The thrill of sea snails and raw vegetables
On the inevitable ups and downs of dining out, giant gourds and a milky fizzy drink.
Nau mai, haere mai. Welcome to The Boil Up, The Spinoff’s weekly food newsletter produced in partnership with Boring Oat Milk. Written by me, Charlotte Muru-Lanning. It’s lovely to have you here!
Like listening to music, putting effort into what I’m wearing or experimenting in the kitchen, when it comes to dining out, my interest ebbs and flows. It seems wrong for me to admit that, seeing as I write a newsletter about food – but it’s true. There’s effort, time, money and now with the pandemic, a tangle of risk involved with heading out for kai. You have to work out where exactly it is that you want to be eating. Sometimes it just doesn’t come so naturally.
Thankfully, and for the benefit of this newsletter, I’m out of a period of extended eating-out humdrum. Instead, I’ve found myself frolicking about the city on the lookout for plates of new food, as well as returning to old favourites. This last week especially, I’ve eaten some dishes that have, I think, necessarily reinvigorated my passion for dining out. For anyone interested, here are four that I reckon deserve special mention.
A “paua puff” from Toby’s in West Auckland suburb Glen Eden: I’ve made my appreciation for Toby’s (which has various outlets around Tāmaki Makaurau) known before. The Glen Eden shop sells watercress, mussels, excellent fish and chips, mussel pies and these delightfully named treats. I’m not being extravagant when I say that this was otherworldly. The generous ladle-full of paua, which is just thick enough, is dolloped in a warm fry bread and served in a paper cup. Perfection.
Vegetable crudités from No.7 in Auckland Central: After the cold snap last week, my boyfriend and I turned up at No.7 in central Auckland in an unsuccessful after-work attempt to catch what was left of the warm afternoon sun. Despite a lack of sun, and being the only customers (they get busier much later in the evening here), it was worth the pit stop. And while I can assure you we had more than just a plate of raw vegetables, there is something so whimsical about eating a plate of ridiculously crunchy carrots and radishes sans cutlery.
Fresh cabbage with Kewpie mayo from Tanuki’s Cave in Auckland Central: Another day, another plate of raw vegetables. It’s nothing more than what it advertises itself as: a tumble of cut raw cabbage on a plate, and a dinky bowl of kewpie on the side for dipping. This is an old favourite, 25 years old to be exact, and one I’m thankful exists in Auckland.
Sea snails in tamarind sauce from Pho Pho in Pakuranga: Through no fault of their own, sea snails are not for me. I say that as someone who loves seafood, and who desperately wanted to add sea snails to my routine. Even so, it’s been ages since I’ve eaten something that I’ve not tried before, and whether it works out or not, it’s always a delight. Alongside the sea snails, we ordered dishes that were some of the best Vietnamese I’ve eaten in Auckland. That it took a relatively long drive in rush hour traffic to get there only added to the charms.
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Weekly bites
Despite wrapping up in blankets, wearing thermal singlets and staying close to the heater, I’ve felt cold to the bone the last week or so. It turns out I’m not alone. In fact, last week's cold snap froze the asparagus crop of one of the country's largest growers. RNZ reported that Boyds Asparagus in the Waikato would lose revenue for a week because there was no product to sell. Also in the Waikato, a family-owned blueberry farm reportedly had over 90% of its crops wiped out by the frost. Speaking to 1News, the company, Monavale Organic Blueberries said that unlike other fruit, blueberries only fruit once a year, meaning they’ll have to wait a whole year to produce another crop.
Proposed fair pay agreement legislation which will see baseline wages and conditions within specific sectors will likely be one of the biggest shake-ups to our employment laws in the last thirty years. Yesterday, Unite union launched their campaign for a fair pay agreement for the hospitality industry and called for higher standards for workers at their annual conference. Against the backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, inflation and lack of staff, hospitality business associations have spoken out against the planned agreements. Meanwhile proponents have argued that better wages and conditions provided for by the agreements will be good for business and for workers. I went along yesterday to see what a fair pay agreement might mean for those in the hospitality industry and how workers can get involved?
The cost of food remains really high, a 13-year high in fact. New statistics show food prices were 8.3 percent higher in September 2022 compared with the same time in 2021. Stats NZ said grocery prices, which were up 7.7% overall, were the most significant contributor, while fruit and vegetables were up a massive 16% on the previous year. Capsicum, tomatoes and broccoli have experienced the biggest leaps in price. But the main culprits contributing to increasing prices at the supermarket? Yoghurt, two-minute noodles and tomato-based pasta sauce (note: perhaps a good time to make Marcella Hazan’s extremely easy tomato pasta sauce).
In vital global food news, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed images of this bewilderingly large pumpkin all the way from Minnesota, which its owner has aptly named “Maverick”. Unsurprisingly, the gargantuan gourd took top prize and set a new record at a Californian pumpkin festival – which has been described as the “Super Bowl” of the unique sport. The world of competitive vegetable growing is a fascinating one and I eat up any content on the subject. Which reminds me, if you have 20 minutes to spare this week, I recommend this charming 1972 BBC documentary about competitive leek growers, which includes the fabulous quote, “you’d get more pride from robbing a bank than from slashing a man’s leeks in this area.”
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Five places with artist Tanya Barlow
Auckland-based multidisciplinary artist Tanya Barlow’s resume is brimming with her varied practices. Her whimsical nail art for one, is beloved by nail aficionados in Tāmaki Makaurau, with appointments almost permanently booked out (don’t try and book now, she’s booked out). Influences for her manicures come from far and wide, invoking comic books, television programmes, lollies, ice cream flavours and more. Beyond nails, Barlow works in hair and makeup, as a writer, a voiceover artist and occasionally, a model. She’s also just got really good taste, so I asked Barlow to share her five favourite places for kai.
Geeks on Sainsbury, Mt Albert: Geeks is my favourite go-to cafe – outdoor seating, dog friendly, always excellent coffee in a variety of ways, and I always order the Bibimbap. Generous with dog treats and super friendly.
Jadan Supermarket, Dominion Road: I grew up in Hong Kong, so I love having a wander through the aisles for Asian snacks and home cooking inspo when I'm feeling homesick. Awesome fresh produce, no lack of durian or boba ice creams, and an extensive freezer section. Shout out to the char siu pork and soy sauce chicken they have too.
Khu Khu Eatery, Ponsonby: I had a birthday potluck dinner recently and made a big order at Khu Khu, and every dish went down a treat with meat-eaters and vegetarians alike. I still don't understand how they make such realistic and vegan pork belly! That texture! How?
Nandos, everywhere: Who doesn't love a cheeky Nandos though?
Sashimi of Japan, Dominion Road: These guys are my favourite for fresh and delicious sashimi to order from home, with extra Japanese pickles- even the rice is super delicious! And the tako wasabi blows my mind (literally and figuratively) every time.
(Bonus shout out to Grand Park Chinese Seafood Restaurant for yum cha. Trolleys and selection are abundant and slightly chaotic, just like home. Order the watermelon juice – you won't regret it.
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The weekly snack
Chupa Chups Strawberry Cream sparkling, $2.50 from Navya Superette but you can also buy from United Sweets: This is the outcome of heading to the dairy just after 3pm on a Monday, in a slightly delirious and hunger-driven state. It’s not the first time these canned Chupa Chup drinks have caught my eye (I mean, how could they not), but when I realised the flavour was an adaptation of the classic strawberry cream lollipop (a variety I’m admittedly ho-hum about), I could hardly walk out of the shop without it. I was curious, how would they adapt that milky quality into soda form? At home, I cracked it open and I can confirm that it absolutely invoked the flavour dimensions of the lollipop. All at once it was creamy, artificially strawberry tasting, effervescent and in drink form. To my surprise, and you may not believe me, but it was extremely slurpable, and actually, really good. 9.5/10
Talk next week!
Hei kōnā mai, Charlotte
