The Dish: A Fancy Buffet, An Unmissable Cooking Class & More Delicious Food News

This week’s food news runs the gamut from all-you-can-eat excess at a new Sunday buffet, to restrained (yet delicious) non-alcoholic cocktails from Tāmaki Makaurau’s best restaurants. There’s also colourful glassware and a red-hot Italian coffee pot to consider adding to your cart.

Fancy a buffet? Bivacco has you covered.

Buffets are back on the menu at Bivacco, with the Viaduct eatery offering an “elevated buffet” every Sunday — heaving with seafood, charcuterie and handmade pasta. It’s not often a chic inner-city restaurant turns to a buffet format, but The Bivacco Feast sounds like something we can get behind, with a seafood station housing freshly shucked oysters, tuna tartare and South Island salmon; a selection of Italian and local cheeses, fresh bread, roast meats like porchetta and steak; roast vegetables and salads, wood-fired pizza, and pasta. There’s also a dessert station with whole cakes, tiramisu, cheesecake, and fresh-baked treats from Amano Bakery. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s a Bivacco Bloody Mary Station and cocktail specials. The Feast runs from 11am until 4pm with diners offered a two-hour slot at $75 per person. Booking is strongly recommended at Savor.co.nz/bivacco

Dry July is here. These are Tāmaki Makaurau’s best drinks.

If you think forgoing alcohol means sacrificing the convivial environment of a bar, pub or restaurant — or facing ribbing, at best, about being a teetotaler — then rest assured, for it seems the dial has finally shifted; not only are we as a society finally coming around to the idea of sobriety or simply recalibrating our booze intake, but the hospitality sector is getting on board. From zero-proof “spirits” to alcohol-free RTDs and truly dry “wines”, there’s a plethora of drinks to try at some of Tāmaki Makaurau’s top restaurants and bars. Sip on our sumptuous round-up here.

A new coffee pot express from Italy

Two Italian icons have partnered up for a bright new iteration of the Moka Express. Hot on the heels of collaborations with Madonna and Supreme, Italian coffee company Bialetti has teamed up with Dolce & Gabbana for a less-than-subtle tribute to both brands’ storied heritage. The intricate design is inspired by a traditional horse-drawn cart of Sicily, the Carretto Siciliano, which with its pops of bright red is colourful, ornate and joyful. Bialetti x Dolce & Gabbana’s limited-edition Moka Express is available now in a 3-cup and 6-cup at Smith & Caughey’s, Ballantynes and online at Bialetti.co.nz from $195.

Celebrate Matariki at Caretaker

Descend the stairs at Britomart underground cocktail bar Caretaker (which Viva has deemed an ideal spot for a date night), for a special evening of waiata sing-along in celebration of Matariki. On Tuesday, July 11, at 9pm, ordering a cocktail at Caretaker will come with a side of weaving or a twirl of some pois, as the bar transforms into Matariki mode. Singing will be led by Caretaker cocktail shaker Rawiri, supported by jazz band Pachuchos Collective. Lyrics will be provided. To book email Heather@caretaker.net.nz

Cooking classes at Homeland celebrate Matariki

If you haven’t experienced a cooking class at Homeland yet, now might be the time. The Westhaven restaurant and “community kitchen” with its state-of-the-art appliances is known for all manner of classes, from chef/owner Peter Gordon’s seafood masterclasses to pastry-making classes, Singaporean street food and Indian vegetarian. To celebrate Matariki, Peter has designed a cooking class around a lunch dish that he feels is symbolic of Aotearoa’s evolving cuisine from the last 800 years. It’s a one-pot dish of green-shell mussels, hāngi pork, kūmara, kārengo seaweed, Pacific coconut cream and sauvignon blanc. Also on the menu is delicious fry bread and a glass of wine for those who’d like one. The cooking benches fit six people, so are a great group activity, or attend alone and make new friends. Priced at $95 per person. Celebrating Matariki With Peter Gordon, July 15 at 10.30am. Book here.

Colourful new cups from a local glass blower

Local glass artist Luke Jacomb has released a new range of blown glass homewares in vibrant colours to complement the current glass offerings from Luke Jacomb Studio. Using the same glass-blowing techniques as Luke’s ‘Deflated’ pendants and lamps, the new range includes a collection of -cups and bud vases individually crafted by Luke and his team at their Auckland studio. The Umbrella cups and Bubble Bud vases come in a range of smile-inducing Luke Jacomb Studio colours. “The Umbrella cups are my favourite drinking glasses,” says Luke. “I use them for everything, and they’re a great representation of the bright, fun, classically grounded aesthetic of my work.” The Umbrella cups are $75 each and the Bubble Bud vases $89 for the mini size and $149 for small. Available now from Lukejacombstudio.com

New Zealanders love a chocolate-dipped strawberry in summer, and FSL Foods’ managing director Eliana Glover wanted to package that delicious combo with a new snap frozen, chocolate-covered berry range called Choc Bites. It was when travelling overseas that Eliana noticed the popularity of frozen fruits as a go-to snack (frozen mango is particularly delicious) and she wanted to bring this idea back to New Zealand with vegan chocolate-covered strawberries, cherries and blueberries. Choc Bites have launched this week into supermarkets nationwide, priced at $8. Visit Goodnesskitchen.co.nz for more information.