Tasty new offerings in Uptown 

Words: Anna King Shahab

Photography: Blink Ltd

Uptown continues to get more delicious and diverse dining and drinking options. Here are some of our favourite new spots.

Okome

A few issues ago we introduced delightful onigiri (rice ball) shop Okome, where owner Miwa Gowing serves up Japan’s favourite lunch-on-the-go. Since then the space has extended its hours to welcome an izakaya restaurant in the evenings, run by Miwa’s friend Naoto Kobayashi. In true izakaya spirit, Japanese Restaurant Okome offers a fun atmosphere with fresh, tasty food. As well as moreish grilled skewers, the menu features sashimi and sushi, salads, donburi and dinner sets with grilled meat or fish accompanied by sides (we recommend trying the tender beef tongue!). The drinks list is equally fun and offers some neat options to explore Japanese drinks culture, including plum wine and whisky and a good range of sake, from entry-level to more complex daiginjo made from premium highly-polished rice, and funky, fun cloudy sake. 


Okome

30 Enfield St
Instagram: @okome_mounteden 

Rosalia's

When Sean Bone, Bryan Anderson and Nick Fury – the team behind Ponsonby burger joint Parade – took over the lease of a small shop in the heritage block on Mt Eden Rd opposite Boston Rd, they had planned to simply utilise it as a remote kitchen to bake buns for Parade and breads for their soon-to-open deli, Bodega. But, says Sean, the landlord was insistent on the tenant being open to the public. So Rosalia’s came about – a busy bakery to fit the original brief that also operates as a takeaway gig, slinging very good pizza by the slice and unmissable cannoli.

Different from the usual slice-style pizza, Rosalia’s offering is roughly Romanesque; a thickish base (from a sourdough that’s fermented overnight) with a generous amount of toppings. Some toppings go on at the start of the bake and some are added halfway through, resulting in a joyous combination of textures and bursts of flavour. Toppings vary according to what’s in season. Save room for the cannoli. Sean describes them as “cannoli with attitude. We pinch the middles together a bit which gives them a wider mouth”, meaning no disappointing gaps of filling inside! We recommend getting there as close to midday as you can to avoid missing out.


Rosalia's

65 Mt Eden Rd
Instagram: @rosaliasmteden


Thu to Sat 12-3pm

Small Mercies 

Growing up in Gwangju in southwest South Korea, Eunsung Jung was used to picking up kkwabaegi (twisty doughnuts) as a go-to snack from local markets. Seeing how the phenomenon of doughnuts has grown here in Aotearoa over the past several years, she and partner Mikey Rush figured kkwabaegi would be a great addition to the mix and decided to combine their years of hospitality industry experience to open doughnuts and coffee shop Small Mercies last October. One of the big points of difference is that the doughnuts sold at this bright and welcoming spot at the very top of Mt Eden Rd are super fresh. That’s because the pair continue to fry them up throughout the day as customers order.


Another point of difference is the dough itself. “It’s similar to brioche dough,” Eunsun explains, “but the addition of glutinous rice flour brings a chewiness and bite.” The dough, made the old- fashioned way without improvers or retarders, takes time, but the cook time is a brisk one minute in boiling hot, clean oil. Then it’s time for the doughnuts to be topped; toppings will rotate with the seasons, but some of the mainstays on Small Mercies’ menu are tiramisu, lemon glaze, cinnamon roll, garlic butter parmesan, and hot honey cream cheese. The latter – an ode to Korea’s penchant for bagels – features locally made Sweet Sting chilli-infused honey, which combines beautifully with the mellowness of cream cheese and tang from snipped chives.


As well as the signature twisty kkwabaegi, there are also plump mini chapssal donuts, and yakgwa, which Eunsun describes as a type of biscuit soaked overnight in honey, cinnamon, dates and ginger – definitely one to savour with a hot cup of coffee.


Small Mercies

7 Mount Eden Rd

Instagram: @smallmercies_nz


Wed to Fri 7.30am-4pm Sat and Sun 8am-4pm 

Holiday

They say a change is as good as a holiday – well, I can vouch that a visit to Holiday is as good, too. Its minimalist but warm fit-out, soundtrack of calming jazz and aroma of roasted coffee beans meeting hot water put one at ease. Upon the first sip of your tasty beverage, the clamour of the world is momentarily far away. Owner Joshua Kim and his co-proprietor Woo Hyung Lee are experts in their field. Josh ran Cafe Mont in this spot for years before switching up the mode to reopen as Holiday, a specialist coffee shop offering espresso, Moccamaster brew and pour-over options to suit a range of tastes. Woo Hyung is well known on the barista scene, previously owning Camper Coffee; he is also the brains behind the interior design at Holiday.


Espresso is made using the Holiday blend, which the pair currently roast in Albany. However, the plan is to have a compact roasting set up on-site here soon. There are a range of single origin beans to choose from according to taste and savoury and sweet cabinet items include hearty filled baguettes, scones and dreamy chunky cookies. If you haven’t tried pour-over coffee – or perhaps have but are yet to be convinced – do give it a whirl here. The coffee Josh served up for me (in a beautiful cup made by local ceramic artist Yeram) was made with Gesha Village beans from Ethiopia and was fruity, clean and refreshing. Josh encourages customers to think about pour-over as more akin to a flavoursome cup of tea than to the robust coffee Kiwis are used to. It also has about a third the caffeine content, which will be welcome news for some.


Holiday

4/66 Mt Eden Rd
Instagram: @holiday_in_auckland


Mon to Fri 7am-3pm, Sat 7.30am-3pm

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