Elegance is one trend that refuses to go out of style. Be it dainty details on a sentimental pair of earrings, or a show-stopping pair of boots, every moment deserves to be golden.
Christopher Esber’s jewellery offers a modern take on the timeless silhouette, and the Dual Band is forever sought-after. Chanel’s Metallic Flap Bag offers an opulent take on a forever classic, or for something more daring, Balenciaga’s Blade Metallic Leather Boots make a statement in all their knee-high glory.
If anyone knows about conjuring joy from food it’s Burger Burger owner and Denizen hero Mimi Gilmour Buckley With this recipe, the inspiring entrepreneur moved away from the grill and towards the oven for homemade hot cross buns.
“I’m not really a baker so it’s surprising that these turned out so freaking delicious,” Buckley says. “I got the original recipe from my Thermomix (which I’m obsessed with — I could turn into one of those crazy Tupperware-esque women at any moment) but I have jazzed it up a bit and remade it by hand to make sure it works for everyone.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the biggest fan of dried fruit however I love hot cross buns covered in lashings of Lewis Road Creamery salted butter. I’ve also added the option of sneaking in some dark chocolate because I think anything goes at the moment really. If you’ve got some sort of self-control and don’t eat them all fresh out of the oven, they are just as good toasted or made into a bun and butter pudding, to be served covered in custard and ice cream.”
Hot cross bun recipe
Ingredients
Buns
250g full cream milk
1 tbsp dried instant yeast or 40g fresh yeast, crumbled
500g baker’s flour
1 pinch salt
70g butter
50g caster sugar (or 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup)
1 egg
Citrus zest — 1 lemon or lime, zest only, no white pith. (If you’re feeling fruity I also add a whole orange too. You could add 2 tbsp candied orange peel if you wish).
Spice mix option one: 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 2 tsp ground nutmeg, ½ tsp ground cloves, 1 tsp Heilala vanilla paste.
Spice mix option two: 3 tsp mixed spice, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger. (If you don’t want spice you can leave it out completely!)
250g fruit (2 cups) — I used currants but you can also use any combination of sultanas, raisins, dried or sauteed apple, blueberries, dried apricots, cranberries and roughly chopped dark chocolate. (If you want to make an adults-only version — you can soak the fruit in a spiced rum for 20 minutes before it goes in.)
Piping
80g plain flour
1 pinch salt
1 tsp olive oil
100ml water
Glaze
2 tbsp water, 2 tbsp sugar
or 2 tbsp honey
or 2 tbsp maple syrup
or marmalade
or frosting with orange zest
Method
Buns
1. Warm milk and stir through yeast. Leave to rest for one minute till mixture begins to foam.
2. In a large bowl add flour, salt, butter, caster sugar, egg, spices and citrus zest. Stir to combine. Pour over milk and bring the dough together gently.
3. Add fruit and knead for 3 minutes.
4. Transfer dough onto a floured work surface and work into a ball.
5. Place dough ball in a large buttered bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel. Leave to prove in a warm place until doubled in size (approx. 45 minutes – 1 hour).
6. Preheat the oven to 220°C.
7. Knock down dough and divide it into 12 equal-sized pieces. Form into rolls and place them close together on a baking tray lined with baking paper and then set aside to prove again for 30 minutes.
8. When you have 5 minutes of proofing left to go, it’s time to make the crosses. To do this, place plain flour, salt, olive oil and water into a mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
9. Pour into a zip-lock bag, cut the corner off (just a teensy hole) and pipe crosses onto the top of buns. Best to do this with one swift movement once you’ve got your flow sorted — maybe practice to one side first.
10. Bake for 10-15 minutes (220°C) or until golden brown.
Glaze (make while buns are baking)
1. Place water and sugar in a small pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, whisk gently till sugar has dissolved completely. If you’re using one of the other suggested glazes, just slightly warm it in the microwave till it’s runny enough to be brushed.
2. Using a pastry brush, apply glaze on buns while still warm.
3. Allow to cool on the tray for 5 minutes before transferring onto a wire rack.
4. Serve warm with lashings of butter.
Despite the hurdles the hospitality industry has faced over the past two years, we have been spoiled for choice with all the brand new restaurants arriving on Auckland’s dining scene. From excellent casual offerings to exceptional fine dining establishments, the city’s latest and greatest new openings run the gamut of genres, bringing a wealth of new options that we didn’t know we were missing. See the esteemed shortlist below and be sure to cast your vote — if there’s an establishment you think we may have overlooked, be sure to add them in the comment box.
Everybody who votes goes in the draw to win one of three $1000 vouchers to be spent at one of the American Express Local Dining Collection locations — a list of which can be found here.
Voting has now closed. The 2022 Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express will be announced in the Winter issue of Denizen magazine (released on 23rd May, 2022).
The Denizen Hospo Heroes 2022 ‘Best New Opening’ Shortlist:
Alta, Karangahape Road
Atelier, Karangahape Road
Bar Magda, CBD
Bar Non Solo, Britomart
Faraday’s Bar, Parnell
Gaja, Ponsonby
Ghost Street, Britomart
INCA, Ponsonby
Ki Maha, Waiheke
Milenta, Victoria Park
Mumbaiwala, Ponsonby
Spiga, Remuera
For more information on the 2022 Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express, click here.
Good quality, simple food, made well shouldn’t be hard to find, but it’s something that many people can tend to overcomplicate. But after spending 10 years working his way up in the hospitality industry, Johnny Bae knew that it was what he was destined to do. Now, with the help of his younger brother, his dream of opening his own space is finally coming true.
Chur Bae, the newest addition to City Works Depot, opening this Friday, is an ode to casual dining, comfort and community, that comes off in an effortlessly cool and chic way. The reality of getting there has been more arduous for the brothers, but opening the doors to a lifelong dream has made it all the more worthwhile.
“We want to create dishes that are simple, but executed to perfection,” the older brother says.
The owners agree that the hospitality industry has grown a lot, and it has naturally changed a lot too. But for some people, there aren’t venues that provide the same comfort and community they have been used to. Chur Bae has been thoughtfully created as a space where customers could become friends with the owners, where they could come in simply for a cup of coffee and spend a couple of hours – with no obligation to overspend.
And the spaces’ casual, welcoming nature is quite simply reflected in the name. They tried more formal ideas like Olive and Grace, but it turns out taking the family last name and turning it into an age-old Kiwi saying was a natural fit. The menu reflects the space between their heritage; Kiwi classics with a Korean take on seafood, and offering something for everyone.
Completing Chur Bae’s beautiful, simplistic offering, is the fit-out, which was created in collaboration with Johnny’s high school friends. Paired back joinery, dark stained woods and forest green upholstery pay homage to the space’s former use as a florist, but invite a new crowd for this change of guard.
Chur Bae officially opens its doors this Friday, April 1 after a long-awaited arrival, and they’re ready to serve up delicious food and old-school hospitality.
It’s a rarity to have a clear vision of your future career from a young age, but for actor Grace Palmer, there has never been any other vocation she could imagine doing — and it’s easy to see why.
Her intrinsic gift for performance and comedic timing have seen her be a fixture on our screens since 2008, from presenting as a teen on iconic Kiwi kids show What Now? to a memorable three-year stint on Shortland Street, plus acting credits on series The Dead Lands, Brokenwood Mysteries and more.
The last year has seen Grace’s range expand and take an exciting new turn, thanks to the release of series Good Grief, which she co-wrote with her sister Eve Palmer (who also has television experience) and Christchurch-based screenwriter Nick Schaedel.
The first season of Good Grief was released on TVNZ On Demand in January 2021, and while it received rave reviews from those who watched it, locally it was a modest success. This all changed when, just over six months ago, it was announced that mega American broadcast company AMC (home of Killing Eve, Breaking Bad, Mad Men and The Walking Dead) wanted to fund a second season of the homegrown show — and beam it to the world. What followed were endorsements of season one from international publications like The New York Times and Deadline.
“We’re so pumped to be working with AMC — I’m a huge fan of heaps of their shows,” says Grace. “Our wonderful producer Kerry [Warkia] showed them season one and they really enjoyed it (which I still can’t get over), so they offered to fund a second season.”
Grace and Eve not only co-wrote the series, the real-life sisters star in it as on-screen sisters Gwen and Ellie. The six succinct episodes follow them trying to muddle through their sudden responsibility as funeral home directors, after they inherit a fictional home called Loving Tributes from their grandfather. Hilarity ensues in that endearingly awkward New Zealand way, as the sisters’ constant dealings with death force them to evaluate their own lives.
When they first released the show, says Grace, they weren’t sure people would even watch it — let alone like it. It’s been quite the confidence boost to have such a good response. “Going into season two with an audience who are as excited as we are, feels awesome.”
And, while the success of the show has been aptly celebrated, the real highlight for its co-creator has been working so closely with family. “I’ve met heaps of cool people in my line of work, and every job feeds my soul in one way or another. But, nothing really compares to creating, writing, and starring in a show with my big sister.”
With season two filming completed, Grace has a newfound passion for being behind the camera and would love to expand on her skills in this area — writing another show and shooting a feature film are both goals she’d like to tick off this year. If Good Grief is anything to go by, whatever she creates next is set to be assured, original and brimming with authenticity.
Working in the film and television industry is undoubtedly mercurial and every actor’s journey is different — something that can be tough but also “exciting, unpredictable and incredibly rewarding”.
Even one of the most challenging aspects of the job is reframed as a positive in Grace’s eyes. “The better you get, the more you realise the less you know.” (Read that again.) “Every job comes with a different set of challenges — that’s why it’s so addictive. I love that I’ll never master this profession.”
As for when she feels most content and fulfilled, Grace says she’s still figuring out the specifics, but has a good idea of common denominators. “I don’t have the recipe… yet. But, I reckon it’s when I’m doing what I love, with the people I love.”
Grace Palmer on…
What she loves about acting:
“So much. I’ve always had a wild imagination. I used to create characters in my head and step into their world for the day (I realise that makes me sound a bit unhinged). On the surface, acting is just dressing up and playing make-believe, but the deeper you go, the more real it feels.”
Her interests outside of film and TV:
“Making people laugh, singing, song-writing, rollerskating, the environment, Māoritanga, travel, health and fitness, fashion, cooking (not baking, I suck at baking).”
Something she wishes she knew starting out:
“How to stand up for myself. I was always so wary of pissing people off or letting people down, that I would often compromise my own values. I’ve definitely grown out of that.”
An important lesson she’s learned so far:
“Health is wealth. And not just physical, but mental, emotional, and social health too. I spent my early 20s totally taking my health for granted, and now more than ever, I can truly appreciate what it means to be healthy. It’s invaluable.”
What her catch-phrase would be:
“I love you. I say that a lot, even to people I’ve just met, and it’s not disingenuous or shallow. I mean it. I just think if you really love someone, you’ll never regret telling them.”
How she stays motivated:
“I’m pretty competitive, so I guess I’m inherently driven? I’ve always had really high expectations of myself, which can be to my own detriment, because I’m always looking for the next thing. I’m working on being more present.”
A typical day in her life:
“It’s rarely the same. My life is most consistent when I’m writing, as I’m usually on a deadline, but generally speaking — my job(s) take me to different places with different people. One thing I’ll always find time for is exercise. I go a bit loopy if I don’t move my body.”
There’s no denying it: people go bonkers for brunch. In this town, those serving up the finest brunch fare are rewarded with lengthy queues come the weekend, and unwavering loyalty from their regulars. It’s a meal we know many people feel strongly about, and so we are giving you the opportunity to vote for the eatery that you think does it the best — if there’s anyone you think we’ve overlooked, be sure to add them in the comment box.
Everybody who votes goes in the draw to win one of three $1000 vouchers to be spent at one of the American Express Local Dining Collection locations — a list of which can be found here.
Voting has now closed. The 2022 Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express will be announced in the Winter issue of Denizen magazine (released on 23rd May, 2022).
The Denizen Hospo Heroes 2022 ‘Best for Brunch’ Shortlist:
Alpha, Parnell
Bambina, Ponsonby
Bestie, Karangahape Road
The Candy Shop, Newmarket
Catroux, Westmere
Chateaubriant, Devonport
Crave, Morningside
Dear Jervois, Herne Bay
Dizengoff, Ponsonby
Honey Bones, Grey Lynn
ONE Onehunga Neighbourhood Eatery, Onehunga
Knead on Benson, Remuera
Orphans Kitchen, Ponsonby
Ozone, Grey Lynn
Patch Cafe, Sunnybrae
Rosie, Parnell
Simon & Lee, Parnell
St Heliers Bay Cafe & Bistro, St Heliers
Sugar at Chelsea Bay, Birkenhead
The Store, Britomart
Williams Eatery, Wynyard Quarter
For more information on the 2022 Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express, click here.
Fresh is one flavour we all crave in our food. The city’s dining scene wouldn’t be what it is today without the restaurateurs that have spent decades bringing it to life. Alas with the ever-changing nature of the industry, off the back of a challenging couple of years, a new guard is now being ushered in. With a wave of eateries opening around Tāmaki Makaurau, this new category is all about celebrating the faces of the future that are set to redefine our beloved restaurant experience. And there’s no one better to decide the winner than you — the person who loves good food more than most. If there’s a notable new guard that you think may have been overlooked, share them with us in the comments below.
Everybody who votes goes in the draw to win one of three $1000 vouchers to be spent at one of the American Express Local Dining Collection locations — a list of which can be found here.
Voting has now closed. The 2022 Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express will be announced in the Winter issue of Denizen magazine (released on 23rd May, 2022).
The Denizen Hospo Heroes 2022 ‘Best New Guard Operator’ Shortlist:
Carlo Buenaventura — Bar Magda
David Lee — The Candy Shop, Poni, Gochu, Camper Coffee
Diva Giles and Logan Birch — Beau
Emma Ogilvie and Nick Landsman — Bar Céleste, East Street Hall, Star Superette, Cantine
Georgia van Prehn — Alta
Henry Mitchell Temple — Annabel’s, East Street Hall
Hugo Baird — Lilian, Hotel Ponsonby
Jason Rosen, Adam Neal and Olly Fitton — Brolly, The Broken Lantern, Parasol & Swing
John Yip and Jamie Yeon — Omni
Lesley Chandra — Sidart
Matt Ross — Candela
Patrick & Charles Williams — Williams Eatery
Paul & Lisa Lee — Ockhee
Samir Allen — Gemmayze Street
Sean Bone, Bryan Anderson and Nicholas Fury — Parade
For more information on the 2022 Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express, click here.
Reminiscent of the cult favourite David Trubridge lampshade, the handbag of the moment leaves little to the imagination in the most alluring way. The exquisite construction of these bags brings in a geodesic element to the simplicity of bags past.
For an everyday addition, look no further than the classic construction of a Chloé tote, or for a supermarket-chic look, Balenciaga’s Mag Basket offers just the right amount of effortless cool. If you’re seeking something timeless, consider a Louis Vuitton or Alaïa that promises to age gracefully.
Make a toast to comfort with upholstered dining chairs that will allow you to linger at the table for longer. Not only physically delightful to sit on, these chairs bring a hefty dose of design charisma, whether sculptural or pared-back is more your style.
They say fortune favours the bold, and at Lucky 8 a bold approach to social dining has created Ponsonby’s new lucky charm. Its sign is a large black cat perched above an enigmatic black door, which leads upstairs to the new-guard opening.
Another Fortune Cat, known as Maneki Neko in Japanese (and now Chinese) culture, also looks over diners as they enter the loft-like space with exposed brick, large street-facing windows and what appears to be 800 other small black cats watching on from the walls.
The latest from the team behind the ever-popular Mr Hao — Paul Wong, Julian Diprose, and now Lucas Boucly — Lucky 8 is as audacious as it is auspicious.
Taking the Lucky 8 theme and really running with it, each and every delicious dish here is $8. From a masterful mouthful of abalone and squid with soy sauce (served in its shell) to a slow-cooked black pepper beef cheek, which melts off the bone, everything is priced, and revered, the same.
The Head Chef from Mr Hao was quick to up sticks to the Lucky 8 kitchen, and one of his favourite plates, Hao’s Chilli Chicken, is served here — as a more petite size piled up like popcorn chicken, while keeping all the bite.
Another favourite is the Golden Crusted Shrimp, which comes with a deliciously crunchy coating and a squiggle of moreish mayo. The Lion’s Heads pork meatballs are styled off those you’d find at China’s renowned street food stalls, but covered in sweet and sour sauce that pools on the plate for a contemporary take.
Of course, the Cantonese-inspired sharing plates are delectable, from the pork and shrimp dumplings to the chicken wing and teriyaki salmon skewers, but the vegetarian options are a surprising star of the menu. Scrolls of fresh cucumber in a spicy and sour sauce, and the neatly swirled vermicelli and shredded turnip salad, work well with the richer, stickier courses. Meanwhile the Mushroom Fries are as dangerous to snack on as its starch namesake.
As well as its own Lucky brand lager, hazy pale ale and pilsner, there are also eight unique cocktails on tap — ensuring a round of refreshments come to your table as quickly as they need to. While we would usually be careful of cocktails that come at the pull of a lever, the ones at Lucky 8 are so popular they are constantly being made fresh for your preferred method of libation.
All as revitalising as the next, you can sip a Wuling dragon, with Yuzu sake, mandarin liqueur, chrysanthemum, lime and basil, and a Luckys Spritz, with prosecco and mango liqueur and a flame-torch toasted meringue on top. Each $8 cocktail comes with its own symbol, reflected in the neon lights around the room — all your need to do is spin around and pick one.
In fitting with the social scene that has been set here, you won’t find any tables for two at Lucky 8. Instead, there is a central bar island, with seating all around. Elsewhere there are high or low tables, with approximately eight seats ushered around each for gatherings of friends, or for new chance meetings.
For those who are ‘Extra Lucky’ (or celebrating something extra special) there is a private room with one large table found behind a beaded kind of curtain — not completely closed off from the action in the main dining room.
With a vibrant atmosphere, this is certainly the place for a good time — but it’s here for a long time too. Lucky 8 is open every day except for Monday, and open until midnight. Whether you find yourself in need of a feed when most restaurants are turning the lights off in their kitchens, or if you want to settle in early and stay, you will always be satiated. With talk of opening for lunch not too far off, it would also be a lively location for long Friday lunch ‘meetings’ with your favourites from the office.
While the team has a come one, come all approach, the concept bar’s instant favour means its red leather seats are filling up fast. Be sure to be one of the fortunate ones, and get in quick to enjoy Lucky 8 this week.
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Sunday: 5pm — Midnight
Closed Mondays
Lucky 8
161 Ponsonby Road
Ponsonby, Auckland
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