The Foodstore restaurant- much better than I expected

I went to a business dinner at one of the restaurants in the Viaduct Basin area of Auckland.  I had heard of it before but haven’t been there. 

It is a restaurant which is associated with a Food TV programme of the same name, so I was prepared to be disappointed for much the same reason that restaurants in tourist destinations can often disappoint.

The first surprise was the setting.  A generously sized relaxed bar area with lots of nooks and crannies with comfortable chairs.  We had a nice little drink while waiting for everyone to arrive.  They had a good range of wines by the glass. The barman though spoke English so badly that when one of our party asked for a robust red he first offered up a white wine and then a pinot noir!

One of the other waiters was very good though, when we were debating what the name of the doctor was on Star Trek, he went off and checked it out for us!  Which reminds me, the music was really good for business people – sort of classic pop done well.  No rap or techno thank goodness.

The restaurant itself is a large room with the kitchen out in amongst the tables.  So you see everything that is going on both directly and via screens placed around at roof level.  The level of organisation was quite impressive and there was absolutely no smoke or smells which was amazing given all the sizzle going on.

I had a ceviche starter – actually island style lime cured fish with coconut and tropical fruit – lovely and light.

Then I had fish – John Dory pan-fried with a side of Triple Cream Mash – now that was truly decadent.

I didn’t do dessert but was very impressed when one of our party asked for some fresh fruit – which was not on the menu.  Out came a beautifully presented ice-cream sundae style bowl of a great range of fruit – I suspect there was also a little liqueur of some sort involved.

I would be very happy to have a chance to go back there.


For another post about a restaurant in Auckland, click here

Wynyard Quarter, Auckland - a funky part of town

Some of the funky street furniture in the Wynyard Quarter

I went recently to check out the Wynyard Quarter – a newish area in Auckland.  It was originally an industrial marine sort of area – not at all attractive.  But they have done a great job of sprucing it up while retaining an industrial flavour.  Buzzy restaurants, interesting walkways and seating options, good green spaces, playground, half basketball court. 

Weird metal structure, Wynyard Quarter

The only bit that didn’t work for me was a strange 3 storied metal structure that didn’t seem to have any real purpose.  I have been told subsequently that it is a temporary viewing platform.  I went up it but didn’t like the way it swayed and the view through metal mesh down 3 stories – still a bit of a wuss I’m afraid.

Tram in the Wynyard Quarter

Oh, and the tram seemed all a bit pointless.  And not very well patronised when we were there.

Te Whero Bridge between the Viaduct and Wynyard Quarter

We walked over the new bridge to Te Whero Island and were lucky enough then to see it being raised to allow a launch to exit the Viaduct.  It didn’t take long.  Another attraction of the quarter is seeing the opulent superyachts up close.  How on earth does anyone have enough money to splash out on one of those??

Soul Bar

I went again to Soul Bar in the Viaduct Basin recently.  I have always had slightly mixed feelings about it.  On the one hand the setting is spectacular – particularly sitting on the balcony looking out past the floral hanging baskets to the yachts in the Viaduct Basin.  But it is a real ‘trendy’ hangout which isn’t my scene. 

Last time I was there I had a simply spectacular dish – a crayfish ravioli.  This time I wasn’t quite as lucky.  The first entrée I had was one of their classics – a scampi cocktail.  The scampi was done well but the sauce was overly rich in avocado and the very long stemmed glass it was served in made it quite difficult to eat.  The food was at about my eye level.  The second course I picked was a pasta one – basically a twist on macaroni cheese.  It wasn’t a good choice.  It wasn’t a very pleasant sauce – quite harsh and I didn’t eat that much of it.  Hopefully they won’t have it on the menu for long!