Of course I'm partial to Filipino food when looking to try a new restaurant. But even for those who…read moreare not familiar with the culinary fare of the Philippines, this is a must-try restaurant. I'd wholeheartedly vote for the Crispy Pata as their best dish. This is simply deep fried pork hock that comes with a special dipping sauce. I used to have this at least once a month back in Manila, so to say that I have pretty good experience with it would be an understatement. And let me tell you, the Crispy Pata at Turo Turo is one of the best I've tried. The meat is so tender and flavorful but the skin is thin and crispy. It's perfect with a bottle of ice cold beer. Don't miss out on the soup (Bulalo), Lumpiang Shanghai and their other dishes. For dessert, get the Biko (rice cake). Everything is decently priced -- between $15 to $30 per meal, some of them big enough to share. This is definitely Filipino food done well.

I had never tried Filipino food before, but after hearing about dishes like 'Adobo' and 'Crispy…read morePata' from my Filipino friend on the bus, I knew I just had to try this cuisine out! I must admit, it took me quite a while to visit Turo Turo. I was nervous about trying a new cuisine and worried that I would not like the food. However, I am so glad I have finally been. A friend and I visited on a quiet Sunday evening for dinner and to try their intriguing desserts. Turo Turo is located in the Glen Innes shops - there is plenty of parking and the train station is just across the road. Turo Turo also opens out onto the main square, so it would be a perfect place to eat on a balmy night, while watching the kids play outside. Upon arrival, we first noticed the size of the restaurant - small compared to usual places I eat at, the simple décor and the basic set up of tables. Also, when we walked in, no one there to greet us. Instead, I mistook a customer for one of the staff members! So embarrassing! However, when the waitress finally came out to help us, she was very friendly and sweet. From the menu, we ordered the 'Lomi' (noodles with pork or chicken and vegetables in a thick savoury soup), the 'Siomai' (steamed pork dumplings) and of course, highly recommended by my Filipino friend, the 'Adobo' (we chose pork and it is cooked in vinegar and soy sauce). The Adobo also came with rice. Everything was great. The dumplings flavoursome, the noodles and broth tasty and the Adobo was just how I imagined it. The pork was cooked perfectly and it was unlike anything I have ever tasted before - which is a good thing! We also ordered dessert. I had been recommended the 'Sans Rival' (a layered dessert of meringue wafer, butter cream, and crushed cashews), but unfortunately they had run out! Very disappointed! Next option was the 'Leche Flan' (a caramel custard dessert). OMG it was so sweet and delicious - highly recommend! My friend ordered the 'Ube Ice Cream' (homemade ice cream made out of purple yams). We couldn't believe it when we read it on the menu. Purple yams?!?! This too was delicious and a beautiful purple ice cream shade, which I have never seen before! Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at Turo Turo. The food is delicious and I am so glad I finally decided to give Filipino food a try. If you are ever in the area, I recommend you try some Adobo or one of their funky desserts for something different and hey, it might even become your new favourite cuisine!

Food was pretty good here but prices a little steep for what you get. We're from Hawaii, where…read moreAsian based food is the norm so our standards are high. I really enjoyed the salads/sides that came on each plate. It was nice to have some freshness with each bite. I really liked the Thai beef salad. We had been eating pretty heavy, so this was nice to have something with bright and light flavors. My Mom thought the duck had a mushy texture. Located around the corner from Giapo so good location to get dinner and dessert. Miann is also across the street but unfortunately I didn't get to try it.

Adding to the rise of Asian fusion restaurants around the Auckland CBD, Lucky Buddha adds its own…read moreflavour to the expanding Fort Street scene. With Korean owners and a Filipino chef, the Asian fusion tag is well and alive as East meets East. This makes things interesting on the menu: there's beef tatare, lamb ribs, 'halo-halo' (a Filipino dessert), sake, buns. You don't quite know what to settle for. Inside, a shared long table dominates one side but most diners prefer to be seated at separate tables. Going there at 6pm on a Friday night, we were asked whether we had reservations to be seated at one of those separate tables. I got nothing against the shared table philosophy but typically on a weeknight, I had my bag full of things collected from a week of teaching, and an end of the week desire to lean back and ooze. That night though, it was considered too busy so we didn't have a choice but to sit at the bar stools at the long communal table. The drunken chicken first caught my eye but it was nothing like what I had expected! I had imagined juicy and tender whole slices of chicken soaked in rice wine as a traditional Chinese dish. I guess this is where the fusion fact comes in. My friend did like it though, the bean sprouts and fresh coriander in the salad made it refreshing and moorish. My favourites were the beef tatare and the spicy chicken. The chicken was juicy and not soaked in oils, accompanied with rice balls lightly dusted with crispy seasoning. Even though it was listed as a shared plate, I could have easily settled on this as a main for myself. The beef tatare was one of the best I've had - it was kept light with nashi pear and crisps, a good balance of sweet and savoury flavours. There's so much on the dessert menu that I wanted to try - the durian ice cream, halo-halo...but the combination of chocolate, coconut and pandan cream was a winner. Have a bit of everything on your spoon and you'll be transported to a waffley soft chocolate heaven. Food is a bit of a hit or miss at The Lucky Buddha. From what I had, I was seduced enough to want to go back and try more - just as we were leaving I saw the dish of lamb ribs that made me want to reach over and snag one. As with most newly opened eateries, the atmosphere is young and bright with waiters attentive to every eye catch. I just wished the dishes came out all at once but I guess that's something you can add while doing the orders. The shared plates were a winner so go along with friends who like to try a bit of everything!

Surprisingly good. First time trying Filipino food and it's impressive. Ordered two tapas curry and…read moreeggplant, each tastes unique and refreshing, ordered rice to go with the curry, a special aroma in the rice so I finished everything couldn't any bits in the plate. Have no space for dessert will try next time as it sounds interesting from the menu. Highly recommend to anyone who wants to try the unique Asian taste and fusion. Added as one of my favourite spot.

I wanted to try Nanam with my Filipino friend so I could experience "real" Filipino food outside of…read morehis kitchen. In the past, he had only been able to name places NOT to try when I asked for Filipino restaurants. In the state of my delusional hunger, I found myself amused at the red "baos" that looked like fat cartoon tongues. These were the tacopao that you can fill with their sticky pulled pork, pickles, peanuts and the beautiful pork chicarron - crunchy fried pork rinds. I found out later that they're red because of the beetroot. These were part of the AYO (assemble your own) dishes and definitely a stand out dish. The pulled pork was saturated with sauce and the baos were soft and bouncy. And the pork chicarron- ohh the pork chicarron - can I please take home a jar of these to scatter on top of my less than average meals? I could easily polish off three of these tacopaos on my own. Another AYO dish is the spiced chicken hearts or Sisig. Don't wrinkle your nose yet. I've been tricked into eating chicken hearts before and while I was enraged, I have to say, just get over it - be opened-minded and try new things! Mixed with egg, liver pate and garnished with more of the pork chicarron, it's a rich offering but it was beautifully balanced with the chestnut and spring onion salsa, and fresh lettuce leaves. Another highlight was the beef bistek which was skirt steak which was served with salsa verde, charred shallots, and sorrel butter. It was so heart-warming and cooked to medium rare by default. I found that every dish was generous with the sauce and the meat was beautiful and moist. Now onto the dessert - we had a pleasure of ordering "everything on the menu" which were Halo halo, Turon (crispy caramelised banana parfait) and sweetcorn ice cream. Honestly, order everything - it does not break the bank and every dessert is unique and moreish. The vibe of Nanam is casual, somewhere to have fun with your friends. With paint splattered distressed walls, it's a real turnaround from what used to be the fine-dining restaurant, Coco. Nanam is much more neighbourhood friendly, being just opposite from Ollie's the ice cream parlour and not just exclusive to Royal Oak $$$ house owners. I'd recommend going with a group so you can order more shared plates to try. They don't take bookings for less than 6 though so you'd really have to try your luck if you're going on a Friday or Saturday night. We found it surprisingly affordable, given the huge spread of plates and drinks we had over the whole night - it only amounted to around $30pp. I would gladly go back, and given the consistent standard of food we had that night - I wouldn't hesitate to try other dishes on the menu too.

Before our trip to Auckland, I had wondered if there was a Filipino restaurant near our hotel. So…read moreas usual, I looked up "Ube" and found that Boracay Garden was less than a 10-min walk from our hotel. But most importantly, they had my favorite eggplant omelette, tortang talong (eggplant). We had decided that we would brunch there on our first leisurely/discover day. Because the restaurant opened at 11 am, we were finally able to sleep in and took our time getting ready. However. The weather was looking pretty wretched out there, not much people walking around for the time of day. Luckily, we had our raincoats and finally putting it to good use. First, make sure you have good shoes with good grip as mine had poor grip and so it took us a bit longer to get to the restaurant. When we walked in, we notice the size of the restaurant. Large seating area up front an even more tables in the back. We were the first and only patrons that morning. Because there was no one at the hostess podium, we walked up to the register that was across the kitchen where the cook, probably the owner, called out to his hostess that we were here. Sweet girl that sat us and found out later that she's from the same province as my parents. When we ordered, the very item we came for, the eggplant omelette, was out of stock. However, the delivery man came in about 5-mins later and let us know the eggplants were available and we ordered the large omelette. Although our breakfast was really good, which you really can't go wrong with tocino and fish, the eggplant omelette did not disappoint. For me this is comfort food and so much needed on a rainy day. The eggplant was grilled and perfectly charred and crispy on the edges just like how mom made it. And why is this important, because not many restaurants cook it like this. Honestly, I didn't expect it but Boracay Garden exceeded my expectations. If ever I get a chance to return to Auckland, this will be a must on my list.

Filipino food and service are great. Location is perfect, right at the port of Auckland. Prices on…read morethe menu are fair. Arrived at Auckland January 26, unfortunately Boracay Garden was closed on that day. We went the next for dinner after our tour of Hobbiton and Waitomo cave. Thank you.

We visited Birkenhead to eat somewhere different and found the sign for 3 Kings and the menu…read moreoffered much choice. The wait staff are the Filipino owners and very friendly and welcoming. We ordered drinks, entrees and mains, and food was timely and accurate. Entrees we had the shanghai spring rolls which were obviously hand made and very tasty, although expensive at $15. We also had the pork belly and tofu in vinegar entree which was well flavoursome and balanced. We chose two vegetarian mains and both were unique, tasty, and although fairly small dishes they were enjoyable. The entrees and mains are more like Asian style sharing plates. Would suggest getting 3 per person for a hungry dinner guests.

This place was unbelievably good. I wish they were in Los Angeles we would eat there all the time…read more The food was phenomenal, the service was attentive and friendly, and the desserts were beautiful and delicious. 10/10 favorite place we ate in all of New Zealand.

It took 2 years to finally get here after hearing rave reports about it. I went for the ribs which…read morewere deliciously done. And lots of them. Desert was presented in a prepared glass cup. Novel and you can see what your getting. Which btw where wolfed down. Food is great, service was really good as well. Smiley attentive staff. I did walk away from the restaurant feeling like a wider wine selection is needed. I rolled away feeling very satisfied. Recommended.

It's like I'm back in Asia! This is apparently the highest rated food court in Auckland and I would…read moreprobably agree. Lots of choices at reasonable prices. I opted for the Hainan chicken from one of the vendors and was pretty happy with my meal.

I found this food court while walking to another restaurant. There are several food vendors inside…read morethat serve many different Asian cuisines; Filipino, Chinese, Vietnamese, Indian, and Thai to name a few. There is also a beverage vendor in the middle of that food court that sells soda, beer, and cocktails. I bought a lemongrass chicken dish from the Vietnamese vendor and a Guinness from the drink vendor. The dish was flavorful but not spectacular. The Guinness was delicious. I gave this place four stars not because of the quality of the lemongrass chicken dish but for the variety of Asian food you can order from the different vendors.