Newmarket

Selera

Malaysian, vegan-friendly

Lunchtime is the best time to grab a bowl of Selera’s much-hyped curry laksa, when the fragrant spice paste that forms the base of the soup is at its punchiest. Squid, fish balls, juicy prawns and egg noodles bob in the depths. At night, go for slightly sweet and rather rich nasi lemak beef rendang, cooked all day and falling apart at the touch of a fork. It’s served with the requisite skin-on peanuts, cucumber, egg, coconut rice, and dried anchovies.

487 Khyber Pass Rd

TianFu Noodles

Sichuan

You might be rightly dazzled by the noodle options here, which range from wheat to shaved to rice to kumara, but don’t dismiss the dumplings. Our favourite? Pork and chive in chicken soup: no fewer than 20 swimming in an enormous steaming bowl of clear flavoursome liquid — a steal at 12 bucks. Offal eaters will relish the choice of pigs’ tongues and ears, chicken gizzards and ox tripe. Popular with students and solo workers on the run, the simple white and grey space is warmed by affable service. Our new go-to for a quick bite before a movie around the corner.

477 Khyber Pass Rd

North Shore

￼Bi Won Korean

Korean, licensed, BYO

Grab a group of friends to gather around the fiery charcoal cookers and make a night of it, alternating between turning cuts of meat on the hot plate and claiming tangy kimchi and sweet fishcake strips off the communal banchan. Order as much as numbers will allow; our top picks are unmarinated pork belly, sliced marble beef and tender rib, sizzled and quickly dipped in the accompanying sesame oil and salt. Scissors are provided to snip the meats to share, and advice is given freely for first-time barbecuers, as are banchan top-ups.

29 Link Drive, Wairau Valley

Dumpling Ace

Shaanxi, especially good for vegetarians, vegan-friendly

Start with a plate of grilled cumin lamb skewers, followed by a bowl of the specialty, dao xiao mian: thick, chewy and satisfying hand-shaved noodles. Irregular in length and edges, these are served in spicy-sour soups and healthy herbal broths, topped with chilli oil. (For a non-spicy alternative, try the stir-fried option.) Add a layered spring onion pancake, made from light dough and fried in hot oil until crisp, to break up the intense flavours.

39 Pearn Place, Northcote

Lake Dumplings

Northern Chinese

The nine-page menu at this modest spot is filled with meat and vegetable dishes to share, chilli-oil soups and wintry hot pots, but we come here for the namesake dish: the handmade dumplings. There are seven varieties, which come boiled, pan-fried or served in a bowl of sour-and-spicy sauce. We like the “spicy dumplings” option with pork, chives and shrimp, the sauce just enough to coat the smooth skin hiding a parcel of flavoursome filling.

438 Lake Rd, Takapuna

￼Mamak Malaysian Street Food

Malaysian, especially good for vegetarians

Street-food dishes as good as those found in the open-air hawker centres of Malaysia are served with great enthusiasm here. Favourites include the popular and very pungent Sarawak laksa — a staple of East Malaysian cuisine — as well as smoky char kway teow packed full of seafood, and Hainanese chicken rice with delicately poached chicken and fragrant, moreish rice. Hot, sweetened pulled teas round things off nicely, or go the whole hog and order a Milo Godzilla — a Malaysian iced chocolate topped with vanilla ice cream and Milo powder.

6 Huron St, Takapuna

Namwon Chueotang

Korean, licensed

Named for the South Korean city of Namwon and its beloved loach (mudfish) soup, chueo-tang is a traditional dish eaten at the start of autumn to keep the cold-weather blues at bay. If the array of hotpot soups here doesn’t appeal, the dolsot-bibimbap hits the table still sizzling. Resist the urge to stir too much and you’ll be rewarded with the extra crunch of scorched rice at the bottom. The kimchi is a side-dish favourite and one of the spiciest in Auckland.

7b/20 Link Drive, Wairau Valley

Ramen Takara

Ramen/Japanese, licensed, especially good for vegetarians, vegan-friendly

Yuki Yamaguchi-Lewin arrived in New Zealand more than a decade ago with a noodle machine in her luggage. She’s still the driving force behind Ramen Takara, making noodle soups to her grandfather’s recipes. We love hearty, pork-based classics such as chashu and tonkotsu ramen, and with rice noodles, vegetarian and gluten-free choices, everyone in the group is covered. The Ponsonby Rd branch is a top pick for an affordable meal nearer the central city.

4 Anzac Rd, Browns Bay

Yue’s Dumpling Kitchen

Northern Chinese, vegan-friendly

What sets Yue’s apart is, yes, the dumplings, whose fillings deliver on the menu’s promise: there’s lots of coriander when it says coriander, and lots of celery when it says celery, so the flavours are quite distinct. Dumplings aside, the little specials board near the entrance is worth keeping an eye on — we were recently rewarded with a great slow-cooked chicken dish with mushrooms and vermicelli noodles. And we love their broccoli; a very simple dish, the broccoli is just wok fried with garlic, but it’s perfectly cooked and very fresh.

Unit 5, 21 Corinthian Drive, Albany

Yummy Korean BBQ Restaurant

Korean

Don’t be fooled by the name — this husband-and-wife-run operation actually specialises in soups, stir fries and stews. We have tried and failed many times to go past the gamjatang, or pork backbone soup — so peppery it’ll knock a cold right out of you (the fish roe and ox bone soups are almost as rewarding). Come summer, chewy, spicy, cold noodles — traditionally served as a side with grilled meat meals but just as good on their own — are a lighter option.

23 Mokoia Rd, Birkenhead