The Dish: Daphnes’ Second Act, The Viaduct’s New Wine Bar And More Delicious Food News

The city is swirling with hot food news, including an exciting new talent cooking at Ponsonby Rd’s Daphnes restaurant, Cassia’s reopening on Federal St, plus where to drink an outstanding cocktail.

Daphnes has a new chef and menu

With the departure of their chef back to Australia, restaurateurs Clare and Joost van den Berg have announced an exciting new direction for their Ponsonby Rd restaurant, Daphnes. When Viva broke the news of Daphnes opening in 2021 it was billed as “Clare and Joost’s modern twist on traditional Greek food and conviviality in a vibrant, casual setting”. The sleek space was to be their sole focus after moving on from Odettes Eatery and Hugo’s Bistro.

Now, in a bit of a coup for the restaurant, they’ve enlisted the talents of chef Hayden Phiskie, who’s been turning out beautiful food at Ada, and before that at Cotto. Hayden not only brings his cheffing skills to Daphnes, but some of his team, too, including sous chefs Morgan Alan Johns (pictured) and Ray O’Connor, and Jess Paige Hay. They’ll be joined by Daphnes’ long-time general manager Tania Pucher, running front of house.

Clare and Joost say this combination will bring a “beautiful new synergy” to the restaurant, and act as a bit of a “rebranding exercise” with a move away from the Greek theme as these tightknit chefs channel new ideas into the menu. Hayden’s first service kicks off on May 18, cooking a European-inspired, genre-bending menu of locally grown and seasonal produce. An exciting new chapter indeed. 71 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby.

Shanghai Restaurant opens in Hamilton

Shanghai Restaurant has just opened at Hamilton’s SkyCity, helmed by chef Xiaolong Zhao, who moved to New Zealand from China to take on the job of head chef. With over 30 years of experience cooking traditional Chinese food, visitors can expect an authentic Chinese menu of Zhejiang and Sichuan cuisines made with high-quality ingredients and a particular emphasis on fresh seafood. The restaurant fits 100 and has four private dining rooms and with a menu 12 pages long, there’ll be something to suit everyone. Owner Jianchun Yang says, “We love Hamilton City, but noticed there was a gap in the market for a high-quality Chinese restaurant experience. We are excited to showcase not only our regional food but also our culture with our guests”. Ground Floor SkyCity Hamilton, 346 Victoria Street, Hamilton.

Wine flights! Charcuterie! Pizza! They’re all on offer at new wine bar and cellar door Somm, located on Princess Wharf in Auckland’s central city. Designed as a showcase for a stable of well-known New Zealand wineries under the Foley wines portfolio, including Church Road, Martinborough Vineyard, Te Kairanga, Vavasour and Mt Difficulty, Somm acts as an “urban cellar door” with wines by the glass, bottle and tasting flight. There are also “guest wineries” on the drinks menu from Waiheke and Canterbury, local beers on tap, cocktails and Champagne.

The food menu has been designed by Soul Bar & Bistro’s executive chef Gavin Doyle to complement the wine. “Just like the winemakers are showcasing their craft from all different regions of the country, we wanted to represent that on the food menu as well,” says Gavin. “There’s olive oil from Martinborough, the sheep’s milk cheese is from Masterton, and Carol from Hawke’s Bay makes the quince paste by sourcing crab apples straight from the orchard.” The fit-out is noteworthy too, designed by Nott Architects, who have married exposed concrete with warm walnut and oak timber. Shed 22, Princess Wharf, Auckland.

The Viva team’s favourite cocktails around Auckland

For anyone looking for some inspiration on where to have a cocktail in Auckland city, the Viva team has selected some of their favourites to consider. Senior writer Rebecca Barry Hill is a fan of this ‘One Love’ cocktail from 1947 restaurant on Federal St in the city. Calling it one of the most impressive drinks on the menu, “it’s a blend of gin with orange and cinnamon, mandarin liqueur, Pimm’s, fresh orange juice, foam, citrus — and the piece de resistance — hickory wood smoke, that swirls around the glass like an otherworldly spectre, infusing it with distant memories of beach barbecues, and tempting even the most ardent phone snobs to capture it on the ‘gram”. See the rest of the Viva team’s cocktail recommendations here.

Cassia reopens in new space at Federal St’s SkyCity

Viva reported on Cassia’s plans to relocate from Fort Lane to Federal St back in March, and now, the restaurant is ready to welcome visitors. After two flooding events, the difficult decision was made to relocate with two conditions: that owners Sid and Chand Sahrawat could retain their whole team, and that they’d be open in eight weeks.

Both have been delivered upon, says Chand. “It was an incredibly tough decision to close Fort Lane, but we felt we had no choice. When we saw the new site at SkyCity we knew straight away it had the bones to recreate the Cassia vibe and was perfect for our charcoal-powered tandoors, which are essential to producing authentic flavours.”

Semola opens in Orewa

Italian-style restaurant Semola has opened in Orewa on Auckland’s North Shore. The fit-out looks impressive, with plush green booths, gold-accented details and a floor-to-ceiling tiled bar area. Semola is a new restaurant from the team that brought us Tok Tok, Vietnamese Kitchen and Xooong in Mt Eden. The menu is an Italian affair this time, with homemade pasta and risotto, wood-fired meat and seafood and share plates like long-line fish crudo, burrata and fried squid. 350 Hibiscus Coast Highway, Orewa.

Spend a wine weekend at Wharekauhau Lodge

Wharekauhau Country Estate in Palliser Bay has partnered with renowned South Australian winery Henschke Estate for a one-off staycation from June 9-11 for a weekend of wine tasting and degustation dinners by the fire. This two-night escape is an opportunity to try Henschke’s top wines as senior winemaker Gwyn Olsen hosts guests for an evening. There will be a ‘Magnums of Martinborough’ dinner on Friday, followed by a Henschke Wines degustation on Saturday night, which includes a guided tour of the best drops from this internationally recognised winery. Both experiences will be accompanied by degustation dinners curated by Wharekauhau’s award-winning executive chef Norka Mella Munoz. Packages start from $5790 and include two nights’ accommodation in a luxury cottage suite, breakfast and nightly multi-course dinners. Find more information here.

What’s up in Welly

And in happenings in the capital, Wellington On A Plate is in full swing, with just under a week left of tasty dishes and fascinating events. Viva commercial editor Emma Gleason’s visited Te Whanganui-a-Tara for the food festival, eating (and walking) her way through nearly 30 eateries, learning how to make Pravda’s famous scones, and trying Capitol Restaurant’s fantastic smoked fish and pāua pie, on the menu for the duration of the festival.

“I highly recommend heading to family-owned Tory St restaurant Damascus for its WOAP special (available until May 21), an expansive sharing board that’s a medley of must-try tasty dishes from this special part of the world; it’s a great introduction to Syrian cuisine, or a way to indulge if you’re already familiar,” says Emma.

“You can also take your tastebuds on a trip to Kashmir. Vaibhav Vishen’s restaurant Chaat Street is serving up a special Kashmiri-style Wazwan ‘wedding feast’ until May 19 — make sure to order the lamb tuj — then on May 20 and 21 the restaurant is hosting one of the festival’s ticketed Chef Collaboration Series, where, over a six-course dinner with wine matches, guests can hear Sadhu and Vishen discuss growing up in the Kashmir region, an event that sounds very special indeed.”

A shake-up at Bedford Soda & Liquor

When Bedford Soda & Liquor opened almost 10 years ago (it’s having its tenth birthday later this year), its “New York-style” menu with meatballs the star of the show (which you ordered by ticking from a laminated menu) had a certain novelty factor that people loved. To drink, there were tiki-inspired drinks served in globes and steaming kettles. Like the food, the drinks were inspired by America, “in particular New York trends ranging from the late 1800s golden era, through the 1930s drug store soda shop era to today’s modern mixological millennium”.

Now the team is shaking things up, introducing some “health conscious” options like low- or no-sugar cocktails and low- and no-alcohol options, like the Sober Margarita (pictured). Named after Brooklyn’s Bedford Avenue, Bedford Soda & Liquor was started by friends Matt Nicholls, Sam Ansley and Jeremy Wells, who were inspired to open their own bar after a food and drink-filled trip to New York. They’ve welcomed back mixologist and founding bar manager Jason Clark (JC) to direct this new era for the bar. Ponsonby Central, 3 Richmond Rd, Ponsonby.

Spotlight on a local producer: Sporeshift mushrooms

Delicate pink oyster, shiitake and King Stropharia — it’s possible to grow all these beautiful mushrooms at home with SporeShift Mushrooms’ easy-to-follow mushroom growing kits. The small-scale organic mushroom farm in North Canterbury supplies high-quality gourmet mushrooms to local restaurants, markets and shops. It’s the budding business of couple Taylor McConnell and Susan Jacobs, who were keen to create an environmentally sustainable product — and saw an opportunity to offer their mushrooms to a growing number of people keen to cultivate and cook ‘shrooms in their own homes. A 4kg grey oyster mushroom kit, plus splash and grow block costs $40, and their ready-made shiitake mushroom logs are $60. Pink Flamingo Oyster mushrooms (pictured) are better grown in the summer months, so have a browse here.

There is a new flavour of Whittaker’s

Whittaker’s has a new flavour! Honey Nougat and Almond 250g Block features New Zealand clover honey nougat crisps, roasted almond pieces and Whittaker’s 33% 5 Roll Refined Creamy Milk Chocolate. Whittaker’s co-chief operating officer Holly Whittaker says: “We think the secret to the moreishness of this new flavour is the lightness and crunchiness of the honey nougat, paired with perfectly roasted almond pieces, complemented by the rich creaminess of our Creamy Milk Chocolate.” Find it at select retailers now.

Coffee Supreme re-releases its coffee in a can

Coffee Supreme recently re-released its range of coffees in a can with an apology about the first round, saying it wasn’t their best work. As big fans of iced coffee, we were eager to sample these at Viva HQ but found they had a weird tang to them, like the carbonation process hadn’t gone to plan. The range includes an iced Long Black, an iced Oat Flat White and an iced Cascara Fizz, made with Supreme coffee, and we can confirm the new and improved version tastes good. Try them for yourself with a four-pack for $22, from Coffee Supreme.

Merito Coffee Roasters becomes Allies Coffee

In more local coffee news, Merito Coffee Roasters has become Allies Coffee to better reflect the Auckland coffee company’s emphasis on giving back to the community, says owner Hans Pronk. To date it has given back $1 from each bag of Allies blend to farmers in Brazil, providing tools to make harvesting easier for them. Hans started making coffee at age 15 while still at school, and after studying business at university he decided to set up his own roastery. “I started roasting in 2007 and over the years opened five stores (ME Coffee and four Coffee General stores) as well as a stint as a barista championship judge and a New Zealand Herald columnist on coffee,” he says. “These days I am either behind the coffee machine, roasting, or on the road seeing those that also enjoy our coffee.” Find Allies coffee online, and at Coffee General, 100 Hinemoa St, Birkenhead.