What’s going on in food? Johanna Thornton has the latest in new openings, events to book and exciting collaborations.
East restaurant teams up with Mount Edward wines
Central Otago winery Mount Edward is coming to town with a special dinner at East combining a five-course dinner with matching Mount Edward
New salad and coffee destination Bowler opens in the CBD
There’s a new salad bar in town from the team behind Williams Eatery. Located inside the reception area of Les Mills on Victoria St East, Bowler offers healthy salads alongside smoothies, coffee and cookies. Salads are packed with kale, beetroot, pickles, hummus and fresh herbs with proteins like chicken, vegan tofu, beef brisket and Mt Cook salmon, priced around $16 each. Great-tasting salads are sorely lacking in the CBD, so we have high hopes for Bowler, which you can pre-order online for pickup. Open 6.30am-2pm every day except Sunday. Order here.
Esther’s Food of the Sun lunch series returns this October
On the second Saturday of each month, Esther is putting on a three-course lunch themed around different destinations in the Mediterranean. From Capri to Monaco, Casablanca and Santorini, Barcelona and Lisbon, these lunches are designed to feel like a European holiday without leaving Auckland. At the Monaco lunch, you’ll dine on pissaladiere, salad niçoise, bouillabaisse and duck a l’orange. At Santorini, there’ll be a Greek spread of meze, chargrilled octopus, grilled sardines and lamb souvlaki. Food of the Sun runs every second Saturday from October through to March. Tickets are $85 a person and include a themed three-course lunch and cocktail on arrival. Find more details and book here.
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Advertise with NZME.Oyster happy hour returns at Celeste
After pivoting to pizza and back again to its neo-bistro roots, Bar Celeste is bringing back its Oyster Happy Hour, from Wednesday until Saturday, from 5-6pm. There will be freshly shucked oysters for $3.50 each, plus $15 margaritas and house wines, and $12 beers – ideal for feeling bougie on a budget. 146b Karangahape Road, Auckland CBD
Local bakery Fankery teams up with Japanese gin Roku
Cathy Fan’s Asian-fusion bakery Fankery is teaming up with Roku Gin to host an event celebrating the inaugural release of Roku’s limited-edition Sakura Bloom gin. Called Sakura in Bloom, the event is all about the Japanese concept of “shun” – the harvesting of seasonal ingredients at their peak freshness. Cathy will create a three-course menu matched to three Roku Sakura Bloom cocktails, with a matcha yuzu tart and Sakura cheesecake with mochi (a twist on the dessert for which Fankery is famed), smoked salmon ochazuke (rice topped with green tea and seaweed) and Sakura tiramisu (featuring layers of sponge soaked in Roku Sakura Bloom gin and raspberry compote, wrapped in a chocolate matcha shell). Roku Gin Presents Sakura in Bloom is on Saturday, October 12, and Sunday, October 13 (with sittings at 1pm and 4pm on both days) at The Village. 102 Jervois Road, Herne Bay, Auckland. $100 per person and tickets available at Eventbrite.
Ada has a new sister spot, Margo’s, and a new spring menu
Ada has announced the opening of its sister restaurant, Margo’s, on October 4 on Karangahape Rd, where The Thirsty Dog used to be, and next to Pie Rollas (which is helmed by the same team behind Margo’s). The team says it’s looking to create a “true local on K Rd, whether you are after a cocktail, beer or some damn good food!” The menu looks promising, with starters and small plates for pairing with drinks – potato croquettes with gorgonzola and smoked honey, or beef tartare – and large plates of venison pie with cranberry, venison ragu and bone marrow or Margo’s chicken with smoky barbecue sauce and a sesame and celeriac puree. Viva peeked inside the restaurant and the fit-out looks flash, with a light, bright interior that makes the most of its corner spot with big windows overlooking the street. Ada has also refreshed its menu for spring with its famous beef short rib now made with beetroot kinaki, onion and kopenu and a new octopus bolognese. Find Margo’s at 469 Karangahape Rd and Ada at 454 Great North Rd, Grey Lynn.
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Advertise with NZME.Ruby Seeto has a new tea towel to raise money for Starship
London-based New Zealand illustrator Ruby Seeto has designed a new tea towel to raise funds for Starship. Ruby has been designing tea towels in partnership with Wallace Cotton since 2009, with 2023′s Soda tea towel raising over $31,000. This year’s Victoria Sponge design features Ruby’s go-to sponge recipe printed around the edges of a towering, strawberry-topped spongecake. $10, from Wallace Cotton.
Black Estate winery teams up with Onslow for dinner
Josh Emett and the team from Onslow will team up with the kitchen and winemaking team from North Canterbury’s Black Estate for one exclusive dinner in October. This special collaboration will include a five-course dinner menu, with alternating courses created by both teams. Each dish will be paired with one of six biodynamic wines that celebrate the best of New Zealand cuisine and winemaking. The menu is still being finalised but there will be Greenfern Farms white asparagus with burnt butter sauce and whitebait, and a Valrhona dulcey chocolate with blood orange, almond and kumquat. Yum! The chefs and winemakers will be on the floor to share the stories and inspirations behind each course and wine pairing. Wednesday, October 23, at 6.30pm at Onslow. $195pp for five courses paired with six wines. Book here.
Lillius has new opening hours
From now until the end of the year, Lillius is open Friday to Sunday, for both lunch and dinner sittings. Thursdays are dinner only and on Sunday you can BYO wine. Lillius was recently awarded two hats in Cusine’s Good Food Guide, recognised for its inventive fine dining menu that tells a story of New Zealand produce. Dine a la carte or opt for the eight-course set menu ($195pp) and sample plates like Northland pāua, housemade sourdough and cultured butter, wapiti deer and playful takes on seasonal vegetables. 19 Khyber Pass Rd, Eden Terrace
Pals has two new flavours
RTD brand Pals has two new flavours, Vodka, Pink Lemon & Soda (“The New Pink One”) and Vodka Pineapple, Lime & Soda (“The New Yellow One”). Available in both alcoholic and zero-alcohol options, these flavours replace two of the brand’s original drinks in the same colour can. “The original Pink and Yellow flavours have been with us since day one, it was time for a refresh,” says Mat Croad, Pals co-founder. “It is always a hard decision to make when you’re removing some people’s favourite flavours but we are incredibly excited by what these two new products bring to the table – we believe it’s our strongest innovation to date.” A Viva taste test declared the new pink one too sweet (sorry Pals) and the yellow one will appeal to fans of pineapple (the tropical flavour is inescapable). $32 for a 10-pack, from all good liquor stores nationwide.
Hawke’s Bay’s The Apple Press rebrands to Picky
Beloved (by Viva) juice brand The Apple Press, a Hastings-based apple juice company, has rebranded as Picky, a design transformation led by the team that brought us Boring Oat Milk. The name is a nod to the hand-picked nature of the fruit used in Picky’s range of juices, which takes “ugly fruit” or those that aren’t pretty enough for supermarket shelves and turns them into cold-pressed juices. There are six juices and four smoothies in the range, including a single-variety 100% NZ apple juice, and blends featuring feijoa, pear, blueberry, and orange; and an apple, lemon, mānuka honey and ginger flavour. Picky’s juices do not use concentrates and are freshly pressed to help retain the taste and quality. Available in supermarkets now in 800ml and 1.5 litres bottles.
Farro Fresh to open a new store in Commercial Bay
Farro Fresh is set to open a new store in Commercial Bay later this year, bringing a selection of their range to the central city. The store will be located in a 50sq m space on the ground floor of the inner-city mall. The store will host a deli counter, as well as a tightened range of the supermarket’s usual offerings. There will be a few new food and drink launches too, including cold-pressed juices and pre-orders for office catering. At this stage, the opening is slated for late October or early November.
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