Auckland Day 2
On Monday we started our day with breakfast in the hotel. This time we were not offered toast. I asked for decaf coffee and was told it would cost extra. Weird. I was given a cup of freshly brewed espresso and it was delicious. Brian's "regular" coffee came in a metal pot. We stuck with the Continental breakfast today. Brian tried to get me a second cup of decaf and got a weird response--basically as if they had done us a favor by getting me one special order that did not "come with the room." Strange.
Monday's agenda included a trip up to the Sky Tower to see the panoramic view of Auckland and enviros. It gave us a great perspective on the city and some ideas about places to visit later. For lunch we went to a Thai restaurant nearby that we'd read was the best in Auckland. I had my usual Param (Pharam Long Song on their menu) and we tried a banana leaf-wrapped chicken "entree" (aka appetizer). The only tea on the menu was hot tea, so I started to wonder if Thai Iced tea is traditionally Thai or if New Zealand folks just don't drink it.
We jumped on a bus again to see Parnell--another hip, upscale shopping/dining district. While wandering about Brian actually ran into a former co-worker. It turns out she's from New Zealand and lives here now. Quite the small world moment. From Parnell we walked back to our hotel. On the way we ventured through Victoria Park, where there's an old statue of Queen Victoria and a beautiful central fountain. The college nearby had an architecturally significant clock tower that Brian photographed (built by R.J. Lippincott of Chicago).
Monday night we decided to try a new neighborhood for dinner. In the paper we'd read about a new place in Mt. Eden called Molten. It turned out to be a great find. It was small, modern-looking (concrete floor, wooden tables, spare walls, and a big window facing the street) place. After being seated we had some nice breads with avocado aioli and olive oil. A photographer snapped pictures of the restaurant from the sidewalk outside while we dined. I joked with Brian that I was glad I had changed into a black turtleneck for the photo shoot! My first course was phenomenal fig tarte with lettuces and hard cheese (parmigiano-reggiano) strips on top. I had a risotto for my main and an insane strawberries, saboyan, lemon shortbread dessert. Great decaf coffee too. We chatted with the owner and found out they'd only been open for 9 weeks and that the photos were being taken for Cuisine Magazine and there were rumors that they might make a top 20 restaurants of Auckland list.
Brian writes: The chef at Molten used to be a development chef for Tereno Conran's London restaurants. His partner (in life and business) was also a chef, but has retrained to run the front of the house. They spent a year in Ireland before moving back to New Zealand to find a space and open a restaurant. It's called Molten because it's on Mt. Eden--one of the many volcanos surrounding Auckland. It was great to stumble across a sharp neighborhood restaurant and get a feel for what native Aucklanders are used to vs. going to some over-priced tourist trap with a view.
We sat in front of the white wall (I think the tables have been reconfigured).
Monday's agenda included a trip up to the Sky Tower to see the panoramic view of Auckland and enviros. It gave us a great perspective on the city and some ideas about places to visit later. For lunch we went to a Thai restaurant nearby that we'd read was the best in Auckland. I had my usual Param (Pharam Long Song on their menu) and we tried a banana leaf-wrapped chicken "entree" (aka appetizer). The only tea on the menu was hot tea, so I started to wonder if Thai Iced tea is traditionally Thai or if New Zealand folks just don't drink it.
We jumped on a bus again to see Parnell--another hip, upscale shopping/dining district. While wandering about Brian actually ran into a former co-worker. It turns out she's from New Zealand and lives here now. Quite the small world moment. From Parnell we walked back to our hotel. On the way we ventured through Victoria Park, where there's an old statue of Queen Victoria and a beautiful central fountain. The college nearby had an architecturally significant clock tower that Brian photographed (built by R.J. Lippincott of Chicago).
Monday night we decided to try a new neighborhood for dinner. In the paper we'd read about a new place in Mt. Eden called Molten. It turned out to be a great find. It was small, modern-looking (concrete floor, wooden tables, spare walls, and a big window facing the street) place. After being seated we had some nice breads with avocado aioli and olive oil. A photographer snapped pictures of the restaurant from the sidewalk outside while we dined. I joked with Brian that I was glad I had changed into a black turtleneck for the photo shoot! My first course was phenomenal fig tarte with lettuces and hard cheese (parmigiano-reggiano) strips on top. I had a risotto for my main and an insane strawberries, saboyan, lemon shortbread dessert. Great decaf coffee too. We chatted with the owner and found out they'd only been open for 9 weeks and that the photos were being taken for Cuisine Magazine and there were rumors that they might make a top 20 restaurants of Auckland list.
Brian writes: The chef at Molten used to be a development chef for Tereno Conran's London restaurants. His partner (in life and business) was also a chef, but has retrained to run the front of the house. They spent a year in Ireland before moving back to New Zealand to find a space and open a restaurant. It's called Molten because it's on Mt. Eden--one of the many volcanos surrounding Auckland. It was great to stumble across a sharp neighborhood restaurant and get a feel for what native Aucklanders are used to vs. going to some over-priced tourist trap with a view.
We sat in front of the white wall (I think the tables have been reconfigured).
posted by Jennifer at 7:31 PM
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