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Your week in food: The Pie Piper's fried-chicken dinner, Mercury Plaza's Maruten Ramen's new spot, and more

All the yum stuff happening in Auckland this week beginning 5 November.

Your week in food: The Pie Piper's fried-chicken dinner, Mercury Plaza's Maruten Ramen's new spot, and more

Nov 5, 2019 What's On

A new spring menu at Gemmayze Street, more gin, a momos festival and what we ate this week! A jam-packed food calendar as we creep into the warmer months.

Gemmayze St $60 Jeeb
In celebration of their new spring menu, Top 50 Restaurant Gemmayze St are offering a special $60 Jeeb menu (usually $65) to showcase some new dishes, plus a glass of prosecco or cocktail upon arrival. It will be available for 5.30pm bookings only for the first 2 Tuesdays and Wednesdays of November (5, 6, 12 and 13).
Tuesday 5-13 November | Gemmayze St, Karangahape Rd

Paris Butter ’s Gin Degustation
There are only 20 spots available for this small, exclusive dinner featuring a six-course dinner paired with six courses of gin. Tickets are $100, and include a little how-to-make-a-cocktail demonstration from head mixologist Mikey Ball.
Wednesday 7 November | Paris Butter, Herne Bay
 
Savor Group dinner
As part of the Gin Jubilee festivities, Savor Group restaurants – Azabu , Ostro, SEVEN, Fukuko and The Wreck – come together for a gin cocktail and cuisine pairing. The cocktail line-up features creations from all of the eateries bartenders.
Thursday 7 November | Akai Doa, Karangahape Rd

Mo:Mo Festival 2019
Momos are a type of dumpling famous in South Asia with thicker-than-normal skins and usually a spiced, cumin-heavy centre. Nepalese eatery Tama are holding the second edition of their now-annual Mo:Mo Festival with live music by Sanjeev Gurung on the front porch and a momo eating competition.
Saturday 9 November | TAMA eatery & bar, Upper Queen St

The Pie Piper’s Fried Chicken
The Pie Piper are known for their devastatingly good American-style pies and doughnuts, made immediate by the wafts of goodness which drift out when you open the door. This Saturday between 5-9pm, they’re bringing back their fried chicken dinner for one night, complete with coleslaw, biscuits and old-fashioned mac and cheese.
Saturday 9 November | The Pie Piper, Karangahape Rd


New Openings

Mercury Plaza’s beloved ramen outlet Maruten Ramen has relocated to a permanent spot on Dominion Road. Happy, happy news. 466 Dominion Road

?READ MORE: Last bites: Mercury Plaza’s fight for survival


What We Ate This Week
Jean Teng and Alex Blackwood

Yoon’s Kitchen
I’ve written about this place before, but I just want to put it forward again and across people’s radars because the owner is so bloody lovely. She remembered what I ate in May, suggesting that I eat it again as I “enjoyed it so much the last time.” This time I opted for something different, their famous cheese pork katsu ($21) which comes with small saucers of kimchi, lotus root and pancake, plus a salad topped with kumara crisps. They also do metal bowls of healthy-ish dupbabs (meat or salmon on rice) and cold noodles. I spied a slow-cooked pork belly soup that I want to go back and try. – JT
7/35 Apollo Dr, Rosedale

Brothers Beer CWD beef brisket sandwich
The brisket here is so soft, so juicy, with just the right amount of char around the edges. I could do with a little more pickle on the sandwich and the salad seemed almost a token gesture, but otherwise, this was a good lunch. – AB
90 Wellesley St W, Auckland CBD

Taste of Auckland
As long as you’re willing to spend the big bucks, Taste of Auckland is a fun time, especially if it’s a nice day outside. The food offerings could do with some improvement, especially on the restaurant side of things, but I managed to taste the Marco Pierre White-approved Best Dish, Nanam ’s wagyu sausage ‘longganisa’, wrapped up in a little tortilla, which was delicious and by far the best thing I ate on the day. Full credit to Nanam’s chef, Jess Granada. – JT

Hallertau Lemon Curd sour beer
I’m on a bit of a personal quest to find New Zealand’s best sour beers and this isn’t my number one, but it is a very good entrée into sour beers for non-sour beer drinkers – it is a bit less tart and shocking if you’re used to, say, a lager. There’s more of a classic beery yeasty hoppiness compared to other sour beers I’ve been tasting. It is, however, lemony, refreshing and crisp. – AB

why yes, my flatmates did make fun of me while I took this very extra photo.
why yes, my flatmates did make fun of me while I took this very extra photo.

Durian Lover at Fukurou Patisserie
Fukurou Patisserie’s new flavour of layered mille crepe cake, Durian Lover, does exactly what’s on the tin. It’s only truly for people who have acquired a taste for durian – it’s like eating the stuff direct, with a different, softer texture. If you’re not a fan, just be warned, it’ll linger in your mouth for a little while after. But if you miss the South East Asian King of Fruits, buy a slice of this immediately. – JT
Train Station 13/28 Remuera Rd, Newmarket

Spicy Soup at Hot & Spicy Pot Dominion road
There is something very satisfying about such an interactive experience: choose your ingredients from a meat, veges and noodles pick’n’mix wall, pick your soup and level of spice and they whisk it away and cook it up for you. And even better, the ingredients were varied and luxuriously hard-to-find food items. There were plenty of styles of tofu, several different kinds of noodles, quail eggs, two different kinds of paua (which they call abalone here) and about four different varieties of mushrooms. The soup was flavourful enough that I didn’t end up using the sauce bar. Admittedly, I asked for ‘mild’ and still needed a beer to keep from sweating from the heat. And I’m not a total wuss, so be careful. – AB
605 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden

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