As you walk down the steps to The Nightcar, you leave Auckland behind and enter into another world. Taking inspiration from his time in Beijing and London, Daren Zhou opened The Nightcar to combine the fun and frivolity of a nightclub with the service and food you’d expect from any good restaurant. The result is a sexy, futuristic space where you’ll find yourself sipping on umeshu and matcha cocktails while you slurp up bowls of shredded chicken, black vinegar and chilli oil noodles, wok-fried snapper with galangal and nuoc cham, and, of course, piquant smashed cucumbers.