Jesse Mulligan Auckland Restaurant Recommendations: Where To Go For Marine Cuisine In A Seafood City; Bar Food Worth Its Price

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.

Jesse,

We’re in town from England for the week and we want to go to a good seafood restaurant. Any ideas?

Ed

Dear Ed,

But I hear you. You want a restaurant that says “seafood is our thing!” in the same way that when I visit Japan later this year, I’ll be buying ramen from a ramen shop, even if they serve a good version of the same in my hotel.

So, I suggest you find somewhere with a good seafood platter. For something more on the classic side, try Ben Bayly’s Origine, where you can build your own creation out of different ocean tenants and go as large as you like — but do include the salmon gravlax and braised octopus tentacle.

For a Japanese spin head to Cocoro — a beautiful restaurant in suburban Ponsonby which, once you’re inside, feels like you could be anywhere in the world. Their seafood is simply incredible — they are probably the defining restaurant in the city for the care and love they put into marine cuisine.

But I’d also love you to visit Culprit, my current fave. The seafood platter is an optional add-on to their (brilliant) set menu and truly wonderful — I still think about the potato chips with crayfish dip most days, though I just looked back at a photo I took of the tiny little salmon cones and they are perfect too. Good luck!

Hey Jesse!

Picking your brain. I’ve been given the task to book a place for my uncle’s 60th birthday. There are 8-10 people, and in the CBD as they’re likely staying in a hotel downtown somewhere. Nice city experience (travelling from Taranaki), not ridiculous prices, but can be a little bit fancy.

Not set on a particular cuisine, more after a vibey/unique dining experience to make it a little bit special. Thoughts?

Anna

I think Amano is the answer, don’t you? A great room, very reliable service and though nobody agrees on Auckland’s best restaurant , I think most serious food writers would put this one in their top 10.

Hello Beasty is a personal favourite and has a great, noisy vibe — an open kitchen, staff who are a lot of fun and pan-Asian cooking that is both types of hot, and delicious.

Or consider heading out to Ebisu — which must be one of the most surefire hits in the city. Thoughtful Japanese food, plenty of space for groups, and perennially underrated — I don’t know anybody who’s eaten there and not had a good time.

Dear Jesse,

We have a sister get-together (happens about once a year) and I’m in charge of finding a venue. It’s technically a drink after dinner but knowing (at least) one of my sisters, she won’t eat properly before she gets there so we’ll want to order something from the bar and I can’t face paying city prices for bad bar food. Where shall we go?

From K

Hello K and K’s sisters!

I had a really great time at Palmer Bar (bottom of Albert St) last year and though it’s probably at its best in the summer when you can sprawl out on to the terrace, I think it’ll be a cosy winter spot too. On the surface it’s just a lovely environment to drink a cocktail but they take the food seriously — open the menu and you’ll find a huge selection of options (they’ve updated the menu since I was last here but it’s the same sort of “classics with a twist” — I have my eye on the brisket burger and the beef tartare with manchego cheese emulsion and fermented chilli).

Sunset bar just up the road would be perfect for your needs too — right at the top of the Sudima with great views and a nice selection of cooked food, it’s comfy, perfectly lit and private, without feeling like you’re scared to make some noise and have a laugh.

I had a mixed time at the beautiful Churchill Bar, at the top of the Sheraton’s Four Points hotel (I wrote in Viva that the food was “adequate” — but that was almost four years ago). It’s definitely a fantastic place for a drink if you like gin and varieties thereof — what’s the cooking like these days, does anybody know?

Previously

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

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

Where to eat in Queenstown and find a decent martini in Auckland