Auckland Diner's Diary: February 2018

Food Trucks & Pop-Ups

• The Bahn Van - food truck selling bahn mi at Smales Farm
• Brooklyn by Night - classic American East Coast fare is on the menu at The Botanist at the City Works Depot for at least three months
• Good for Now - pop-up garden bar at Smales Farm in Takapuna, serving fish and chips and salmon poke bowls, with a roster of food trucks nearby

Poké Power

• Ika Bowl - Polynesian-inspired poké bar at Snickel Lane from three school friends Navi Lavulavu, Hutu Harris, and Rakai Heka-Beazley
• Yeah Bowl Britomart - second branch of Phil Cui's poké bar has opened at Britomart Train Station
• Ha! Poke - new branches opened in Mission Bay and Ponsonby

City Openings - Asian Flavours

• Chongqing Noodles 八十八度 重庆小面 - another branch of the spicy noodle shop has opened on Wellesley Street, where Madang used to be
• Barilla Dumplings 百味饺子 - third branch of the Chinese dumpling store has opened at The Quad at The University of Auckland
• My Kitchen 我家厨房 - new branch of the Taiwanese eatery has opened on Customs Street East
• ChengDu Taste 成都味道 - Chengdu cuisine on Mayoral Drive, where Beijing Cuisine used to be

City Openings - Tea and Cakes

• Coral Tea 一杯茶 - fried chicken and bubble tea where Mayoral Drive meets Queen Street
• Eighteight Cups - second and third outlets of the coffee shop have opened Queen Street, with owner Josh Love planning to open a fourth cafe on Albert Street
• Magic Cup - new branch of the bubble tea shop on Wakefield Street
• The Donut Kitchen - European donuts at Atrium on Elliott

Fringe Feeds

• Gyoza Bar - Japanese dumplings in Ponsonby, as well as izakaya-style dishes like kaarage chicken, fried lotus root and beef tataki made using grade A5 wagyu from Hida, Japan (opened 7 March)
• New Flavour 新源品味家 - popular Dominion Road eatery has opened a new branch in Parnell
• [Added 2 May 2018: Richmond & Domain - Grey Lynn cafe from Steve Wen of Domain Ayr, where Jafa Cafe used to be, with collaborations with local nutritionist Abbie O'Rourke from Feel Fresh Nutrition designing juices and smoothies, and a signature tea blend in the works with Waiheke Island's Timmy Smith]

Further Food

• Bernadette's - Filipino fusion menu inside the Movenpick store in Mount Wellington
• Sarap has relaunched as a Filipino buffet restaurant in New Lynn
• Little Lamb 小尾羊 - Mongolian hotpot restaurant in Ellerslie
• Hamlin Eatery - cafe in Mount Wellington
• Pheast - Asian takeaway noodle bar in Epsom
• [Added 18 March 2018: Mr Feng's 馮師傅 - homemade noodles and Chinese dumplings in Henderson, with the same branding as Yong's Hand Pulled Noodles]
• [Added 1 April 2018: Little 'Lato - gelateria from Hannah Wood in Morningside alongside Crave Cafe]
• [Added 2 April 2018: Husk Cafe - "honest food, honest coffee" in Epsom]

Going for Donuts

• Epiphany Cafe - new locations for the NZ donut cafe franchise serving Zealong tea are open at Botany Town Centre (24 February) and Northwest Mall (8 March), after recent openings at Westfield Manukau (9 December) and Glenfield Mall (28 October)
• Krispy Kreme - American doughnut brand has opened their first NZ store in Manukau, with the drive-thru open 24/7

New Up North

• Vic Road Kitchen - Mediterranean restaurant in Devonport from local sister duo Harriet and Lucy Byrnes, and British imports Ian Shields (Head Chef) and Craig Wright (Bar Manager) (opened 2 March)
• Nam Nam - Vietnamese street food in Takapuna (opened 8 March) [Added 1 April 2018: from the owners of Mt Eden Vietnamese restaurant Sen]

Coming

• Xoong Kitchen - Asian eatery in Mount Eden Village, where Molten used to be
• Umu Pizza - handcrafted sourdough pizza and local brews in Kingsland (late March)
• Garage Project Kingsland - "reimagined bottle store" in Kingsland with the Wellington brewery's beer on tap and merchandise for takeaway, as well as tastings and finger food (open to the public 22 March)
• Low Brow. - new venue at Queen's Rise from Kyle Street and Jordan Macdonald of Culprit.
• Sushi Samurai - sushi place on Upper Symonds Street where Banzai used to be
• 壹小锅 Miss Hotpot - Chinese hotpot where A'meza used to be
• Goodside at The Arbour - hospitality precinct at Smales Farm featuring the likes of Ripe Deli (June)
• Botany Town Centre is being upgraded, with expanded dining options (May 2019)
• Rooftop dining and gourmet market for the Westfield Newmarket development (end of 2019)

Closing

• True Food and Yoga is in liquidation owing more than $2.4m
• Moo Chow Chow is gone, but something exciting is coming in its place
• [Added 2 April 2018: Beirut has closed its doors to move on to new challenges]

Other

• Clooney has a new head chef, Nobu Lee, and is not closing after all
• The Grove also has a new head chef, Scott Denning, taking over from Ben Bayly
• Farro Fresh is opening its sixth store in Mount Eden after buying The Grocer's Market from its receiver

Events

• Oyster Festival (March) - Nourish Group is hosting a bunch of oyster-themed events till the end of the month
• Des x Culprit. (Thursday 15 March) - trolley takeover from Des Harris at Culprit.
• Cocktail Testing in the Dark (Thursday 22 March) - blind tasting experience of three cocktails in the dark at Rydges hotel
• Cocoro Collaboration Dinner (Tuesday 27 March) - two talented chefs from Tokyo join Makoto at Cocoro for an 8-course degustation with crayfish, scampi, paua, wagyu beef, 100% farm raised bluefin tuna
• Pasifika (24 - 25 March) - annual cultural celebration of Pacific culture at Western Springs, with a gourmet selection at 11 island villages