Kia Ora, Auckland!
There we were at PF Chang’s sipping Johnny Walker Black on the rocks. Dad and I were both a bit giddy with excitement. After months of planning we were finally on our way.
Why were we at PF Chang’s? The Chase Sapphire Reserve, my credit card of choice, includes access to airport lounges around the world. Strangely, at LAX instead of access to a lounge cardholder’s get $30 (or $60 with a guest) of free food and beverage at PF Chang’s. Naturally we opted for some scotch to inaugurate or trip. And some pan fried dumplings for good measure. Little did we realize how the theme of dumplings would follow us through New Zealand.
Upgrading to Premium Economy was absolutely one of the best ideas we had. Air New Zealand’s Premium Economy is akin to the business class of yesteryear. Dad and I really enjoyed the flight lounging in our oversized leather seats. Accustomed to not being fed I had unnecessarily brought way too many snacks. From 35,000 feet we got our first taste of New Zealand lamb for dinner, sous vide lamb shank with saffron polenta, roasted carrots, black olives, baby onions and salsa verde.
Arriving at dawn, we ubered into town to the M Social Auckland and dropped off our luggage. It was a rainy, dreary day in Auckland, but we made the most of it. For breakfast I had my first of many meat pies, a Lamb Korma pie from Bake & Beans. It was also my first bite of Indian food.
Auckland was quiet. Perhaps it was the rain, or maybe the fact that it was Saturday morning. We didn’t stumble upon too many interesting stores to pop into, but we did manage to enjoy some good food. Per a friend of a friend’s recommendation we hit Depot Eatery, where we enjoyed some fresh oysters, clams, local fish, and a wonderful little charcuterie plate.
Post-siesta, we head back out on the town to find some dinner. I had noticed there were quite a few Malaysian restaurants in town, and so we landed at Uncle Man’s Authentic Malaysian Restaurant. Both the Mee Goreng and Beef Rendang were were excellent, and it was incredibly affordable.
Earlier in the day our uber driver had mentioned how much Kiwis love ethnic food. Unexpectedly, much of the best food we ate in New Zealand had not originated there. During our time there we enjoyed not only Malaysian food, but also food from Israel, Japan, and India. There seemed to be a handful of Indian restaurants in just about every time we visited, no matter how small.
I sought the best Kiwi food everywhere we went. It wasn’t always easy to find something that felt authentic, but there were definitely moments of culinary brilliance mixed in with a sea of standard pub fare.
