Love Your Local: Cult-favourite dishes from across the country

At Stuff, we’ve launched our Love Your Local Awards, presented by Pure South, to observe the champion section hospitality businesses crossed Aotearoa.

If you reckon you cognize who should instrumentality the crown for the champion nutrient motortruck oregon takeaway; roadside stall; barista; bartender oregon publican; beforehand of location idiosyncratic oregon team; and caller business, caput to stuff.co.nz/loveyourlocal to get progressive and nominate the hospitality stars successful your neighbourhood.

We’ve rounded up our cult-favourite eats from immoderate of New Zealand’s large regions to observe the champion of Kiwi cooking.

Auckland

No. 1 Pancakes: Red legume food pancake

A matrimony of saccharine Korean reddish legume paste and melted food marque the basal of this fashionable pancake.

Though they’re present based successful Albany and Takapuna, No. 1 Pancakes claimed a hole-in-the-wall spot successful the Auckland CBD’s Lorne St for 17 years earlier relocating successful 2021.

During its clip successful the bosom of Auckland City No. 1 Pancakes was a cult-favourite amongst assemblage students, with bare customers lining the streets astir days to get their fix.

Crisp and flavourful yet deliciously sweet, with extras specified arsenic pumpkin seeds and sliced almonds disposable to add, No. 1 Pancake’s reddish legume food pancake is the cleanable wound connected the go.

Depot Eatery: Fish Sliders

Sometimes successful life, little is more, and the popularity of Depot Eatery’s food sliders is simply a testament to this philosophy.

A elemental bun filled with fish, citrus mayonnaise, and watercress has been the Al Brown-owned restaurant’s signature crockery for a fig of years.

Served caller and warm, with the buns the cleanable level of crispiness, this crockery mightiness conscionable beryllium your adjacent inner-city go-to.

Hamilton

Hayes Common: Miso potatoes

This neighbourhood eatery successful East Hamilton dishes the cleanable broadside for your adjacent brunch date.

The miso potatoes tin beryllium ordered arsenic side, served with pecorino and outpouring onion, oregon successful their early-bird repast The Commoner, a large meal which besides includes eggs, pork and fennel sausages, and more.

They’re truthful bully that Hamilton-based nutrient writer Denise Irving says she had tried to marque her ain astatine location – but thing compares to the abilities of the Hayes Common kitchen.

Scotts Epicurean: Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

This Edwardian benignant café is celebrated for its pasta dish, truthful overmuch truthful that the restaurant’s website includes their ain spaghetti aglio e olio look for foodie fans to marque astatine home.

A accepted Italian pasta crockery from Naples, spaghetti aglio e olio simply translates to spaghetti with ail and olive lipid – it’s accelerated and simple, yet addictively delicious.

The crockery has been a portion of Scotts Epicurean’s paper since their opening time successful 1999. Try it, and you’ll spot why​it’s stuck astir for truthful long.

Wellington

Shelly Bay Baker connected Leeds St: Salted caramel cookies

This wound has been labelled a “legendary” Wellington eat successful the capital’s arsenic beloved Hannahs Laneway, a foodie paradise.

Founded successful 2013 by brothers Shepherd Elliott and Jesse Simpson, the celebrated look was created by a pastry cook who had worked with the duo astatine their archetypal culinary venture, Ti Kouka Café connected Willis Street.

They’re generously sized, with a chewy texture and toffee peppered done the dough and a sprinkle of brackish connected apical to make the cleanable equilibrium betwixt salty and sweet.

In April, the Leeds St Bakery became Shelly Bay Bakery connected Leeds St – but don’t worry, the iconic cooky is inactive available.

Rams Restaurant: Pork and chive chilli lipid dumplings

They mightiness conscionable beryllium the “best dumplings successful the country” – astatine Rams Restaurant, their crispy yet caller dumplings connection a sensation of authentic Chinese culture.

Though these dumplings are connected the spicier side, the chilli lipid is much saucy than oily, and the blend of chilli, coriander, and outpouring bulb keeps the crockery feeling caller portion you capable up connected meaty goodness.

Christchurch

Dumplings connected Riccarton: 2 dollar rice

This cheaper than chips provender from a suburban Chinese takeaway has been keeping Christchurch’s bellies happily fed for the past 36 years.

Dumplings connected Riccarton’s celebrated rice, the terms truthful fashionable it became a portion of the dish’s name, is served with a peculiar condiment developed from nutrient gravy.

The condiment was primitively made to beryllium served with the takeaway shop’s steamed buns, but erstwhile customers began ordering the condiment with their rice, a full caller signature crockery was born.

Despite different crockery prices being forced up recently, proprietor Mary Kaywah says Dumplings volition proceed to merchantability their 2 dollar atom for precisely that.

“We’re known for it,” she told Stuff in February, “You can’t truly alteration it.”

Dimitri’s Greek Food: Souvlaki

A cone of heavy level breadstuff filled with shredded lettuce, sliced tomato, a generous dollop of tzatziki and tangy herb condiment makes up the magic of this accepted Greek eat.

Dimitri’s Greek Food, which has 2 locations successful Christchurch (the Riverside and Riccarton), was opened by laminitis Dimitris Merentitis successful 1985 – different agelong beloved devour successful the bosom of Christchurch.

You person the enactment of adding extras, including olives and feta, but you whitethorn conscionable find Merentitis’ instauration is nourishing capable connected its own.

Do you person a cult-favourite crockery successful your region? Let america cognize successful the comments.