At the end of December I spent a whirlwind couple of days in Auckland. I didn’t plan on doing anything in particular. I definitely didn’t imagine myself joining a food tour around the city.
I thought I would just re-acquaint myself with a city that I was once familiar with, thanks to frequent childhood jaunts across the Pacific Ocean from Sydney to New Zealand.
Perhaps I would walk down to the harbour and see the Customs House building that was built by my ancestors, then I would wander down the main road and find a nice cafe in one of Auckland’s hip inner city neighbourhoods.
Or maybe I would stop in for a pint of cider (Monteiths, please!) at the Northern Steamship, a nice bar decorated in old books and lampshades, right down by the harbour making it the perfect stop for an afternoon tipple. But whatever I ended up doing, I didn’t really plan on “playing tourist”, per se.
Inside the Northern Steamship in Auckland
When I originally thought about food tours and experiences in Auckland, I thought it would turn out to be a waste of money and time.
I thought that New Zealand didn’t really have a talking point when it came to real local food and produce.
I mean sure, I know that if you go into a cafe or restaurant in New Zealand, you can generally eat well. And of course, I know that New Zealand produces some great wine. But I will have to admit, I didn’t think of New Zealand as a food super power.
My amazing brunch at Be Rude Not To cafe in Rotorua
And then I met Elle from The Big Foody Food Tours, who showed me how wrong I was.
It turns out New Zealand is a land of great local produce. A land of cheese so great that even a European country will soon be having New Zealand’s version of their cheese produced on their land. A land that has taken a root plant that’s been bastardised in restaurants, and returned it to what it should be.
Hell, it’s a land that is able to feed its entire population with its own produce four times over, making it one of only four countries in the world capable of such a feat. Now, that’s just getting serious.
But most importantly, it was a land where I was lucky enough to learn how wrong I was and sample some of the great local produce on offer. Here is my recount of places I went and things I tried that made me right my thoughts about New Zealand’s food.
Sabato, a delicatessen
Our first stop is Sabato, the perfect place to begin teaching my taste buds about all of this produce that I never knew New Zealand was capable of.
Sabato is a delicatessen in the Auckland suburb of Mount Eden that opened 21 years ago with the idea of importing European products. The first things they got permission to import was Italian Parmigiano Reggiano and France’s brie cheese, as well as risotto rice and olive oils from Spain and Italy. It wasn’t the ordinary locals who were after these things – New Zealand didn’t have much of a food culture at this stage – it was the chefs who were seeking some different produce to aid their creativity in the kitchen.
Although Sabato still stocks Italian Parmigiano Reggiano, European olive oils and much more – I was happy to see the bomba rice from Valencia on the shelves – they have now expanded to include local New Zealand produce too.
New Zealand’s own Olive Oil
Before visiting Sabato, I never expected to see New Zealand olive oil on the shelf alongside its Spanish and Italian cousins. To be honest, I never really knew that New Zealand-produced olive oil existed. Eat your words, Cyra.
This particular olive oil is from the first established olive grove in New Zealand, which dates back to 1855 and happens to right in Auckland itself, on the famous One Tree Hill.
New Zealand’s olive oils are generally more robust than their Mediterranean counterparts, so even though Virtuo, the olive oil we try, is a light olive oil, the taste is distinct and flavoursome.
Not only is New Zealand producing its own style of olive oils, they also have an annual award, Oliveti. Virtuo won an award in 2014, and Elle herself happened to be a judge for this event.
Real deal Wasabi
After the olive oil tasting comes the manuka honey, followed by something that I never thought I would try in Auckland. Wasabi. Real deal, New Zealand grown, fluro colouring free, wasabi.
The truth is that the fluro green condiment we usually get served to smear on our sushi is not 100% wasabi. It’s made from horseradish, mustard and coloured with green food colouring. The taste of horseradish is a lot stronger and harsher, leading many people to dislike wasabi. But what about the colour?
Well, the Danish company that supplies the green food colouring for wasabi were most surprised when Copper Folly refused to purchase their bright green additive. It seems not colouring your wasabi fluro is really going against the grain.
I have had fresh wasabi once in my life , when the root was grated directly onto my plate by a waiter at Nobu in London. But this is the first time I have ever seen a prepared jar of wasabi that is made from the real plant. Something that is accessible to everyone, something that could easily be served in restaurants, or kept at home in the fridge.
But why Wasabi in New Zealand?
It turns out that wasabi wasn’t the original plan. The now-producer of this wasabi didn’t know what to do with his land. Rearing livestock would have destroyed the land and many plants wouldn’t have coped with the wet climate.
Wasabi needs a cool temperature and a constant source of water, so when he was suggested to try growing wasabi he decided to take the risk and give it a go. Luckily, it worked!
Cheese, cheese, cheese
After our unexpected wasabi lesson, my favourite part of the stop at Sabato comes next: cheese.
A tasting of four different local New Zealand cheeses is on the menu. These four little samples are enough to make anyone never settle for a boring supermarket cheddar again. Wait, who am I kidding, I never settle for a boring supermarket cheddar. But I digress.
From the smoked Farmhouse brie, to the cheese made by a small business of just 27 goats, and of course, the “Very Old Edam” cheese that was sweet, nutty and caramel flavoured all at the same time, making it the most unique tasting cheese that I have tried in recent memory of eating cheese, I love them all.
Each tasting is different from the last, meaning we try a broad spectrum of New Zealand cheese varieties.
I love the Very Old Edam so much that I leave the store with 200 grams of it in my handbag.
Fish Markets
Fish is big business in New Zealand, so after a little drive around Auckland and a quick photo stop at the top of Mount Eden, we descend on the fish markets.
The fisheries here employ 28,000 people, and given that New Zealand’s population is not even close to 5 million, this is a significant number.
Aside from giving a fair chunk of employment to the locals, over 140 species of fish are fished in the waters around the country, and New Zealand fish and seafood is exported to 200 countries in the world. The Ministry of Fishing in New Zealand even has higher powers than police in some aspects.
Yep. Fish and seafood are kind of a big deal here, and I’m excited to have the chance to see a little bit more behind the scenes.
We have a whirlwind tour where the auction takes place, and then head out to see the fish laid out for sale. There are two things that really arouse my curiosity here. First is the green-lip mussels, sold at the whopping price of $3.50 a kilo (yes, you read correctly).
I had tried green-lip mussels the night before when dining at El Faro, a trendy Spanish restaurant with a Kiwi flair in the centre of town. I am a lover of all things seafood, and have eaten many a fresh mussel in my time, but these green-lip mussels were possibly the best I have ever eaten.
Awesomeness in a bowl : Green-lip mussels at El Faro
The entrepreneur who began commercially farming green-lip mussels in the 1970s was issued New Zealand’s first ever marine farming license, which has today turned into big business for the country with hundreds of mussels farms in the Coromandel – where these particular mussels were from – as well as other parts of New Zealand. It’s fair to say these mussels, as well as being a wonderful fresh species to call New Zealand’s own on the dinner plate, have contributed amazing amounts to the local economy.
Aside from the mussels, we see fresh snapper, monkfish, and a variety of other sea creatures with tails. But the other things that arouses my curiosity is that there is a lot of smoked fish to be seen. Elle explains that every day, any unsold fish is chucked out the back in the smoker, and just like that its shelf life has been extended by a few weeks. I have just learnt that’s the secret to those great Kiwi smoked fish pies.
Smoked Fish and Raw Fish Salad
Fortunately, we get a chance to try both fresh and smoked fish while we are at the market. First up is just simple smoked fish. But to call it simple is an insult. Despite having no sauce or flavouring added, the cold smoked fish has plenty of flavour, and it’s the perfect snack on a summer afternoon.
Next up is the Raw Fish Salad. Coconut is my favourite thing at the moment, so I am more than happy to eat my fair share of this dish. It is made from fish cured with lemon, onions, salt and pepper, and then the coconut milk added at the very last minute. The style kind of reminds of a South American ceviche.
This is a very typical Maori dish, and later I will see the same thing in the market stalls at Rotorua’s Saturday market.
Trying both this local dish as well the smoked fish – another nod to the Maori culture who favoured smoking foods as a preservation technique, I feel like I am having a quintessentially Kiwi food experience.
The King of Gelato
As if we haven’t seen, tasted, and learnt enough from Elle’s wealth of foodie wisdom already, there is one last stop for the day. What is described to me as a simple gelato shop was met with my skepticism. I have lived and travelled extensively in Italy, and have some rocking gelato stops up my sleeve for when I find myself in the land of pizza, pasta and parmigiano.
And then we enter Giapo.
The first thing I notice at Giapo is that, aside from the gelato currently being eaten by satisfied clients out on the street, there is no gelato to be seen inside this tiny little shop. This is because Giapo, the cheerful and vivacious Italian owner, wants people to choose his ice-cream based on flavour instead of appearances. Like they say, don’t judge a book by its cover.
This meant the first step of the Giapo experience is an unlimited taste testing. Yes please.
This taste testing is not just for us because Elle is a regular around these parts. This is the protocol for any client who enters through the doors.
We are served popsicle sticks with some of Giapo’s best sellers, starting with the “Giapo Buono”, which is essentially salted caramel gelato.
We try a few more, including the Banana Chocolate Cake which I don’t actually eat (gluten alert!). Cake features highly on the menu as all of Giapo’s gelato makers are certified pastry chefs, so I ask to try the Pavlova flavour instead. But I am still not convinced.
There is one flavour that, after each try, draws my attention back to its name on the board, and that’s the Blood Orange and Martini Rosso sorbet. Ice cream generally doesnt sit well in my stomach, and as I start to ponder this flavour Elle leans over and lets me in on a secret.
“This one’s my favourite.”
It’s settled, I will try that one. A taste turns into an order, and I patiently wait for my Blood Orange and Martini Rosso sorbet. This is not just an ice-cream it’s a work of art, so a little patience is required as Giapo’s team turns their ice-cream into a creation.
After five minutes or so my sorbet is ready. The top of the cup is decorated with a strawberry that has been dipped in toffee (think toffee apple style) with a long, decorative point, around the edges are garnished with cacao nibs, and I don’t quite know where to start because this thing just seems too damn good to eat.
I think we all know how this story ends – I eat the sorbet, it tastes amazingly good, better than I ever expected and probably better than anything I’ve ever eaten in Italy, which ends my initial skepticism and and finishes my day with Elle on the Afternoon Tour on a very high note.
I skip away satisfied, happy, and glad that I gave New Zealand’s food a chance, because here there really is a talking point about food.
I feel grateful to have connected with one person that is trying hard, both through her tours and other projects – including her position with the World Food Travel Association, to show off the best of New Zealand’s food to the world. Now the rest of the world just needs to take note too.
Have you been to New Zealand before? Did you try some amazing food? Perhaps you haven’t but smoked fish takes your fancy? Tell me all about it in the comments below!
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The Big Foody Food Tours kindly hosted me on this food tour in Auckland, but of course, all words and opinions are my own.
travelFREAK says
Cyra, your post is delicious! New Zealand has some of the best burgers in the world.
Cyra says
Haha thanks Jeremy! New Zealand is certainly a tasty place to be 🙂
James in NZ says
So glad you found NZ to be worthy of a true gourmet! Now that you’ve seen what Auckland can offer, it’s worth coming to the South Island, where so much good produce comes from, in addition to the great wines, cheeses and meats that we have in abundance. (And please note: it’s means “it is” not “belonging to it”.)
Cyra says
I want to go to the South Island so badly! Next time I will, for sure. I think the North Island is amazing so I know I am going to be blown away by the south. Next time. Oh no, did I make this typo somewhere in this post?! I can’t stand these kind of errors, I will have to find it and fix it. 🙂
Annie Tong says
Hey Cyra,
This post really made me miss home, it’s hard to come across good Cheese and Cider over here in Asia
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Annie ox
Cyra says
Hey Annie, thanks for stopping by. Glad you liked it. I so miss cheese when I am travelling in Asia. 🙂
noel says
I’m a foodie tour fan and this looks exceptional, I would love to sample some of New Zealand’s best seafood, wonderful article!
Andrew says
Can’t wait to start eating New Zealand after reading this post … cheers!