it looked like a spectacular way for two people to spend a Wednesday evening. Start with the duck pour deux and finish with the “best shared” pear tarte tatin - $35 and a 20-minute wait. Date nights are rarely this straightforward. (We had the buttermilk panna cotta. It was delicately creamy and fabulously loaded with rhubarb.)
Perfect for: North Shore sceptics (Duo is seriously worth the drive) and anyone who likes seriously good “food and beverage”.
How much: We spent $206 for two, including drinks.
Lager, hazy, ale and cider fans have their wishes met with brews from Lakeman, Sawmill, Hallertau, Good George and Garage Project; the cocktail list is tasty but tame, yet the wine list (or should I say lists) are bouncy and wild enough to get your sap rising in all the right places. Love that in addition to a superb local methode (Clos Marguerite Marlborough rosé) and the Laurent Perrier NV Champagne, Duo has the very cool 2021 Ciello Sicilian Frizzante sparkling wine on tap. On tap! The glass prices are a tad spendy, but happily, everything on their house list is available by the glass. Meaning you can try the skin contact 2021 Gut Oggau Theodora gruner veltliner/welschriesling blend from Austria without committing to a $145 bottle. Or you can enjoy any one of dozens of great wines from small, super-interesting, mostly organic, lo-fi, minimal-interventionist producers like Novum, Black Estate, Unico Zelo, Memento Mori, Odyssey, Daze & Daze and Kenzie by the glass too.
Duo also have a “personal cellar list”, which contains 30-something seriously interesting wines such as older Pyramid Valley wines, Jean Foillard gamays, PYCM Saint-Aubin chardonnays, William Downie and Ashleigh Barrowman pinot noirs and Jean-Michel Stephan syrahs on offer. For between $85 and $329 a bottle.
On a writer’s wage I’d love to experience those wines but I can’t really afford to stump up with $100, $200, $300+ a bottle for something I’ve never tasted before. Maybe investing in a Coravin (handheld wine preservation technology) and charging customers to experience a sip or six could help expand customer knowledge and familiarity of those cool and curious wine styles.
