In Pictures: Auckland’s ‘Cute Food’ RevolutionBy Steph Van Geete
Whether you’re in the habit of snapping away at your dinner or not, the new kids on Auckland’s culinary block are likely to make going to make you want to Instagram your food almost as much as you want to eat it. Here are five establishments in New Zealand’s capital city rocking the ‘cute food’ trend – petite pieces of very colourful foodstuffs.
Little and Friday was supposed to be just that: a one-woman operation on Fridays selling the delicious brainchildren of creator Kim Evans. These days they have three locations across Auckland, two best selling cookbooks and a devoted following who will happily dedicate a week’s calories to one of her cream donuts. We’re talking tarts, cakes, slices and cupcakes all made from fresh, whole ingredients. It’s the kind of eating that reminds us how good food can be when it isn’t trying to be fat free!
Must try: Giant cream filled donut with jam
43 Eversleigh Rd, Belmont, Auckland
2. Moustache Milk and Cookie Bar
Think of one thing you always thought should go in a cookie. Moustache probably has it. They probably have it in the same cookie with another ingredient you never thought of but that is, in fact, genius. The downtown milk and cookie bar offers coffee from talented baristas and milkshakes made from what I would fearlessly call New Zealand’s best ice cream, or if you’re feeling classic, a cold glass of milk to go with your handmade cookie masterpiece.
Must try: Raspberry Lamington Cookie
12 Wellesley Street West, Auckland
3. Raw Kitchen
Established in 2013 by wellness coach Olivia Scott, the Raw Kitchen promotes ‘eating plant-based, natural, beautiful food’. Their lovingly designed cakes are made from blends of raw fruit, nuts, seeds and superfood powders to make you feel as good on the inside as they are. Olivia’s e-book Raw Amour, a guide to raw desserts and understanding the ideas behind raw eating is out now.
Must try: Snicker Licker cake – caramel, peanut and nougat and chocolate icing
4. Milse
Described as a ‘mecca for dessert devotees’, Milse is the place to let your long suppressed sweet tooth run unchecked. Located on Auckland’s waterfront in what has recently become its bar and restaurant epicentre, Milse offers dessert à la carte and degustation menus accompanied by plentiful range of handpicked wines and spirits. The open kitchen and mismatch interior design gives Milse a warm, intimate atmosphere that makes the central focus the art of creating, presenting and devouring dessert.
Must try: Valrhona chocolate bars with plum and pistachio
The Pavilions at Britomart, 27 Tyler Street, Britomart, Auckland
Little Bird Organics are dedicated to bringing the masses raw, organic and full-of-goodness food and education. Their unBakeries celebrate their quirky aesthetic and cheerful attitude in small, rustic locations that let the food speak for itself. Their ‘Bird Bowl’ meal deserves a special mention – it’s a kind of crash course in raw/organic eating, a variety of seeds and leaves with vegetables and yummy dressings served in cute mismatched bowls and jars. It’s a warm fuzzies food experience.
Must try: The Bird Bowl, of course
385, New North Road, Kingsland & 1a Summer Street, Ponsonby, Auckland
