Dining: Auckland City

Okay, foodie friends – this post is for you!

I escaped Queenstown for a few days (coincidentally, the same few days that the weather finally cooperated) to spend time exploring Auckland. Most people refer to it as the capital of New Zealand, and that’s true if you ignore that Wellington is the government seat of the country. Auckland, really, is the commercial capital. And, if these 4 days were any indication, Auckland City is also the food capital too.

Hot dang, ya’ll! I have to admit that I expected some disappointing food options, but I was proven wrong.wrong.wrong. Doing a little research before I left, I was not impressed by the descriptions of what were listed as the top restaurants in the city. I’m so glad that I ignored those instincts, though! I found some real gems.

I have to start with this one, even though it wasn’t my first meal in the city. And it wasn’t the best-looking weather, either, but how can you complain about that from 220 meters in the sky? I leisurely enjoyed my decaf soy flat white with 360-degrees views of the city from the observation deck of the Sky Tower. In the distance there is the Auckland Harbour Bridge, which is apparently the newest addition to the traffic maze around this hub city. The coffee was delicious, and it gave me an excuse to stop moving for a few minutes. Pretty special.

Now this – this was my actual first meal in Auckland. At a lovely place called The Store, the menu is mostly fully of delicious-looking breakfast options, although there were some tasty lunch items as well. Since I had left Queenstown pretty early without much of a breakfast, I thought a yummy roasted capsicum omelette with homemade chorizo and chunky chips was the perfect lunch choice. With a side of a strawberry-thyme soda, what could be better? Oh, right – the garlic aioli dip for the chips. HAVE MERCY.

Not everyone is into Indian food. We didn’t have great options for Indian cuisine in Miami, and when I found Ela on the list of top restaurants in Auckland, I had to try it. (I was traveling alone – I could eat whatever I wanted!) I’m glad I found it, tucked into something called the Elliott Stables – which, if I understood it correctly, is a fancy, gourmet version of a non-mall food court. I nearly turned around when I realized it was one of a dozen places that shared numbered tables, but I stayed. It had started raining outside anyway, and Indian was stuck in my brain. The main dish is the chicken with spinach in the top corner there, next to my lemon-lime-and-bitters soda; the rice, salad, and gluten-free version of naan is the rest. The meal was warm, filling, and scratched the Indian itch I was having. Gem!

I have absolutely no idea that Montreal treated their bagels so badly. According to their website, Best Ugly Bagels is so named because of the terrible treatment of the dough – punched, rolled, boiled, and fired. Frankly, I didn’t realize that Montreal had their own version of bagels, but how could you not visit a place called Best Ugly? And since their site also mentioned that they had finally developed a gluten-free bagel, I knew that this was a must-visit. It was a bit out of the way – a flat-out hike from where I had started – but the City Works Depot is kind of a cool collection of hot spots, so I was glad to have checked out a small part of it. Sitting on that delicious sesame seed GF bagel is pastrami, habanero mustard, and a pickle: they call the sandwich “The Yodi”. The bagel was so satisfying (for a GF version) that I bought a packet to bring home. Gotta share the love!

Oh, boy.  This. I can only use one word to describe this ridiculous treat: DECADENCE. Holy smokes, you guys – this was the most amazing surprise! I had read about Giapo on TripAdvisor, but there was no indication that I’d be able to eat anything here so I assumed I’d just skip it. I happened to stumble across it while looking for another one of the city’s landmarks, and I popped my head in. I asked the young woman behind the counter about sorbet – she pointed out that the last row of ever-changing flavors were all vegan. AND, two of the three were gluten-free! I nearly hugged the poor girl. These ice creams were made with coconut cream (another testament to my favorite nut), but the best thing about them? Each flavor gets its very own topping decoration! Talk about a thing of beauty. This one was a vegan & GF cookies-and-cream ice cream covered in dark chocolate, rice krispies, and a GF chocolate-chocolate-chip cookie. In reality, I probably couldn’t eat anything bigger than this cup without feeling sick, but I think I could have gone swimming in a bucket of that ice cream. It was *that* good.

This is a meal that didn’t quite live up to the expectations. I was told to skip Depot, but I was intrigued by the menu. I went anyway. It was good and they were kind enough to find space for a solo diner when other people were waiting 30 to 45 minutes to be seated, but I didn’t love the food as much as I had wanted to. The lamb chops were melt-off-the-bone tender, and the broccoli was roasted just the way I like it – I can’t pinpoint why I wasn’t more infatuated with my meal. It was a funky space (mostly outdoors) and the crowd was young and fun, but I probably wouldn’t rush back to this one. No real complaints, but no real food-love.

By far, the most beautifully presented food came from a place called Industry Zen. There were a ton of yummy options on the menu – it was nearly impossible to choose! But I think I did pretty well – the food was gorgeous when they set the platters on the table, and everything was incredibly fresh. I shouldn’t be surprised by how good the seafood is (we eat a lot of really tasty sushi here), but this meal was over the top. I will definitely come back to this spot next time!

All in all, I’m impressed by the food in Auckland. I clearly didn’t have a chance to try everything on my list, but I made a pretty good dent. Let’s see what happens on trip #2!