Auckland restaurants - help

[Dilligaf]

Wondering if any of you Aucklanders can help us out here. Since being back from overseas, we are missing some good Chinese food. Anyone know if Auckland has a good Chinese restaurant that offers Hong Kong beef and proper Peking Duck (with the pancakes etc) on its menu?
Thanks

[The Pastor]

Yum char does, its in greenlane, but i think its only open for lunches?

[Drum]

Not Chinese, but Thai - Joy Bong on K Road is my recommendation.

[Leong]

There are lots that do the two course Peking Duck with pancakes, then the minced duck with lettuce. One of the better ones is the Golden Fortune in Aviemore Drive, Highland Park, but is quite pricy especially for a suburban restaurant.

[McJim]

Being from the UK I have been spoiled by access to Chinese Chinese restaurants and Indian Indian restaurants.

So far I have been very disappointed to find only Anglified Indian and Anglified Chinese restaurants - can't even get a decent Italian Pizza - I mean BBQ sauce on a pizza? WTF?!?!

The cuisine here is still the way it was in the UK about 25 years ago.

Leong - I will be trying your suggestion when I am a bit more flush - hope they do proper Char siu chow mein (like I could get in Hong Kong).

[xwhatsit]

Yum char does, its in greenlane, but i think its only open for lunches?

Lol which yum char? Yum char is just a type of restaurant, like buffet or steakhouse etc. There must be at least three or four just in Greenlane alone.

I'll second Leong's recommendation for Golden Fortune; I don't remember it being that expensive, but then again the girlfriend's parents were paying.

I like Pearl Garden in Newmarket. It's not 100% authentic but it's very very good. I can't say I've had Peking Duck there, though.

McJim if you want proper tsa siu chow mein, you need to come to the city. There are a few really authentic HK-style restaurants. Problem is remembering the names, the girlfriend normally knows what's up as the signs are written in Traditional, so I can't read them. There's a very good new HK BBQ place on Wellesley St, it used to be a Korean BBQ but got sold. Will post the name in here once I work it out, but if you go to Wellesley St it's got a big red door. It's very good, they even do the sweet tepid flower tea and Chinese soup before your dishes come out.

For general dim sum and yum char, Ding How on Albert St is tasty. Tea takes ages to be refilled though, which really gets me unhappy lol. If you're pressed, Dragon Boat is OK.

[Leong]

Being from the UK I have been spoiled by access to Chinese Chinese restaurants and Indian Indian restaurants.

So far I have been very disappointed to find only Anglified Indian and Anglified Chinese restaurants - can't even get a decent Italian Pizza - I mean BBQ sauce on a pizza? WTF?!?!

The cuisine here is still the way it was in the UK about 25 years ago.

Leong - I will be trying your suggestion when I am a bit more flush - hope they do proper Char siu chow mein (like I could get in Hong Kong).

Mate, you must be going to the wrong places, bit surprising given where you live. Some of the Chinese restaurants here nowadays are pretty authentic, though there are many that cater specifically for the European taste like you say. The Char Siew Mein I like the best is at Welfare Cafe..... (in the same complex as Golden Fortune by coincidence) and definitely won't break the bank - bout $8.00. If you're really into authentic Hong Kong style food theres a place called Welcome Cafe in Meadowlands which does real basic HK style food starting at $5, where my family can be satisfied for about $25. That cafe has been there prob 15yrs under the same management and is always busy... helps to speak cantonese, but you should get by OK. Oh BTW, they also do weird things IMO like tuna fish sandwiches, but since thats what my daughter likes to order, I guess theres a reaason for it....

[Leong]

Lol which yum char? Yum char is just a type of restaurant, like buffet or steakhouse etc. There must be at least three or four just in Greenlane alone.

I'll second Leong's recommendation for Golden Fortune; I don't remember it being that expensive, but then again the girlfriend's parents were paying.
Tis expensive when you're paying for the extended family, but probably similar to City restaurants like Dragon Boat and Pearl Garden.


I like Pearl Garden in Newmarket. It's not 100% authentic but it's very very good. I can't say I've had Peking Duck there, though.

McJim if you want proper tsa siu chow mein, you need to come to the city. There are a few really authentic HK-style restaurants. Problem is remembering the names, the girlfriend normally knows what's up as the signs are written in Traditional, so I can't read them. There's a very good new HK BBQ place on Wellesley St, it used to be a Korean BBQ but got sold. Will post the name in here once I work it out, but if you go to Wellesley St it's got a big red door. It's very good, they even do the sweet tepid flower tea and Chinese soup before your dishes come out.

For general dim sum and yum char, Ding How on Albert St is tasty. Tea takes ages to be refilled though, which really gets me unhappy lol. If you're pressed, Dragon Boat is OK.

Those restaurants mentioned are good. Though we are lucky out east in that we have good restaurants like Star Cafe behind the Chapel road shops for dim sum. And in my experience the restaurants that have the best food, especially if at reasonable prices, have the worst service - At the Star Cafe we self service our own chili sauce, and the kids drinks - not even worth asking - let alone waiting for them to offer...

[jrandom]

Man, this thread is taking me back to Peking duck with pancakes in Shenzhen. 80RMB for dinner in a revolving restaurant with a view out over HK, and the tea just kept coming...

Time to head out for a yum char fix tonight, I think. Mmm, yes.

[Drunken Monkey]

Time to head out for a yum char fix tonight, I think. Mmm, yes.

Yum cha at night??? As a fully qualified Honkee, I would have to say that is most "unusual". Yum cha is a lunch thing!

[xwhatsit]

Those restaurants mentioned are good. Though we are lucky out east in that we have good restaurants like Star Cafe behind the Chapel road shops for dim sum. And in my experience the restaurants that have the best food, especially if at reasonable prices, have the worst service - At the Star Cafe we self service our own chili sauce, and the kids drinks - not even worth asking - let alone waiting for them to offer...
Lol too right. My favourite restaurant full-stop is Renkon, a Japanese restaurant in the CBD. The staff who take your order are usually completely hopeless and you have to get up and pour your own tea into old arcaroc coffee mugs, but the food is ho ho mei a :D

There's a few Star Cafes scattered around, there's one on Manukau Rd and girlfriend's parents love the one on the North Shore where they know the owner/manager/big man and spend more time gossiping than doing any actual eating.

Yum cha at night??? As a fully qualified Honkee, I would have to say that is most "unusual". Yum cha is a lunch thing!

<hints id="hah_hints"></hints>Last time girlfriend went back, she said there were places that served yum char all around the clock! That was only on actual Hong Kong Island, though, not way out in sleepy old Tai Wai, NT where she's from (doesn't stop grandparent's from eating yum cha every morning).

[Delerium]

Try love a duck on dominion rd... its very good.

[Drunken Monkey]

...<hints id="hah_hints"></hints>Last time girlfriend went back, she said there were places that served yum char all around the clock! That was only on actual Hong Kong Island, though, not way out in sleepy old Tai Wai, NT where she's from (doesn't stop grandparent's from eating yum cha every morning).

This is true, but next time please don't let facts get in the way of a good tale!

Mmmmm, star cafe special tofu...

[Lteejay]

Best Chinese in Auckland is Empress Garden on Jervois Rd, Herne Bay - always full of Chinese which is a good sign. Great food and they have Peking duck 09 376 5550

[Dilligaf]

Thank you all for your recommendations...
I will admit I am confused. In Bangkok in the Chinese restaurants, they served a really yummy dish called Hong Kong Beef. Yes these were proper Chinese restaurants run by Chinese with Chinese chefs.... I have been looking for recipes or restaurants here who have this dish... no luck. Anyone know what I am referring to?

[xwhatsit]

Thank you all for your recommendations...
I will admit I am confused. In Bangkok in the Chinese restaurants, they served a really yummy dish called Hong Kong Beef. Yes these were proper Chinese restaurants run by Chinese with Chinese chefs.... I have been looking for recipes or restaurants here who have this dish... no luck. Anyone know what I am referring to?

<hints id="hah_hints"></hints>Can you describe the dish? I'll quiz Cecilia today.

[Dilligaf]

gee a hard one... okay I'll give it my best shot.

Beef is in thinner steak sized pieces - i.e. not in strips like stir fry.
Taste is sweet along the lines of sweet and sour but not...:yes: helpful? hahha not peppery though having said that the sauce colour was more along the lines of the reddish sweet and sour sauces you see, although a richer colour.
All the times I've had it in different restaurants, it came served on its own with no vegetables or nuts or noodles served as an accompaniment.
Hmm, can't think of anything else to describe it other than yummy

[vifferman]

Best Chinese in Auckland is Empress Garden on Jervois Rd, Herne Bay - always full of Chinese which is a good sign. Great food and they have Peking duck 09 376 5550
That's what I was going to recommend!
Where I used to work, we had quite a few Chinese people, and one of the business lunches we had they took us there, where we had Peking Duck (all 5 courses, or whatever it is).

[xwhatsit]

gee a hard one... okay I'll give it my best shot.

Beef is in thinner steak sized pieces - i.e. not in strips like stir fry.
Taste is sweet along the lines of sweet and sour but not...:yes: helpful? hahha not peppery though having said that the sauce colour was more along the lines of the reddish sweet and sour sauces you see, although a richer colour.
All the times I've had it in different restaurants, it came served on its own with no vegetables or nuts or noodles served as an accompaniment.
Hmm, can't think of anything else to describe it other than yummy

Hahah, I'll submit that to Miss X and see what she comes up with. I asked her about `Hong Kong Beef' but she laughed and said, `I'm from Hong Kong -- do you think in Hong Kong we'd refer to beef as Hong Kong Beef? That would be like saying "I'm going to go pick up some Chinese food,"' which I suppose is a fair point lol.

As a side note, that very Honky restaurant on Wellesley St is called `Home Town', and the sign is written in Traditional that says `Home Town' as well.<hints id="hah_hints"></hints>

[SARGE]

Mate, you must be going to the wrong places, bit surprising given where you live. Some of the Chinese restaurants here nowadays are pretty authentic,

but they all serve Fush n Chups mate

[Leong]

Hahah, I'll submit that to Miss X and see what she comes up with. I asked her about `Hong Kong Beef' but she laughed and said, `I'm from Hong Kong -- do you think in Hong Kong we'd refer to beef as Hong Kong Beef? That would be like saying "I'm going to go pick up some Chinese food,"' which I suppose is a fair point lol.

My wife laughs everytime she sees "Singapore Fried Noodles" on the menu. They just don't do a curry flavoured noodles in Singapore!!


but they all serve Fush n Chups mate
Yeh, some do. The Welcome cafe I mentioned do fush n chups as well, but that is to cater for the young ones, doesn't mean the real chinese food isn't authentic tho!!