Welfare BBQ Meats

There is something about eating a big plate of roast meat and rice that feels very pure: no frills, no accoutrements, just two pieces of wilted bok choy or choy sum curled up on the side of the dish, mere window dressing to the main event. That meaty purity is enhanced by the fact you can usually see the array of char siu and roast duck hanging by the glass windows, where an ageing Chinese man gloved up to the elbows wields a butcher’s knife. You can watch your lunch get chopped up in front of you, unceremoniously passed along the counter and plopped on a mountain of rice. It’s a beautiful thing to behold, and this place is among the best in Auckland to see such a sight — and the actual food ain’t so bad, either.