With all the recent changes Alexia Santamaria discovers the city has a definite cosmopolitan feel.
As a suburban teenager, one of my favourite pastimes was going into the CBD with my mates but as an adult my visits tend to be more purpose-driven. It's very rare to just go and "hang out in town" like we used to, but this weekend we did. The only difference is that the city has changed so much in the last year that it was almost like being a tourist in our own town.
We checked in at the Langham, Auckland. As it has just been voted one of the top three hotels in Oceania in the Conde Nast Traveler Selects Awards, we knew we were in for a treat. We walked down Upper Queen St, past the Asian food mile, past some young boys break-dancing in Aotea Square (noting the new terrace cafe, Box, overlooking the square), through Elliot St (now all cobblestoned) and into the new and very improved Federal St.
We popped into the recently opened Red Hummingbird. Inside it's the standard cool urban bar but the outside has a green "living wall" of plants, a giant birdcage and tables for a drink and a quiet bite. The menu is small plates/tapas (antipasto, calamari, etc) with some great Kiwi classics thrown in for a laugh - reduced cream and onion dip or gourmet sausage roll anyone?
We couldn't go past Al Brown's new place, the Depot, and decadently stopped for some freshly shucked oysters, smoked kahawai cakes, lamb ribs with skordalia and a beer. The Depot is fantastic in every way. Al says it's bachy New Zealand style but we definitely got a New York feel from it. A must-visit.
