Cost was $71 for myself and my parents

Honestly went there because we were in the area and I wanted to take them to Golden Castle which happens to be permanently closed. Pho Bien next door was packed as well, so I convinced them to try Papaghetti as I was paying anyway.

They had their doubts, but thanks to the old [r/aucklandeats](r/aucklandeats) posts, we came out full and the quirky interior was kind of fun to honest. Reminded me of a homely dinner but a cutesy Korean-Italian version. Perhaps reminiscent of a Cantonese cha chaan teng in a way.

I’m sure a lot of people enjoy this, but I am personally not a fan of toowoomba pasta sauce as it is a bit too artificial for my liking nor do I like oregano 😂
The schnitzel was fine but nothing special.

I really appreciated the very short grain rice that came with the seafood soup. Excellent soup with good seafood and other ingredients. The spicy cold noodles were also pretty decent. I took home half the noodles and the rest of the soup in my own containers I had in the car as there is a surcharge for takeaway containers.

The couple(?) that run the restaurant seem to be very lovely people 😊

Was out late tonight with two others and the other Thai restaurant that I would have once again gone to closed early tonight

This was one of very few restaurants nearby that was still open

$95 for all of this: grilled pork intestines, pad see ew, tom yum soup, and tom kha soup

Both soups were quite good. The pad see ew was decent, and the pork intestines were weak. I was thinking beef intestines in my head for some reason (one of my favourite cuts of beef), but this is nowhere near that 😭

Recently got told by my GP to quit caffeine 😭😭 so am on the hunt for the best decaf coffee beans to brew at home using my trusty moka pot and aeropress

My Asian mum said it’s not too sweet and it’s good, very thick so more filling than tiramisu. She rates it lol.

I posted about this KFC pop-up a week or so ago. My expectations were pretty low, but this is kinda cool from a marketing perspective. I feel like Yum brands has a new ad agency on the roster.

Went to Whoaaa in the Albert St Food Centre for lunch. Ordered the Beef Pho which was I think it was $23. The noodles and beef were alright. The soup felt like it was lacking in flavour especially for Pho which is disappointing.

Service is 10/10 especially when I have unique requests for chili and fish sauce.

Food was a bit disappointing 5/10. I was expecting a bit better. More to be desired in the soup which is the main part of the dish.

Unsure if it was just a bad one off. Probably would not return to try again.

what are the best store bought pickles in aotearoa - i’m talking salty and sour and maybe spicy… VERY CRUNCHY! and i don’t F with the sweet stuff! i’ve found some polish brands at reduced to clear that i have really rated, however never to be seen again not even at skazka! 😭 can someone recommend any brands that are easily available? don’t say mclures bc those pickles are mushy af and a mad ripoff!

Hi guys! We're looking at taking my husband out on Saturday for Father's Day. He loves a good platter of smoked meat and sides, and a sweet cider.

I'd love some tried and tested recommendations of a good smokehouse that is also toddler friendly, located in central or west Auckland, and is open during the day.

PS - I know Father's Day is on Sunday, but we're doing an extended family day then :)

Hi, my partner is celebrating her birthday, and I want to surprise her with a nice dinner. She likes tapas, paella, and a good sangria. We’ve tried Tasca, but it was underwhelming for us, so I’m keen to know if there are other good Spanish restaurants around Auckland, as I haven’t tried any.

Have been seeing a few influencers (get paid/free food) and leave good reviews on TikTok. lol

But wanting to know if any reddit connoisseurs have been and recommends?

Not interested in the night life/shisha… interested in the food!

TIA

Genuine question, and I know this is going to sound terrible.

Had a strange hankering for a proper old fashioned pie the other day. Steak and cheese, nothing artisan or involving truffle oil, just a decent bakery pie.

Someone had recommended Richoux in Ellerslie, so I thought I’d give it a go.

I pulled up outside and there was a family sitting at one of the tables, absolutely going to town. Mum, dad and two children, all very overweight. surrounded by pies, sausage rolls, cream buns etc. I don’t mean slightly overweight either. “Elephant family” was the phrase that rather uncharitably entered my head.

I sat in the car for maybe 20 seconds, looking at them, and completely lost my appetite. Did a u turn and left. Which is ridiculous, because presumably the food hadnt changed in those 20 seconds, and for all I know this place could make the best pie in Auckland.

But there was something about seeing the possible end result sitting directly outside the shop that was remarkably effective.

People spend fortunes on the fat pen, personal trainers and other fads . Perhaps bakeries should just put tables right outside the entrance and let their most enthusiastic customers do the advertising.

Has anyone else ever had this happen? Where aseeing the clientele eating somewhere actually changes what you feel like eating? In a Larry David world is this why the pretty people are given the best seats in a restaurant

Ended up having a chicken salad at home instead…

Went out for my anniversary weekend with the mrs. and we tried out ALLA PROSSIMA in Abstract Hotel on Queens street!

Only reason we ate here is because we had a spa and dine package (RRP $500 1 x couples massage 2hr long + Dinner and desserts)

I was absolutely surprised with how delicious everything was, the service was spectacular and the atmosphere was very nice too

Here is what we ate as per the menu: Price range was $30-60

- TAGLIERE DI SALUMI IN ANTIPASTO 3/10 Not amazing, prosciutto was yum, ham was meh not something i eat, overall not really worth getting this one
Selection of Italian cured meats (4) and cheese (1), mixed olives, carpione style marinated eggplant and Crescentine bread

BALANZONI - 9/10 was delicious and creamy
Homemade spinach infused Ravioli stuffed with mortadella, prosciutto, spinach, Massimo’s ricotta, aged parmigiano Reggiano and truffle served in a creamy truffle sauce

FILETTO DI PESCE ALL’ACQUA PAZZA - 9/10 full of flavour and fresh tasting
Pan-fried white fish and diamond shell clams with white wine, onion, potato, black kalamata olives, cherry tomato and Italian parsley served with garlic bread

Love love love love love - can’t wait to go back

First time visiting Em’s Cafe and it was so tasty!! We debated on getting a sweet breakfast and savoury and decided why not get everything to try!

The service and vibe of this place was really nice! We ordered something that had bacon and i forgot to remove it the staff came up to our table to make sure that it was okay, which i really appreciated because i genuinely had forgotten! :((

10/10 Gochugan udon carbonara was so delicious, it was creamy, it was a mild spice, noodles were also cooked to perfection - my girlfriend and i still think about this dish and how good it was

6/10 Fried chicken waffle this was mid flavours were okay but there was no wow factor and just needed something a little extra to give it a bit of omph - good choice if want to play it safe.

7/10 - Berry french toast! this was soooo yum, the french toast was the best that i’ve ever had because of how it was properly soaked in the french toast mix there wasn’t those weird dry patches it was very tasty, we also added biscoff on the side courtesy of the lady at the front who was a absolute girls girl for adding it into a little jug so i can pour over and still get the good instagram shots

edit because someone didn’t understand my rating scale lol

5-7 is mid, wouldnt go out of my way to recommend these dishes but they’re good enough to try if you want to play it safe

Chicken and waffles had flavour but lacked in moisture it could’ve used an additional ingredient/layer of something

French toast was best IVE had since the pool for good french toast is sub par, so it was soaked well but lacked in wow amazing flavour if this makes sense?

Went to a meetup at Gogo Music Cafe on Dominion Road

Haven’t been here for years … this will be showing my age, but I remember the $0.50 skewers they had back when they opened. So good and you’d be full with $5-10

Now it’s pretty standard fare to me. I prefer other places for skewers but it was not bad

Shared this meal with my table and the other tables ordered different things. I enjoy off-cut meat and offal when it comes to skewers, so I personally only really order the weird things. One of my customers happened to also be at this meetup so I got her to try some lamb testicles with me and they were actually pretty decent 😂

Cost per person was about $24 and I shouted the beer tower which was an additional $26

Then we walked 20 mins in the rain to Bear Gelato for a cheeky gelato cos I had hyped up the light roast hojicha oat milk gelato (but they had sold out last week oops 😂)

I've just watched the first part of this YT video which shows the process of making Iranian ice cream. Now I'm kinda obsessed.

I see there are a couple of Iranian food places in Aucks.

Can anyone recommend one or the other for their ice cream?

Thanks!

Went to Onemata with some friends for Restaurant Month. Really loved all the dishes, the dessert was the standout. Place was packed when we left, as with many restaurants I’ve been to this month - glad to see some hospo spots seem to be doing well! Hope it lasts.

Was invited by a friend for a First Table meal

There were four of us and we enjoyed a pretty nice meal at One Twenty 8. I didn’t have high expectations, but I’m pretty glad I was wrong.

The scotch was better than the one I had at Kingi and I actually enjoyed this one

Everything was cooked really well.

• When the "cantaloupe carpaccio” came out, I regretted ordering it, but it was really good. Hats off to them for proving me wrong (other than the portion size at original price)
• Southern Stations wagyu beef scotch - they cooked it like I wanted it (rare) and the sauce was pretty good
• Grilled salmon with miso glaze was excellent
• Herb crusted lamb rack was again cooked very well. Can’t fault it other than the flour-y rosti that came wih it
• Durum spaghetti was the only one that was significantly weak
• Makikihi fries could have come with better quality tomato and aioli sauces, but the fries themselves were fried very well

Total was $203 for food and drink for four, plus $5 discounted parking and whatever the First Table fee was

Does anyone know where I can get some, prefer takeaway option, or little sit in place rather than full on restaurant.

It is all over the place when I last went out to get some in Wellington, but just dont see it here ?

Was sad to come to Gaja for dinner and see it closed but surprised to see Lebanese grocer opening their new spot Yola. I’m super excited to have them even closer to this part of town!

Apparently wang mart has it. Highly recommend. You can have it with milk or without (with milk is better). My fridge is fully stocked with these now lolll

What’s the verdict on the best meat on chips in central Auckland? I just got mix medium at Star Kebab k road for 15 dollars. It’s delicious, crispy crinkle cut chips with tender meat and good sauce.

I looked at Top Ten kebab, also on k-road, but it was 21!?!? Seems ridiculous but if there’s anyone out there who’s had it and can recommend then I will try it sometime.

Being raised in a conservative Hindu household ,pork was neither looked down nor made to eat. I recently moved to Auckland and tried pork ribs in Eden noodles. They were mindblowing!!! And apart from that i have tried pork ribs from couple of places and every single one of them was bang on!. And I found out that I just like pork ribs in general lol :). Any other recommendations - places or recipes - do tell!!

Sorry no pictures this time.

I was a bit iffy on this, fast food shellfish and the like make me a bit anxious, but wow it was such a great burger. Going to try and make it myself. I get the hype.