Jesse Mulligan Auckland Restaurant Recommendations: The Best Ramen; Where To Eat When Your Friend Is A Foodie

In this fortnightly series, Viva’s resident dining-out editor shares his sage advice on exactly where to eat. He’s eaten a lot of bad meals so you don’t have to.

Do you have any restaurant-related questions or dining-out conundrums? Jesse Mulligan is here to help.

Email Jesse at Viva@nzherald.co.nz and tell him what you need. Where and what do you like to eat? How much do you want to spend? If you’re just visiting, where are you staying while you’re in town? Who are you eating with? Does anybody have access issues?

Here are some questions he’s been asked lately and what he told them.

Hey Jesse,

Where can I find a vongole, please? I have a craving.

Dan (via DM)

Dan, pleased to get a private message from a man who shares my love of spaghetti and clams.

Or for something fancier head to Bossi, a brilliant and much flasher Italian setup downtown. The vongole costs $42 there but like I say, things are snazzier. Depends what sort of dinner you’re in the mood for really!

Jesse, I know you went crazy for Japan last year. What restaurants in your opinion do a good job of recreating that food here in NZ?

Gilly

Hi Gilly,

We have a selection of good ramen shops now, some of which are connected to chains straight out of Japan. Try Dominion Rd’s Maruten or Symonds St’s Ramen Do, or check out O’Connell St’s new Kajiken — one of 100 stores worldwide from a business that began in Nagoya. They do Abura Soba, a soupless style where you get to pimp your bowl with a range of optional garnishes.

Lots of Japanese restaurants do tonkatsu but for a restaurant specialising in it, head to Katsu Katsu on Khyber Pass Rd, as close as I’ve found to a one-dish-style Japanese restaurant — the standards are high and the service is sweet.

Sashimi is plentiful too in this coastline-blessed country, but if it’s authenticity you’re after try Sashimi Bar Ajimi in Onehunga — not flash but pretty special (a bonus is my name attached to one of the dishes on the menu — I don’t know what it says in Japanese characters but I choose to believe it’s complimentary).

A friend of many decades who lives in San Francisco and is a foodie and wine buff is returning to Auckland and we will have a long catch-up lunch together in April.

He suggests al fresco. Where do you suggest for a sophisticated globetrotting expat?

Many thanks for your always illuminating and helpful ideas,

Christine

Hello Christine, and thank you for your illuminating and helpful compliment.

If he’s an expat I wonder how long it’s been since he ate at Cibo, the surest bet for a wonderful meal, in an outdoor but weather-proof environment, where the team will be well used to lunches that show no signs of ending. The restaurant celebrates its 30th birthday next month and I’m inclined to send you here to showcase the best of Auckland rather than to a place that’s just opened.

Need another couple of ideas for al fresco eating? Prego is beloved and reliable but I don’t think quite exciting enough for a Bay Area sophisticate. How about the courtyard at Anise, formerly The French Cafe, which remains one of the loveliest places in Auckland to eat (if it’s a Saturday you could even do lunch at The French Cafe, which remains open for limited hours in the room at the rear of the courtyard).

Otherwise it’s down to the Viaduct, to Bivacco or Soul, or Victoria Park Market to the new Darling on Drake, reviewed in detail by me last week. All of these options would be great, if perhaps a little mass market for your discriminating friend.

Previously recommended by Jesse Mulligan

What you’ve asked, what he’s shared.

Where to find Welsh rarebit; a degustation you can take your teen to. One reader also asks for two must-do Auckland restaurants.

Where to go for faithful French food; a meal with a fantastic view. Visit a place deeply committed to French cuisine, while taking the odd Aotearoa detour.

Where to dine for great people-watching; places that go the extra mile. One reader says, “I want flavour, I want tastes of abroad. I don’t want fussy fare.”

Where to eat that’s actually fun; dinner that isn’t crowded. One reader is looking for a spot “that shows how good Auckland restaurants can be”.

Where to go for great Japanese; eateries worth visiting out west. One reader asks, “Do you pay for the meals you review?”