Best of the best! I can't say enough good things about this place after just one lunch visit. The…read morelettuce cups, an ornate chicken salad, explodes with flavor, texture and shear beauty. I followed the bang bang with the most meaty seafood shu mai ever. There is no question that the seafood shu mai are seafood, the shrimp are large, delicious and plentiful in the filling. The dishes of dipping oil and soy were also seasoned and not just poured from a bottle. Service was friendly and the decor beautiful and comfortable. A must visit place in Auckland !

We went here for dinner for the evening of Sat 22 June…read more Fang is tucked away in the middle of a newish building at 100 Parnell Road. Parking is pretty good that part of Parnell and so once we walked all the way into the depths of the building on the ground floor all was well. We were seated quickly, and had our waitress come with water and to answer any additional questions promptly. She recommended a number of sharing plates, which was fine by us as we thought that would probably be a good way to go anyway. We started off with some of the lotus chips which were awesome. We then received a selection of dishes including lamb short ribs, crispy pork ribs (a winner), supposedly very spicy bang bang chicken in lettuce cups (it wasn't that spicy but had a bit of kick and was delicious too), Crispy squid tentacles were also a popular choice. The kung pao soft shell crab was tasty but a bit small serving wise, and the dumplings all tasty too. The pork belly was average, nothing wrong with it but not a standout. My wife especially liked the slow cooked beef shin. Service was excellent, food was tasty and interesting, restaurant a little dimly lit but very cool nevertheless (perhaps better for dates than family dining but I'm being picky here). My only quibble is value, it's not bad value for money but it wasn't great value either. If it were slightly cheaper I wouldn't hesitate to score it 5/5. However, that is not a deterrent to me wanting to try the restaurant again, as the Rest of the package was all of a very high standard. We will be back for sure.

This place is really delicious. They have a lot of small plates which you can share with your table…read moreand lots of different things you can try and at this place really has a cool vibe.

They tell you that their portions are "sharing size" and theyre absolutely lying to you. Majority…read moreof the dishes are barely even enough for 1-2 people. Maybe im just used to my big fatso american portion sizes but I'd rather have enough food to fill me up and take home for the next day than be starved at a place where the food isnt even good Not only is every single damn dish spicy--which yeah, I like and can tolerate spice, and can enjoy it in certain situations, but every single dish you get being spicy is absurd and unejoyable, its not even the good type of spice, it just burns your throat--but the food was just plain bad too. I tried most of what came out and liked none of it. The only thing i could eat was the white rice which is pretty hard to fuck up. The food was so bad it made me throw up a bit mid eating and feel nauseous and have that about-to-puke feeling in my chest the rest of the time, which was worse than normal because there wasnt much that I ate in full and so its just pure stomach acid. The cocktails werent even good either, all the signatures were weird and the ones we got tasted bad. The servers were nice and thats about the only thing I liked about the restaurant. The place appearance wise was alright, but goddamn whoever designed the layout I guess decided to find a way to make noise echo as much as possible. I get it was busy at the time, but Ive been to busy places at peak hours that i didnt have to shout at just to get the other person to hear me. The entire floor layout was just weird in general and very crowded, not spaced out well at all. I wouldnt return to this place, mainly because theres nothing to eat for me, but I probably wouldnt recommend it either unless you like a shit ton of spice and weird meals & even weirder cocktails (What are in the photos is not all we ate, but i just took a photo of these to show how small the apparent "sharing sizes" are)

My #1 spot for my morning coffee! I love the entire staff here. They always welcome you with a…read moresmile & how are you doing today? The ambiance is a perfect setting for breakfast & afterwards for Happy Hour. You can sit indoors or outdoors and enjoy people watching or simply watch the sunset.

We went for breakfast late in the morning near the end of their breakfast service. They…read moreaccommodated us but they turned down customers who arrived after us. I had the 'eggs any style' which came with bacon, ciabatta and tomatoes. It was very good. The price was high ($28 NZD or about $24 CAD). But considering the touristy location in Auckland and that this is an upscale restaurant attached to the M Social Hotel, the price is understandable. The restaurant is very clean and looks appealing. The bench we sat at wasn't that comfortable but it was better than the red stools without backs. The bar is well stocked and beautiful.

On Tuesday night, I was invited to the opening of a new restaurant in Mt Eden Village, namely Wu &…read moreYou. It was a fantastic night, thanks to the mouthwatering food, cocktails, ambience and service. Walking in, I loved the vibrant decor. Bright neon pink lights had me oohing and aahing, and the colourful flowers and murals (by local artist, Emily Gardner) featured throughout the space brighten up the industrial walls. Plus, everything is PINK! From the menus, to the beautiful ceramic plates, and the ladies bathroom. There is also plenty of seating to choose from, as well as a lovely courtyard out the back (complete with a striking mural of Wu) - an area which would be perfect for your next celebration. Heading up the kitchen is Cairan Flaherty, who has experience working in restaurants all over Ireland, and more recently at TriBeCa in Parnell. Working alongside Cairan is Yeong Seon Choi (Sunny) who has worked in some of Auckland's most popular modern Asian eateries including Cafe Hanoi, Saan and White & Wongs. Owner, Jonathan Rickard, also has over 20 years' hospitality experience and owns and operates the popular Circus Circus and The Garden Shed, both of which are also located in Mt Eden Village. We first enjoyed a selection of cocktails - there are nine in total, and all were refreshing and delicious (bar the Espresso Martini and Bloody Mary as these were not available). My top picks are the Jackie Chan with gin, fresh grapefruit juice, honey, lemon and topped with matcha and apple foam; the Mei Mei with gin, yellow chartreuse, fresh watermelon juice (bonus right there), fresh lemon juice and ginger; and the Oh Bali! with Stolen white rum, lemongrass and kaffir lime syrup, lime juice and sparkling water. And now for the most important part, the food. Wu and You's menu is East meets West, with Japanese, Malaysian, Korean, Thai and Chinese influences. The menu is split into five sections - 'Little Guys', 'Bigger Guys', 'Loners', 'Sides' and 'Happy Endings'. Dishes are designed to be shared, and from perusing the menu, this is road you will want to take as there are many delicious dishes you will want to try... some of which I have not seen on an Auckland menu yet! We enjoyed the following: Freshly shucked Bluff Oysters served with nashi pear and black vinegar Himalayan Salt Slab-Cured Kingfish, with edamame, red chili, quinoa, pear and lemon DIY Vegetable Rolls - Chinese style pancakes, tofu, raw vegetables, peanut dipping sauce Bang Bang Chicken Salad with crispy vegetables, chili bean and oyster sauce Green Papaya Salad with Seared Tuna, red chilli, snake beans, peanuts and chili jam And, last but not least, Tacos. Wu & You have taken tacos to a whole new level, and they are EPIC. Nori sheets, which are tempura fried to make them crispy, replace your standard tortillas, and there are two options to choose from - Norigami's Salmon Taco with Atlantic salmon, sushi rice, spicy Napa cabbage, Japanese mayo and chili oil, or my favourite, Mr Krab's Nori Taco with tempura soft shell crab, sushi rice, guacamole, sliced jalapeno and a drizzle of curried mayo on top. Heaven. Other dishes I will be coming back to devour are the Wu Fried Chicken, Octopus Doughnuts with Gochujang, Tuna Sashimi Pizza, Pork and Shrimp Dumplings and the Sushi Fries. Last but not least, we had our Happy Endings. We tried their Berry Fortune Cookies - my message said "#WuSays tomorrow is another day for tacos and cocktails" which seemed fitting, since this is exactly what I will be doing in Mexico in four months' time! We also enjoyed their Strawberry Bao-Nut (a bao shaped doughnut filled with strawberry ice cream and freeze dried strawberry) and a new dessert on Auckland's foodie scene, the Golden Gaytime Paddle Pop. Inspired by Australia's Golden Gaytime ice cream, but better. Think creamy frozen New York Cheesecake on a stick, dipped in chocolate ganache, drizzled with miso caramel, and finished with a sprinkling of cookie crumbs. Mmmmm. I am in LOVE with Wu & You. Reminiscing back to the night, with the bright pink neon signs, pink walled bathroom, colourful murals, delicious cocktails and food... this might just be my new favourite restaurant!

We stumbled on this place as we're walking from Mount Eden on a week day. Monday - Thursday they…read moreopen at 5pm & Friday through the weekend they open at 11 am so be aware. Right off the bat the vibes, service, & music were on point. The fried chicken & loaded fries were delicious! Unfortunately, the chicken dumplings were too heavy on the fusion for us. The dumplings were overwhelmed by the curry powder and the inside was overcooked. With so much Asian influence in the city of Auckland, I feel there are times when restaurants should just leave some dishes/flavors alone as they are amazing in their own right. Overall the experience was good.

Bannsang is nom nom worthy in the heart of Auckland for a great price for what u get. Asian food in…read moreNew Zealand is pretty tasty but this place hit the spot. I had their traditional beef and pork dumplings that come in at whopping 8 of them enough to share. The traditional dishes come with plenty of meat mixed with Vegs side of rice and three small sides to excite the taste buds. Price is on point and food comes to table at a reasonable wait. Came in and got seated right away around 830pm. The place isn't fairly large so i can see if it got busy a long wait.

We can verify that their good reviews are based on solid evidence that Bann Sang is one of the best…read moreKorean restaurants in Auckland's downtown area! Located on a trendy area of High Street near Victoria, the restaurant (upstairs and downstairs as well) serves excellent and authentic Korean cuisine. We ordered Dolsot bibimbap (hot pot style) and the rice was crunchy on the bottom as required. Yum! The kalbi short ribs with rice and ban chan (veggie side dishes) was well seasoned and tender! Would go here again. Friendly service too. Despite the excellent food and a trendy location, Bann Sang refuses to over-inflate prices- they are very reasonable!

Food was pretty good here but prices a little steep for what you get. We're from Hawaii, where…read moreAsian based food is the norm so our standards are high. I really enjoyed the salads/sides that came on each plate. It was nice to have some freshness with each bite. I really liked the Thai beef salad. We had been eating pretty heavy, so this was nice to have something with bright and light flavors. My Mom thought the duck had a mushy texture. Located around the corner from Giapo so good location to get dinner and dessert. Miann is also across the street but unfortunately I didn't get to try it.

Adding to the rise of Asian fusion restaurants around the Auckland CBD, Lucky Buddha adds its own…read moreflavour to the expanding Fort Street scene. With Korean owners and a Filipino chef, the Asian fusion tag is well and alive as East meets East. This makes things interesting on the menu: there's beef tatare, lamb ribs, 'halo-halo' (a Filipino dessert), sake, buns. You don't quite know what to settle for. Inside, a shared long table dominates one side but most diners prefer to be seated at separate tables. Going there at 6pm on a Friday night, we were asked whether we had reservations to be seated at one of those separate tables. I got nothing against the shared table philosophy but typically on a weeknight, I had my bag full of things collected from a week of teaching, and an end of the week desire to lean back and ooze. That night though, it was considered too busy so we didn't have a choice but to sit at the bar stools at the long communal table. The drunken chicken first caught my eye but it was nothing like what I had expected! I had imagined juicy and tender whole slices of chicken soaked in rice wine as a traditional Chinese dish. I guess this is where the fusion fact comes in. My friend did like it though, the bean sprouts and fresh coriander in the salad made it refreshing and moorish. My favourites were the beef tatare and the spicy chicken. The chicken was juicy and not soaked in oils, accompanied with rice balls lightly dusted with crispy seasoning. Even though it was listed as a shared plate, I could have easily settled on this as a main for myself. The beef tatare was one of the best I've had - it was kept light with nashi pear and crisps, a good balance of sweet and savoury flavours. There's so much on the dessert menu that I wanted to try - the durian ice cream, halo-halo...but the combination of chocolate, coconut and pandan cream was a winner. Have a bit of everything on your spoon and you'll be transported to a waffley soft chocolate heaven. Food is a bit of a hit or miss at The Lucky Buddha. From what I had, I was seduced enough to want to go back and try more - just as we were leaving I saw the dish of lamb ribs that made me want to reach over and snag one. As with most newly opened eateries, the atmosphere is young and bright with waiters attentive to every eye catch. I just wished the dishes came out all at once but I guess that's something you can add while doing the orders. The shared plates were a winner so go along with friends who like to try a bit of everything!

We took the family here for a joint birthday dinner. A coupe of the party had been here before and…read moreraved. My wife had actually done a pickup order, and even with the vagaries of food lasting the travelling time, she couldn't speak highly enough of the drunken fish. Lots of parking. Welcoming. Distinctive decor. Prompt and unintrusive service, providing useful answers to our questions. We ordered a range of dishes and not a bad pick amongst them. Not cheap but worth it. It's all great but, weirdly perhaps, my bite of the night was the 'KFC' buns. That certainly put the fusion into Asian fusion. Highly recommended. We'll be back.

We had not planned to come here to eat, but on passing thought we'd give it a try. It's not long…read moreopen , the owner told me six weeks, but i have still managed to hear something about it. Of course it has to establish a good footing in the restaurant scene in this area. Give it time . Anyway, about our experience. We're not usually into the Asian Fusion cuisine, but then fusion dining overall we seldom if ever venture to. Part reason is the cost is high and i dislike eating a meal where the food only takes up half the plate. Makes me feel a bit like i am not getting my moneys worth. But in saying that the food was delicious! Our order consisted of the Market fish of the day yellow curry  (the fish being monkfish) with rotti , scallop salad & crispy eggplant washed down with a Brothers brewery lager. The order came out pretty quickly too. And like i said disregarding the portion size etc it was very delicious!. Top marks to the chef. About the service , it was top notch too from entry to exit. Faultless. Of note too is the decor, i really like the paintings on the walls and ceiling and the atmosphere within too. So overall i would recommend as long as you are willing to pay a few extra dollars and despite my tendency and reasons not to eat fusion cuisine i think it does definitely deserve 5 stars.

This place is 5 star all the way! If you're in Auckland and want a great asian fusion restaurant,…read morethat's good food, hip ambiance and great service, THIS IS YOUR PLACE!! No reservations are required during dinner service, but if you go on weekday during lunch, you'll need rezzies! It's located in Auckland's CBD ( Central Business District) and close walk from major hotels! We ordered several items, family style for four of us, which was plenty food for us. We Started our ordered with the appetiser combo, calamari, roti, garlic with caramelised naan bread, jasmine rice, firecracker chicken, Beef Rangoon, shrimp Bali and red vegetable curry. Everything was AMAZING! But be forewarned, if you like spicy and I mean super spicy, the chicken is. It for the ones who can't handle it! You're even warned from the wait staff when ordering it! The tastes of the food are excellent, temperature was nice and hot, taste seasoned perfect! The staff were also very attentive! Making sure we had drinks (since chicken was so spicy)! Ambiance was very trendy with hip music playing , lots of art and decor was awesome! Definitely a place I'll come again!

Beautiful intricate designed interior with the perfect southeast Asian look and feel…read more Singapore Fried Noodles Rice noodles, chicken, shrimp, bean sprouts, red and green peppers, onions and chili. Lots of character and flavors here - you can specify spice level. Shrimp a tad overcooked. Nasi Goreng Indonesian fried rice with jumbo prawns, poached chicken, veggies, sambal, soy & oyster sauce with fresh chili. The rice is soy based and thus a little on the salty side. Laksa Spicy egg noodle soup with coconut milk, poached chicken and veggie. Pretty good Laksa, not the best by any stretch. The broth is a little too milky and sludgy for my taste. Service quite meh but food came promptly and they were attentive. That's all.

Absolutely a great place. Environment is very relaxing…read more Quality of the food is superb!! Especially the deep fried lamb ribs! Oh and the calamari!! Oh and.... They're just all good!! Very friendly service

THIS PLACE IS INSANELY GOOD!!! Cocktails To Tantalize The Most Judgmental Tongue! Food Made To…read moreStimulate The Senses! Infusions Of Vietnam Reign Supreme! If Your Taste Buds can only handle meat pies & Pizzas, make your way to the nearest 7-Eleven. This place isn't for you!!! Immediately, walking into the restaurant, the ambiance has your eyes feasting on all the beautiful decor. There are a couple of private tables tucked nicely away from the crowds. But, reservations are HIGHLY recommended. So, COCKTAILS!!! The Hand-Crafted Cocktails Are Impeccable! My personal favorite is the Blushing Dragon! Don't forget about the Red Bliss.. What are they, you ask...? Get over there and check it out! I promise you they won't disappoint. For the appetizers, we had the papaya salad, mango salad & the veggie wraps. The Mango Salad had an array of spices including a 'Vietnamese Mint' that has you guessing what that good unexpected flavor is... The Entrées Are Next Level Crazy-Yum!!! Must-Haves: Pork Belly, Pad See Ew Noodles, Mekong Fried Rice & The Deep-Fried Squid!

Delicious food, awesome service and loved the ambiance. 10/10 would recommend for a chill…read morelunch/dinner place to go to.

One star because the price of the food is way too high for what you get. Can't eat the ambiance…read more Plus this is a chain of restaurants designed for those who know nothing of Malaysian food. Its nothing really special nor authentic; plus the selection isn't very deep; just a few dishes to choose from. What's worse is that the portion is really small. We ordered the Hainan Chicken Rice at $26 and the Char Kuay Teow for $24. At these types of prices I was expecting it to be authentically spectacular but I was very disappointed. This price is a good $10 to $15 more than any other Malaysian Food restaurant in Auckland. Hence, this is probably the first and last time here, as long as there are other Malaysian Restaurants to choose from!