Crepes at Le Garde-Manger. Photo / Chris Gorman
The New Zealand International Film Festival brings warmth into the coldest days and you can travel the world without leaving home. And why shouldn't the kids come too? A few years ago, our family decided to turn the NZIFF into a true winter treat, pairing a film with cuisine.
Here's our pick of family-friendly films with the best dining to match.
The movie: Enchanted Kingdom 3D, made by the creators of BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs 3D and Earth, journeys through seven realms of Africa.
The food: It's difficult to find African cuisine in central Auckland so the closest is the laid-back Mezze Bar (Durham Lane) serving North African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern-influenced food. If we had time to travel further to the suburbs, Cafe Abyssinia in Mt Roskill is a great Ethiopian restaurant. We love the national dish, enjera/injera, yeast-risen flatbread with a spongy texture and slightly tangy taste served with a variety of stews and condiments. If I lived closer, it would quite possibly become my favourite food.
The movie: Girlhood. A coming-of-age drama about troubled teen Marieme from the Paris projects - the French capital like you've never seen it before.
The food: There are plenty of French patisseries and eateries mushrooming around Auckland. For a pre-movie treat, a rich, buttery pastry from Le Rendez-Vous French cafe (Empire Tavern, Victoria St) is worth the walk up the hill. For a family dinner, you can't beat Le Garde-Manger in Upper Queen St. With its red-checked table cloths, French-themed paraphernalia and simple food, my 6-year-old rates it a billion out of 10. The main focus is savoury crepes (galette), with a range of fillings, but there's also a small and perfectly formed selection of traditional favourites such as coq au vin, beef bourguignon and tartiflette.
The movies: In Our Little Sister, Sachi, Yoshino and Chika, in their 20s, meet their teenage half-sister, Suzu, at their estranged father's funeral. Taking a liking to Suzu, they invite her to share the family home their father abandoned 15 years earlier.
When Marnie Was There is an animated film based on the award-winning 1967 children's book of the same name by British author Joan G. Robinson. Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author and Manga artist Hayao Miyazaki wrote the screenplay, setting the story in Japan.
The food: If you really want to push the boat out, go to Masu Japanese (Federal St) restaurant for its Sunday brunch - Nichiyo Brunch - a buffet of sashimi and maki rolls as well as a main course and shared dessert platter. There are bento boxes for the kids, a private playroom and staff who are among the most patient and professional I've ever encountered. Eating there was one of the best meals ever, and our party included one extremely finicky eater, two septuagenarians and a diner with Crohn's disease. It's a pricier option at $58 for adults and $26 for kids but worth the money.
Teppanyaki is fantastic for kids because most meals come with miso soup, salad, teppan vegetable, steamed rice and dessert and a choice of mains. The preparation is like watching a live show from the chefs as they cook on the hotplate wielding spatulas, knives and chopsticks with considerable aplomb. Try Daikoku on Victoria Street in the city, only a short wander up from Queen Street.
A short stroll from the Civic, down a flight of dimly lit stairs is Tanuki's Cave, where yakitori and kushiyaki (skewered sticks of food cooked on a special grill) are good, cheap and cheerful. It's open evenings and will make the young ones feel very grown-up.
The Movie: Song of the Sea. This Irish, Luxembourgish, French, Belgian and Danish co-production is steeped in Irish folklore, where a motherless boy and his speechless little sister find their place (and her voice) in a world of restless spirits.
The food: Finding one restaurant with this range of cuisine is likely to be near impossible, so the best option is to go with the film's title and eat "of the sea," North Wharf (Wynyard Quarter) has 10 eateries offering a mix of international cuisine. One street back, you'll find modern Thai, Italian at Baduzzi and, at the Auckland Fish Market, the seafood restaurants including the Market Kitchen and Oceanz Seafood at Seafood Central. Choose your favourite way with fish, they're all good.
The Movie: Landfill Harmonic .The Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, Paraguay is youngsters living next to one of South America's largest landfills. Their instruments are made entirely from garbage, they tour the world and offer hope to their impoverished community.
The Food: Auckland is home to plenty of Mexican restaurants, the Argentinean-inspired barbeque eatery El Sizzling Chorizo in Ponsonby Central and the Brazilian-themed Wildfire at the Viaduct Harbour but no Paraguayan. The closest is possibly Besos Latinos, a Latin American restaurant serving dishes inspired by the cuisines of various South and Central American countries in a colourful corner of the Elliot Street Stables.
You can stick with tried and true Mexican favourites or try something a little different.
The movies: Toons for Tots are short animated films for 4-8-year-olds, with stories about sparky little owls, street-sweeping elephants and dumb dinosaurs offering laughs for the youngest movie-goers and the grown-ups accompanying them.
Animation for Kids: Imaginative and creative stories aimed at 9-12-year-olds, from countries as varied as Russia and Korea, Slovakia and Singapore as well as two from New Zealand.
The food: We reckon food-matching for these two means going somewhere with a wide variety of international cuisine. For that, you cannot surpass the Elliot Street Stables with 12 artisan eateries around a central dining room.
My dad loves the sausages and German-inspired food from Frankies Gourmet Food; Mum enjoys the bento boxes from Samurai Sushi; my husband is spoiled for choice with a steak from the Big Grill, tapas from Spanish El Faro or something French from Torchon French Creperie or Reslau while the kids always choose pizza from De Niro, fries from Bonz Cajun Kitchen and chocolate soup (yes, there is such a thing) from Delectable Desserts. I usually end up eating from Bonz or Ela Cuisine, where I can savour an Indo-Mediterranean curry.
New Zealand International Film Festival, until 2 August, Civic Theatre, SkyCity Theatre, Rialto Cinemas in Newmarket, Academy Cinema and Event Cinemas, Queen St.
The new free open-air saltwater pool is already proving popular.