Taste of Auckland Festival: Great ways to enjoy the city's culinary delights

Robert Oliver.

1. Auckland's best tastes

Metro magazine's Taste of Auckland marks the start of our summer foodie calendar. We're planning to eat our way around our new and old favourite restaurants. That's Depot's pulled pork slider, Everybody's Izkaya dumplings, Baduzzi's meatballs, NSP's burratina ... Bracu's sausage rolls, Toto's tortelloni with a finish of Fish's chocolate popcorn. Leaving room for The Common's salmon, Indian Village's tandoor trio, Mandarin's tofu and The Grove's chocolate balloon. Whimper.

Victoria Park, sessions Saturday (12-4pm, 5.30-9.30pm), Sunday (12-4pm).

2. Master cooks, us

For a rest from all that eating, we'll amble into cooking classes at the Fisher & Paykel Chefs' Kitchen at Victoria Park - we'll catch the lovely Robert Oliver (love his Pasifika food show and book) and rollick along with our mate Annabelle White, Sachie Nomura's Japanese cooking and some Italian action from Antonio Crisci.

3. Victorian splendour

While we're in the 'hood, we'll be slipping across the road to the should-be-better-known-by-now Victoria Park Markets. We're loving the refurbishment of the ground floors, the restaurants upstairs and down that have joined our mainstays LaZeppa and Altico Cocina - Libertine, TomToms, iVillage and the rather splendid Gelato.

4. Ethnic eats

You may not know all those tasty eateries of Mt Roskill, Hillsborough and surrounds form the district of Puketapapa. They have cunningly created an annual food fest - with a passport. Try the perfect tasty, cheap eats - all priced from $5 to $10 - from 29 of the area eateries. Bliss.

Until November 30, Taste of Puketapu.