The New Zealand Herald is bringing back some of the best premium stories of 2020. Today we take a look at our favourite foods and where best to find them. Over the course of the year, Greg Bruce visited Auckland's most lauded establishments in search of the city's best eats. Here's what he found.
Are these Auckland's best hot chips?
Food has become so difficult and cerebral but, when we strip everything away - the philosophy and aesthetics, the science, the art and the bulls*** - when we really get down to it, what we care about most is potato cooked in fat.
Chips, the world's greatest food, have for too long been treated with disdain by those who see them as the quick and easy production of a plate full of profit. The transformation of a chip from its two basic ingredients to something worthy of two pages in a high-quality magazine requires organisational and logistical sophistication.
The production of a good chip is a mathematical exercise, reducible to a series of formulae: weight and density per square inch, interior to exterior ratio, fat/potato quality matrix and so forth. It's punishingly difficult to perfect and critical decisions need to be made at each stage of the process: sourcing; supply chain management; storage; preparation; fat selection; cooking style, time, heat, duration and frequency; aftercare; seasoning and presentation.
Greg Bruce put his taste buds to the test in order to find the best hot chips in town.
Are these Auckland's best toasted sandwiches?
From a deconstructed sandwich to a meat-free masterpiece - Greg Bruce hit the streets of Auckland to find the toastie with the mostie.
So in a city awash in toasted sandwiches, were any of them any good?
Are these Auckland's best pies?
There used to be only two types of pie around: mince and steak. They were the same but mince was wetter.
There's certainly no shortage of pie options in Auckland these days. From butter chicken pies to beef cheek and blue cheese, there's flavour options aplenty.
But are all these new options better?
Are these Auckland's best burgers?
Worried about his health Greg Bruce's wife was against these food reviews from the start. And probably for good reason.
He sampled more burgers than is likely recommended but there was only one that he was still talking about days later.
So where did he go for this spiritual experience?
Are these Auckland's best pizzas?
Are you a traditional pepperoni lover or more adventurous when it comes to your pizza toppings? Luckily the abundance of pizza options in Auckland means there's something for everyone.
But which one came out on top?
Greg Bruce lifts the lid on some of the best pizza in town.
Are these Auckland's best ice creams?
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
It's that time of the year again, as the weather heats up our desire for a daily ice cream increases. So where should you go for a scoop of the best?
Greg Bruce scours the city for its best ice cream. What he finds may shock you - but probably not.
