WORDS HARRIET JOHNSTONE | 23 JUN 2017

Considering the culinary credibility behind new Parnell cafe Simon & Lee, we feel that it is safe to say that the place is going to take off. (Oliver) Simon previously worked with Six Barrel Soda and Supreme Coffee, while (David) Lee is the founder and owner of Major Sprout. The menu at the lads’ new spot, however, is something quite different from their past ventures, taking familiar breakfast and lunch dishes then changing them up with intriguing Asian twists.

This Parnell cafe is bringing something unique to the neighbourhood.

For breakfast, generous acai bowls are laced with tapioca pearls and topped with house-toasted granola; the eggs Benedict is served on buckwheat crumpets with kimchi, miso béchamel and epically thick house-infused bacon; and the ‘Big Breakfast’ comes adorned with sous vide pork belly, crab croquettes and caramelised anchovy butter to slather across sourdough at whim.

At lunch, the goodness just keeps on coming with bibimbap; agedashi tofu soba bowls; a pork belly miso ramen and the stellar SL Burger that packs a traditional Korean tteok-galbi (short rib) patty between a grilled bun with tempura kimchi, rich Romesco sauce and smoked cheddar cheese.

The cafe is cosy, but utilises its space to the fullest, with a large communal table surrounded by smaller settings and bar seats. With Flight espresso and Supreme filter blends for perk up purposes, this is a cafe that knows what it’s doing. And one that’s sure to gain followers fast.

Opening hours: 7am-4pm, Monday-Friday 8am-4pm, Saturday Closed Sunday (for now)

Simon & Lee

Corner St Georges Bay Road & Faraday Street Parnell

www.instagram.com/simonandlee

http://www.thedenizen.co.nz/gastronomy/simon-lee/

14 DECEMBER 2016

GASTRONOMY

NEW OPENING: THE KIMCHI PROJECT HAS ONE OF THE BEST COURTYARDS IN TOWN

Story by Harriet Johnstone

From the street, The Kimchi Project looks like a nice place. With its homely French doors, well-lit modern interior and sleek, minimal fit-out, if you were wandering down Lorne Street looking for a lunch spot, we bet you’d stop. It’s nice. But head inside and out the back of the new Korean-inspired eatery and what you’ll find is that it’s not just nice — it’s bloody brilliant.

Approachable Korean cuisine is now on offer in a stunning city courtyard.

Because what lies back there is one of the finest courtyards the City of Sails has ever seen. A light-flooded deck, sheltered by a clear ceiling and flanked by a garden of falling vines, towering palms and Griselinia, the unexpected outdoor area, created by The Fit Out Company, is a stunner and sure to become the inner-city worker’s lunch and drinking spot du jour. Needless to say, we were rather taken by the city eatery, before even trying a bite.

But the food is good too. Leaning heavily on sesame, garlic, chilli, pepper flakes, ginger and soy sauce, the Korean-tinted flavours are spicy, sweet and savoury at once. Not too daunting for the newcomer to Korean cuisine, with dishes like Galbi — a marinated beef short rib that comes on a heaped pile of creamy mash (reminiscent of a Kiwi roast) — and the Ssam, which sees barbecued meat tucked into fresh lettuce cups with a sweet and salty sauce, when paired with a frosted glass of Asahi Black, it’s the perfect gateway into this relatively untapped Asian cuisine.

Opening hours: 7am-10pm, Monday-Thursday & Sunday 7am-12am, Friday-Saturday

The Kimchi Project

20 Lorne Street Auckland CBD

Our latest Build.

Since opening their first store on Newmarket’s Teed Street almost this time last year, fine sushi purveyors &Sushi have amassed nothing less than a cult following. So you wouldn’t blame us for suggesting that they employ a bouncer of sorts to manage the hoards of discerning sushi eaters who will be chomping at the bit to visit their second store. Having caught wind of the fact that they are due to open their doors at City Works Depot later this week, we admit that we were the first to start rubbing our chopsticks together (before we learnt it was uncouth).

The adored sushi boutique’s reputation precedes it as it prepares to open its doors at City Works Depot.

Owners Jeff Kim and head chef Jay Oh took their time in determining where the next &Sushi would be. Kim admits, “it took us two years to find the Newmarket space” which might explain the rumours about a second outpost that have been circulating for the past six months. Finally, the new &Sushi occupies a freshly renovated space just around the corner from Best Ugly Bagels, formerly tenanted by Wierdough & Tuck. With the finishing touches being put in place as you read this, our recent visit had us thinking that &Sushi might just be the missing link in City Works Depot’s already gravitational line-up of eateries.

Similar in theme and offerings to its original, the interior is an exercise in serenity — a concept enhanced by the seven-metre stud ceilings that allow the light to flood into the cool, calm environs. Elam graduate Yu Qing Oiu is responsible for the plant-inspired black mural that creeps along the back wall while the thoughtful and zen-like interior — envisioned by the owners themselves — sets the stage for the pièce(s) de résistance: a glass cabinet brimming with their trademark exquisite sushi.

Needless to say, all of &Sushi’s offerings use free-range products wherever possible and almost all of it is gluten-free (including their breakfast ramen). Then there’s the added bonus of being the perfect addition to your Instagram feed. When we asked Jeff what inspired the endeavour in the first place, he explains “our kids are obsessed with sushi and there was no place to take them to that we could be super proud of” — oh how things have changed. So if like us, you’re partial to some exceptional sushi, we’ll expect to see you there.

For news of their opening, be sure to follow &Sushi on Instagram.

Open 7 days from 9am till 4pm.

&Sushi

Shed 3F City Works Depot 77 Cook Street Auckland City

With &Sushi Newmarket doing a roaring trade the boys are expanding into the hip surroundings of the City Works Depot where they will be apart of the talented community down there with neighbours like The food truck garage, Al Brown, Brothers Beer, Best Ugly Bagels, Oddettes Eatery and Three Beans Coffee.

They are moving next door to Brothers Beer where Wierdough and Tuck use to be.

The biggest problem we will face here as builders is where are we going for lunch and what beer to drink after work!

Apart from that this fit out will share a similar theme to the Newmarket store but we

have a lot more height to play with (about 7meters) which is very unusual so we will have some fun Planning and building to make the most of this space.

This is going to be a great asset to the area and we are looking forward to working with our &Sushi ninjas again.

Number 2 Kitchener St in the city.

Opposite the Auckland Art Gallery sat a smaller art gallery, a small space with a very high ceiling, The lease was up and very soon there will be a hip little cafe in its place.

We cant say who is taking over this space but we are half way though the fit out already and it'll be up and operating before you know it.

Right now we are fitting out a new store in Britomart for Huffer Clothing.

Its one of Auckland's beautiful old buildings with a huge stud height and a lot of character.

Britomart is attracting a lot of high end retailers after their massive redevelopment a few years back and Huffer is surely going to be a welcome addition to the area.

We really enjoy working on the older buildings, they have so much to offer and are full of surprises.

Quite often it is more about stripping back the work that has been done over the years to reveal the original building that has been covered up and then add a fresh touch to complement it.

Because as they say. "They dont build em like they used to"

OPENING SOON!