Auckland Diner's Diary: May - July 2014

There are so many new eateries popping up in Auckland all the time that I struggle to keep track of them all. There are plenty of places that I have been meaning to visit, which I haven't got around to for years. It's funny how similar restaurants appear at the same time too: in November/December last year, it was French bistros (Frenchie and Touquet), in February this year it seemed Italian was the flavour of the month (Piccoli Piatti and Gusto at the Grand) and around April, there were a whole bunch of new cafes (Chuffed, Rosie, Clear Water Peak, Black and Gold, Welcome Eatery).

I thought I would start taking note of the new places that I discover, as well as places that close, and general items of interest. Let me know what else is happening!

Modern Asian

• Cassia (July) - inner city modern Indian restaurant by Sid Sahrawat of Sidart
• Le Vietnamese Kitchen (June) - restaurant across the road from Ponsonby Central which Peter Calder calls "approximately Vietnamese"
• Viet Flames (June) - one of the few restaurants in Victoria Park Market
• Bolaven (May) - Mount Eden cafe with Laotian influences

Eating with Values

• Wilder and Hunt (July) - second branch of this paleo-friendly cafe opened in Ponsonby
• Crafty Baker (June) - bakery in Glen Eden that uses free range eggs, organic milk and cream, and even churns their own butter!
• Mondays (May) - wholefoods cafe in Kingsland with raw, vegan and gluten-free baking

Suburban Coffee Spots

• Little Sister (July) - cafe in Henderson from an experienced couple, previously of Salvation Kitchen and Sweetie, famous for their donuts
• Craft Kitchen (July) - hospitality newbies start up small in Ponsonby with family and grind their own flour daily
• Dear Jervois (June) - from the owners of popular Milford cafe Little King, this new business in Herne Bay offers drool-worthy food including vegan, dairy-, and gluten-free options, and cakes from The Raw Kitchen
• Rumplestiltskins (June) - small cafe where Theatre and Brazil used to be on K'Rd, offering breakfast options as well as ribs and sliders
• Willow Cafe (May) - cafe in Albany from the previous owners of The Grassy Knoll in the CBD
• Sprout Cafe (May) - cafe in Mount Albert, in the process of installing a kitchen

Big Names at Littler Places

• FishSmith (May) - modern take on fish and chips in Herne Bay, prepared by former executive chef at Lava Dining in Sofitel
• Farina (May) - Italian eatery by Sergio Maglione of Toto Restaurant

Revamped Gastropubs

• The Good Home (July) - suburban gastropub in Birkenhead, formerly the Slipp Inn
• The Cav (June) - refurbished bar in Freeman's Bay, formerly the Cavalier Tavern

Other

• [Added 7 January 2015: Sulma BBQ(July) - Korean BBQ place opposite the city library]
• Hog Heaven Louisiana Smokehouse (July) - New Orleans cuisine and pizza in a Newmarket bar
• Lava Burger (July) - also jumping on the American burger bandwagon, but in Parnell
• Poplars Forest (July) - Xinjiang cuisine in a little shop on Upper Queen St
• Ponsonby Central has two new stalls (May): the $5 Deli and Crepes a go-go
• [Added 15 September 2014: The Chicken Station (June) - stall in Food Alley selling chicken in many forms, from chicken and waffles, to hainanese chicken]
• Pirates Kitchen (May) - this pirate-themed restaurant in Eden Terrace has mixed identity, with Japanese food as well as Thai and Western items, but could be fun for the kids

Coming Soon

• Best Ugly is opening a Newmarket store for bagel lovers (due late July)
• [Added 29 July 2014: Il Buco now has a branch in Vulcan Lane]
• Dilecta is opening soon where Mondial used to be in Grey Lynn (due late July)
• Grill and Shakes in Kingsland will be offering grilled meats and milkshakes, as the name suggests (due early August)
• Open Table is a crowd-funded cafe in Ellerslie (due to open next month)
• Scarlett Slimm's and Lucky sounds like it will be another Southern American joint (opening soon in Mount Eden)
• Craft Cafe is hiring (opening soon in Beaumont St)
• Woodworks is the latest project from the team behind Petit Bocal and La Boulange (due August/September in Avondale)
• Pepitos Bar is a collaboration between Spanish Chef Serafin Bueno Sanz from Serafin and José Luis Fowler of Cook at Home Paella (Milford branch due in September; Mount Eden branch in April 2015)

Gone

• Modern Japanese restaurant Soto (13 St Marys Bay Road, Ponsonby) closed at the end of June
• Bump Coffee (2 Kent Street, Newmarket) also closed at the end of June

Upcoming Events

• The Food Show (31 July - 3 August 2014) - it's feels a bit like paying for the privilege of being advertised to sometimes, but you do get plenty of tastings and discounted foodie goods. To make the most of your time there, you might also want to watch some cooking demonstrations.
• Auckland Restaurant Month (August 2014) - special menus, events, and more. If you can't be bothered looking through all the pages, see fellow blogger Genie's picks for the month.