Great place for Japanese food. Very nice and cosy, love the cute little details. Everything was…read morewell thought out. Plus, I love that they are so kid-friendly. They gave my 3-year-old her own set of cute utensils and Hello Kitty plastic cup which she really loved. The food is really good and affordable. I always order tonkatsu from Japanese restaurants and this one did not fail to delivery the authentic taste and crunch you'd find in a really well done dish. My husband had the steak donburi while my mom had the salmon with avocado donburi, both excellent dishes. They have a menu of just $10 donburi, which is really money well spent. This place is worth revisiting when you're in Birkenhead.

Absolutely perfect experience! Everything that we ordered was timely, homemade, fresh and layers of…read moreasian flavours!!! Staff friendly and quick. You get a strong feel of the locals filling up the dining room for dinner.

This is probably the least busy yum char place that I have been to in Auckland during a weekday…read more That can both be good and bad. Good because they don't have to turn the table for the next group that's already waiting at the door. Bad because I have to question if everything is made fresh today. For today though. I ordered my usual selection of yum char musts. And the beef tripe is probably the most flavourful that I have had in Auckland. That been said, everything else were all just on par with everywhere else. The price is also very reasonable. I am sorry that I can't give you a breakdown, because I don't even know what they cost individually. Lol. But I paid $38 for a mix of 7 yum char items. So it works out to be 5 and a bit per? And if you know yum char, then that's 1 top, 3 large and 3 medium selections.

Pretty good! Went for lunch on a Monday (public holiday) and the restaurant was about 80% full. We…read morewere surprised at the variety of dishes for yum char! There were at least 20+ types of dishes that was circulated around. For four people, we ended up spending $80 for 13 items (incl. 10% holiday surcharge). Overall, the parking was convenient, the variety definitely there, and the cleanliness and atmosphere were good! I'd come back again if I'm on the shore. The egg tarts were good, and the shiau mai was good too. Also, unlike the other yum char places in Auckland, the portion is four items! (other places only have 3 portions) Price Breakdown: Tea $1 per person Medium is $4.80 Large is $5.80 Special is $6.50

I grew up three minutes from here, but never gave this place much thought as it's nothing special…read moreto look at. Having been for the first time a few months ago, I now realise it's one of the sweet neighborhood places that puts minimal effort into appearance or atmosphere, but serves up excellent food. My go to dish is the Kimchi stew - the best possible meal for cold days. They ask if you want it mild or spicy, and I've never found the spicy overwhelming, just pleasantly hot. Besides, if you're ordering a dish that's main ingredient is kimchi, embrace the spice! They give you a big bowl of it, and it's served with rice (which I can only ever eat a fraction of) and side dishes, so it's a seriously filling meal, for something like $13. The staff are lovely, and it's a nice place to enjoy a casual lunch or dinner - no need to don your fancy pants

Wandering around in the heart of Birkenhead, looking for dinner and stumbled across this Top 100…read moreMetro cheap eats spot- so that made our decision. A small cosy interior with a yellow wall and wooden paneling underneath to the floor. Loved the picture of visitors on the wall- wanted to get on it! A few black and white checkered tables with backed chairs and a corner with a fridge full of chilled drinks, a self-serve water cooler and rice water green tea. Such friendly staff- really appreciated it, especially with the set up and maintenance of our ham and sausage stew on the gas burner- which we were accidentally burning. Never heard of this dish before but a good hearty soup that dates back to the American soldiers in the Korean war. Also ordered their marinated squid with rice as well as marinated pork with rice. Each of us were given a tray with bowl of white rice, side dishes with pickled radish with sesame seeds, seaweed, fish cake and mung beans. More than plenty side dishes and an additional plate of kimchi that filled every inch of space on our table for four. Very filling and such good value for money. Definitely come check this one out if you are after good Korean!

Visited this wonderful place last Wednesday for a family 77th Birthday Party. Last visit was a…read morecouple of years ago and both time I was really impressed. To me this is authentic Italian cuisine. All the classics, a couple of good specials, kid friendly, and a decent selection of wines. Service is pretty good with a slight family feel, but don't expect fast service, instead relax and enjoy the unhurried atmosphere as the hot summer sun makes way for a cool breeze, and the kids can peek over the fence and explore the adjacent Whangaparoa Railway and animals close by. Perfetto!

Nol Bu Ne, one of the first Korean restaurants in the CBD located on Wellesley Street East housed…read morein a red pagoda style building and still one of the best Korean around. Up on level one, after a dodgy elevator ride is not somewhere you would accidently stumble across. It's very lively and bustling and you will feel like you're in Korea for a moment. It'll be hard to resist ordering the bibimbap, which on my 3 trips for Korean is what I keep ordering. The dumplings are nice too and the barbeque pork punchy. Of all the side dishes that are complimentary with your meal I love the soy-infused sweet potato. Even tried my first Korean Sushi which is a little different to your run of the mill. Quick service and at a cheap price. Give it a whirl!

Nol bu ne has a great location, located a few steps away from the busy Queen St and Wellesley St…read moreIntersection. Food is good here. As good as Korean gets in the lower price range with mains averaging around $13.

THIS PLACE IS HEAVEN. The only downside is I didn't discover it sooner…read more The restaurant is trendy and modern inside, great for a date or a casual catch up with a friend. They have drinks on special, the night I went our choices were Orion beer or a prosseco brut. I got the sparkling and my partner ordered a beer. We were seated at a high table with bar stools, which isn't usually my cup of tea but we were by the window which meant great lighting and fabulous people watching. The server took our order as soon as we snapped our menus shut and brought us drinks super quickly. I ordered the veggie ramen, after asking if it was vegan and the server saying he "thinks so." Hoping that meant yes. He did tell me the noodles were made out of wheat, which added another tally to my list of people in New Zealand who think vegan is the same as gluten free (I LOVE BREAD, PEOPLE!!). The ramen came out very quickly as well and holy SH*T IT IS AMAZING. The broth is rich and slightly spicy and so flavourful, the noodles were cooked to perfection and squishy and hearty, and the combination of cabbage, seaweed, and whatever that other green veg was made it just over the top incredible. I ate my ramen before I even finished my drink, which really says something. By the time we left, bellies full and sloshing, I had ramen juice all over my white dress and a huge, fat kid smile plastered on my face. The total for my partner and I's meals came to $50, which is absurdly cheap in Auckland. Cheers to that!! Ps my partner had a seafood ramen and loved his as well.

Zool Zool is a modern ramen bar with a killer whisky list to boot. Ever since Uni I've been a huge…read moreramen fan so I am stoked this trend is finally hitting NZ shores. We came here recently for dinner with a group (note. They don't take reservations) and were luckily able to grab a few tables upstairs before the dinner rush. A few of us arrived early and were ravenous so ordered some edamame (spicy) and takoyaki to start. The edamame came in a large brown paper bar covered in spice. A cool idea, but ours were overcooked and in need of a good sprinkling of salt. The takoyaki on the other hand, came with a generous garnish of dancing bonita flakes and were light and crispy - delicious! On the recommendation of the waiter I ordered miso ramen for my main and a karaage chicken to share. It was way too much food but if there's fried chicken involved, I've got to try it. Back to the ramen, the flavour was more refined that others I've tried but still really well balanced and meaty. The noodles were perfectly cooked but I have to agree with Milly H, it was missing a few garnishes that I've come to expect. The Karaage was, in my mind, perfect. Light & crunchy on the outside, perfectly cooked, moist chicken on the inside - highly recommend. The service was friendly albeit a bit patchy. It seems like they don't have sections and because about half the seating is upstairs you have to grab a waiter while you can before they disappear below. There were lot's of loud "excuse me" 's from different table trying to get the waiter's attention. Zool Zool have only just opened and are probably still trying to iron out some kinks. I plan of heading back there when the weather cools down. There's no outdoor seating and ramen + AKL humidity is not my favourite combo.

Never expected to have super good Korean food in Auckland!…read more * * * EXPERIENCE * * * We made a reservation for dinner for four. The restaurant itself is on a very quiet street that we almost missed it when we walked by. Interior decoration is pretty hipster-ish, with a large bar in the middle which looks kind of cool. It was only ~30% full which we felt strange as it's on a Saturday night, we were a bit skeptical at first but as soon as the food arrived it blew away our worries! * * * FOOD * * * We got the Royal Dinner Set for four, its basically a combination of all kinds of dishes.... and most of them were amazing. The abalone with beef stew was the best one in my opinion.... not sure why these two would go together but who cares, the abalone was fresh and seasoning was amazing, the beef was so tender too. The bean curds and roasted pork were also surprisingly good. The rest of the standard Korean side dishes were good too. I'm a big fan of tofu soup and what they had got my approval. The sashimi was kind of meh though, not that it was not fresh but it just didnt quite match the rest of the dishes IMO. I don't know if Auckland is famous for its Asian food.... but i definitely recommend coming to Hansik if you are in the area!

Asian food is a growing culture in Auckland, I'm very much accustomed to a bibimbap so had this…read moreplace top of my list to visit, and no surprise my Korean friend came along to give his review of this new addition to Drake Street. It's in the premises of the failed Attico Cocina and they have on the whole not changed the space. Other reviews have said this place is expensive but we had a set menu from the choice of 4 for only $49 and got about 8 small courses that added up to one great value meal. It was better than we imagined. The starter of tempered porridge was not to my taste or texture although a few others at the table liked it. The tofu dish was just ok but pretty on the plate. The fritters that next came were a great dish with 4 different fritters in a very light batter. Then a simple Sashimi dish. The Bossam Slow-cooked pork belly with a little samosa type parcel was amazing! Then lastly came the combo of a cold type bibimbap with a very spicy soup on the side that had me spluttering and ingredients of thinly sliced beef rib, mushroom and brocolli to cook at your table using a heated stone. There were a variety of sauces to spice up your dish also. Dessert I wish I didn't bother with, the soggy milky bread dessert that had a strange almond taste or the cheesecake that came out of a muffin case which were floury and odd were both horrible. There were unfinished plates all around the table but unfortunately were part of the set menu. Hansik is a lot prettier than standard joints and the set menu makes it way better than others in my opinion. I thought the service was great and the wine selection adequate. I would go back and try another set menu maybe from the sea vs the land.

Saw this Korean restaurant while driving past and decided to give it a go. Glad we did as I like…read moreKorean food and haven't found many Korean restaurants out where we live. This is a BBQ-style restaurant with every table fitted with a BBQ in the centre. The menu is simple with only about 12 selections of raw meat dishes on it. The raw meat is delivered to the table with about 15 side dishes of vegetables, some to BBQ and some not such as pickles and kimchi. We ordered the marinated ribeye and pork sirloin both of which delicious and fresh. We also ordered two bowls of rice which came with a pot of delicious soup ($1). Things to note about this restaurant. There are no entrees on the menu, it's a simple menu with emphasis on the BBQ. An entree is not need anyway with the accompanying side dishes. It is also not licensed however there is a liquor shop about 20m away which is where we purchased a bottle of wine to have with our meal. The bbqing itself was really easy while giving my partner opportunity to show off his bbq-ing skills. This was an excellent value meal. Tasty, delicious, fun and cheap. Highly recommended. We will be back.