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.

*American reviewer* there's a pinoy spot in Hamilton! the ambiance is quite familiar to walk into:…read moreABS-CBN on the big screen TV, turo turo in the corner, a table of assorted condiments on the side, and familiar sizzle of oil-upon-protein beckoning an order of fried deliciousness from the patronage. I ordered the lumpiang shanghai and sinigang na baboy (pork). the lumpia was crisp and fresh, served with just the right amount of sweet chili sauce. the sinigang was not as sour as I am used to; perhaps cooked for the kiwi palate, but leaving this filipino american desiring more pucker. it was chock full of tender meat and crisp veg, which made up for the more mild acidity. no credit, being cash.

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.

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!

My friends and I were craving Filipino food while visiting Auckland & found nanam- a family owned…read morebusiness! It was my friends bday and he found this place for us- we didn't know what to expect, however we left with such a beautiful experience. The food, service & ambience were all a 10/10! We ordered the sharing feast which is about $75 per person. It was just the three of us so they were able to customize the menu to our needs. We were able to swap the fish for chicken. My favorite dishes were the wagyu sausage "longganisa" , lamb "adobo" croquettes, crispy pork hock "pata" and krispy kumara (not pictured).

Visiting from the states and this was by far our favorite place. The staff was quick and courteous…read moreand the setting is beautiful. We enjoyed a little bit of everything with the pre-show tapas and kraut salad.

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.