Jesse Mulligan Auckland Restaurant Recommendations: Where To Go For A Buffet; How His Ratings Work

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 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.

Hi Jesse,

My baby brother turns 18 next month and he wants to celebrate by going to a smorgasbord restaurant (he’s from Taranaki). Does such a thing even exist? Please don’t send us to Valentines.

Jessica

Hi Jessica,

The good news is that I have just the place for you. I recently had occasion to dine at the buffet Fortuna inside SkyCity and it was, well, fantastic. I was there for a work event and BYO catering is strictly verboten, so 40 of us trudged into the unpromisingly named Fortuna restaurant with low expectations.

In fact, the food was delicious: oysters, prawns, and mussels to begin with. A round of (chilled) sushi then a poached salmon fillet with pilaf rice. Then some cooked meats — a decent lamb shank, a casserole of pulled roast pork, and rotisserie chicken. Two chefs carved rare sirloin for whoever wanted it. I understand there were salads, too.

I loaded up and went through to what I thought was the dining area, but it was a room full of more food stations: curries at one (a little underspiced but they hit the spot), and a build-your-own Mexican feast at another.

I didn’t get to the dessert section but I bet your brother will love it. The cost is $65 per head for dinner (with a $10 surcharge on weekends) and I reckon between the two of you you can put a decent dent in SkyCity’s profits for the 2023 financial year.

Update: Jesse has subsequently returned to Fortuna and reports that, second time around, it was “a bit bleak”.

Hi Jesse,

Help me out. My husband reckons he doesn’t like eggplant and I haven’t managed to change his mind with my cooking at home. Where can I take him that might open his mind to this beautiful, misunderstood vegetable?

Kelly

I think we need to give him something deep-fried. Grilled or, heaven forbid, stewed are simply not going to do the trick.

Luckily there are plenty of places contrasting the soft, gooey texture of cooked aubergine with a nice crunchy coating. Tokki in Milford is a good one, where the eggplant is cut into fingers, coated in fish and chip batter and fried until very crispy, then glazed with soy, vinegar and chilli.

On the city side of the bridge try Aigo, where it arrives in spheres and any lingering memories of the eggplant’s inherent flavour is blasted away by a combo of cashew butter and sweet Szechuan chilli syrup.

If your husband can’t enjoy either of these dishes, then I’m afraid your marriage has deeper problems.

Jesse,

How do your restaurant ratings work? We’re heading to Esther this weekend and see they got a 19 out of 20.

Jen

Hi Jen,

Numerical ratings systems are a bit of a curse for reviewers. You need to put them in because readers and restaurants demand them, yet the number needs the context of the words that go with it (I gave Iraqi restaurant Tapsi a 17/20 last week, a score that might disappoint the chef at a fine dining restaurant, but which recognised this is a restaurant that isn’t aiming to be all things to all people, however it perfectly achieves its more modest ambitions.

In theory, a restaurant that scores 20/20 will have a great wine list and staff who know it inside out, who will offer their own informed opinions on the menu and can take your coat/fill your waters/clean your table all while judging precisely how much banter you’re in the mood for. This is highly specialised work, and there are restaurants who are happy to leave this sort of thing to others, while still serving up food and vibes that are worth driving across town for.

Chefs obsess over the number — and who can blame them? But to be honest it isn’t a science — it’s a feel, based on my experience on the night, the degree of difficulty in what they’re doing, where they fit in with other restaurants in the same style, and what sort of mood I was in when I left the place.

Sometimes I’ll file my review with a note to the editor like, “I’ve given this a 15 but could be convinced to push it to a 16.″ Then we’ll have a little chat and make a call.

If anything I’m probably more likely to push a score up than down — it’s been a tough few years for restaurants and feels like a good time to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Previously recommended by Jesse

Where to go for marine cuisine in a seafood city; bar food worth its price

Where I eat when I’m not reviewing; the promise of Prego

The best Uber Eats curry; top eatery to wow visitors from London