I visited this restaurant by chance while in Auckland, and it was one of my best decisions yet!…read moreAfter a few rainy days, this restaurant offered the best comfort food to cure my blues. The fish roe soup and fried flounder were amazingly fresh, likely one of the perks of being in a coastal city. The kimchi, OMG, how do they make it taste so good?! I wish I could bring a bucket of their kimchi home with me! Will definitely visit again whenever I'm back in New Zealand, if not making a trip just for their food!

Stopped by this mom and pop Korean soup place. Tried the mixed pork soup and it was good…read more Definitely satisfying. Rich pork broth with mix of pork from pork steak to fatback/belly type pieces and some other more chewy pieces/. All added to a good soup. Comes with a side of rice and some kimchi, radish and onion. My only wish is the soup had more chives and maybe even some clear noodles. The sweet older lady is kind and the space is really nice to grab lunch or meet friends.

I've been to a lot of restaurants and one of my resolutions this year is to try more Vietnamese…read more Sprout in Manukau does some pretty good Vietnamese food. Just about all of their dishes are under $10 so it doesn't break the bank too much, and they're delicious. My favourite dish from Sprout (and I know many that would agree) if their chicken or pork on rice. I could eat that whole thing in ten minutes and I'm a painfully slow eater. They give you a lot of meat, a lot of rice and a lot of salad- my favourite types of portions! It is seriously good so if you're into pork or chicken, give this one a shot- its a goodie. I haven't tried their sushi but I always notice that come the afternoon all of their pre-packed sushi is sold out. This is probably some indication that it's good, so it could be worth the puchase! They also do a terrific spicy beef noodle soup, and while I'm not much of a soup eater I found this to be really filling and their broth is so tasty! If you're looking for something different in the food court, I'd try Sprout. They make some really good food and it never hurts to try something a little out of your comfort zone.

The hotel concierge recommended the Commercial Bay food court on the second floor. At first, we…read morewere hesitant about eating at a food court as we imagined it would be like Taco Bell, Panda Express, Burger King, etc. But it turned out to be more like a modern food hall. It's inside a commercial building with over ten vendors offering a nice mix of cuisines: Vietnamese, Malaysian, Chinese, Mediterranean, and Korean, plus a few places for juice, açaí, and matcha drinks. We decided to try Eden Noodle, mainly because it had the longest line--which usually says something about how popular (and hopefully good) the food is. We ordered the pork ribs with rice noodles and the wontons in chili oil. We chose mild, but it was still quite spicy, so next time we'll definitely go for not spicy. The ordering process was super easy. You go to one of the three kiosks, grab a pager with a number, enter your order, pay, and wait for the buzzer to go off when your food's ready--it took about 15 minutes for ours. There's plenty of seating--tables, chairs, and benches--and you often end up sharing a table with strangers. That might feel unusual for Americans, but it actually reminded me of Hong Kong, where space is limited and communal dining is the norm. Overall, portion sizes were decent for the price, and the flavors were good--just a bit spicier than expected for "mild."

Just great food. Small no frills place. Chili wontons are a must and the cucumber salad was a good…read morerefreshing balance. Grandma was making dumplings by hand right when you walk in like she does everyday. You prefer before you sit down so know what you want. Go here.

Most expensive and worst pho that I've ever had!!…read more I asked for crispy chicken pho. I got chicken nuggets in the broth, so they were soggy, I've only ever gotten a fried thigh/leg before. The broth was very bland and the hoisin sauce was watered down (super odd). It cost $24 for the soup and a drink. Save your cash, you couldn't give this soup to a homeless person in Vietnam.

I recently visited Try It Out, a Vietnamese restaurant located in Otahuhu, and unfortunately, I did…read morenot have a good experience. While the staff was friendly and the service was fast, the food was disappointing. The pho I ordered lacked the depth of flavor that I usually expect from this dish, and the bánh mì sandwich was dry and lacked the usual tasty fillings. Overall, I was disappointed with my experience at Try It Out, and I cannot recommend this restaurant for those looking for authentic and delicious Vietnamese cuisine in Auckland. However with that being said, the restaurant is run by Vietnamese. Just like the other reviewer mentioned, if you visit without comparison with those from the US or OZ, then you should be happy with the portion and the no frill service.

awwww man. The service this time was horrible... they forgot to many things…read more.. We ordered the combination vermicelli, summer rolls, grass jelly drink, and milk soda and egg drink which were all good. The only dish that was a let down today was the special beef combination rice noodle soup... which is my regular there... they forgot the egg which was a crucial part of making the soup even more delicious than it normally is. i so asked the water to which he quickly brought out. Then being the fussy noodle eater i am, i originally asked for half half egg noodles and rice noodles which he forgot too and only put egg noodles. I ask him again and he also apologized and quickly brought it back out... AND also they forgot to put beef tripe in..... but i didn't bother asking them for that as i already pointed out too many faults... Today i took a star from them because they weren't at the top of their game... Don't get me wrong, the food was all very good and tasty (even though some elements were missing, it was still hella tasty)... just the service was lacking... he didn't seem to really care that that one order was ALL wrong (i think he just wanted to go home and relax lol) also whenever we walk out of here, we smell very strong of Vietnamese herbs from the Pho (noodle soup) hahaha Pho Purfume, anyone?

There are two Try it Out Restaurants in Auckland, this is the better one if you ask me. Although…read morethe Otahuhu one just got a spruce up, I believe they still have a 2 foot crater in their carpark. We always order the spicy squid as it's a must have.. I also enjoy the crispy chicken and the spicy and sour soup. Plenty of amazing dishes to choose from, suggest you go with a group try it all out. Servers speak better english on Torrens Rd as well, not always necessary but sometime helpful.

Oh my gosh! I could smash four mains and three desserts, but this lunchtime laksa! Tastes so good,…read morebut the portion is currently beyond my capacity. I popped in to Mama Rich again for an authentic laksa because last week I ordered a laksa in Singapore and got a Tom Yum Soup. I felt robbed! Feeling so much better having sipped and slurped my way through this bowl of laksa goodness. This cafe is a favourite for many familiar with Malay cuisine, even Malaysians. Evident by their attendance and quaffing of the hearty noodle soups. Their baked goods here are seriously good too. Try their afghans...they actually taste like....well, afghans. Of all the laksas I've had in Auckland, this ranks in top three for taste but number one for sheer volume and there's plenty of chicken in it too. For a lunchtime special, two would feel sated sharing a bowl of laksa.

So if we have Papa Rich in the city ? Does that make Mama Rich the sister restaurant and Selera the…read morepoor cousin in New Market? Well however the businesses are joined or not , Mama Rich had the exact same menu as Selera . I had the char kieow ( sorry spelling) and it was the same as Selera , but without the spice and charred flavour that I love so much at Selera . All the dishes looked good and I wish I was more adventurous to try something else . That's not too say I didn't like it ,but personally I feel Selera is better . Mama Rich was clean and quiet for families and a cafe feel , no free tea here . (And when I asked if there was tea like at Selera the server looked at me like I was a crazy person). I like the noise at Selera and the jostling for tables , it feels more authentic. I love Malaysian food and I'll be sure to give Mama Rich another try , but I'm sure I'll be enticed back to Selera before long .

Not quite the same as satay noodle places in the South Island. Has Thai and Cambodian dishes on the…read moremenu, and even has some stir fries. I went for the #1 chicken satay noodle soup. The broth could do with a little more flavour, maybe they are trying to keep it healthy. The chicken was tender. The mung bean sprouts were pitiful. The thing I was the most disappointed about was the satay, again, was more on the blend side, and could do with a little more peanuts in it. The place is otherwise spacious, mostly clean. Friendly staff, but the service could be a bit faster. It took ~20 min for my noodle soup to be ready. There were only two other groups of people at the time. I guess I have to give them credit of making things fresh on the spot?

It was late they had closed and opened the doors let me have a sit down meal. I had noodle seafood…read moresoup and a chicken satay burger. Paid just $13ish for my meal left happy full and yummy tasting food.

We were looking for a place to eat in Thames and our Airbnb host recommended Nakontong Thai (she…read moresaid it's one of her favourite restaurants in town). We dropped in on a Wednesday evening and it was fairly busy. The clientele is mostly Caucasian but the staff at least are Thai. The food came out quicker than lightning! No joke; it took us longer to decide what we wanted than our food to be cooked. The menu is split into appetizers, ancient golden wok, curries, Nakontong snapper, duck, noodle & rice, hot plates, set menus and desserts. The lunch menu has some super cheap $10.00 lunch specials. You choose from four spice levels: mild, medium, hot and very hot. - 3x Jasmine rice ($1.00 NZD) - interestingly, they bring a huge pot of rice around and scoop your rice onto your plate. We weren't sure if you could get refills but we weren't charged for one extra scoop. - Jungle curry ($18.50 NZD) - curry in spices soup with Thai herbs and vegetables without coconut milk. We got this with chicken. It's a much more soupy type of curry but flavour and spices were good. Even drinking the soup on its own tasty. - Spicy curries ($18.50 NZD) - stir fried beef with bamboo shoots and vegetables. They mix red, green and yellow curries! I've never seen this before. My favourite dish of the night. Curry was flavourful and had good depth. We asked for all our dishes to be medium spicy and it was an enjoyable heat level. - Chili tom yum ($17.50 NZD) - stir fried tofu with fresh chili, lemongrass, galanga herbs and vegetables. The tofu was satisfying with a good mix of cauliflower, broccoli and carrots. The sauce was a nice balance of sweet and spicy. A little pricey for dinner but this was a solid Thai spot.

STOP THE LIGHTS!!!!! The absolute BEST Thai out there by a…read morecountry mile it is FANTASTIC! Always busy anytime we are in THAMES, flavour galore and quick service and grrrrrrreat for vegetarians! Don't miss this place, it's really the nicest friendliest spot by miles.

On a recent trip from Taupo, we got ridiculously hungry around Hamilton. What is there to eat in…read moreHamilton? We were tired, sweaty (from a weekend of doing yoga) and wanted something cheap and cheerful! Alas, noodle haven in Hamilton's city centre! Khmer Noodle House (wasn't even listed in Yelp! Until now! Shame....) was spotted and was very good choice looking back. With your typical food court style seating (think Ponsonby Food Court seating for all you Aucklanders out there), Khmer Noodle House has many choices for those who are interested in Cambodian and Thai food. There was also a generous selection when it came to drinks; lots of imported juices, coconut water, and the usual sodas. There were almost too many food choices to be honest, however, we seemed to manage. Since moving to New Zealand, yummy and cheap Pho is hard to find (although gaining popularity recently this year with the growing popularity of Vietnamese food). This place had "Cambodian style Pho" so I thought, "why not?" So glad I tried it! the broth was very very similar to Vietnamese Pho I know and love back in Seattle (thought don't quote me on authenticity, I have never been to Vietnam). The friends that I went with had curries and various other things. Everyone enjoyed their food immensely! Would definitely go back, and if you are passing through Hamilton give these guys you business because they were amazing!

Very tasty Cambodian food and a lot variety from seafood all meats and vegetarian. Price is…read morereasonable and owners work hard and nice. Decor is ok but the food is always good taste and consistent. Always nice option to return and eat