Neck Of The Woods, Auckland CBD

I was invited for a Zomato Meet Up here, and was surprised at the location of this place- it's situated on K road and an easy walk from university but it is easily missed because the entry is a small doorway with only stairs leading downwards in sight. Upon entering, you're immediately transported into a dark and grungy but by no means dodgy, street-feel type of eatery with various seating options from large sofas near the bar, to tables for casual street style food influenced from around the world. The cocktail we started off with compliments of Zomato was plain delicious, I think the others paid for the extra drinks after that, and the mango pina colada that I had a taster of was AMAZING- think Bedford soda style with creative concoctions and clever twists to intrigue you. Food wise, we had a wide variety to taste. Some were hits and some were misses (and the country origins listed on the menu should probaby be double checked through Google lol) but most were really good. I highly recommend the GUA BAO with its super soft and fluffy bun which cushions the oozy, saucy pork belly beautifully. One of my favourite gua bao's in Auckland for sure! The Chow Chow bacon fried potatoes are equally delicious and an overall crowd pleaser (also a great way to soak up the alcohol!). I did like the the dan dan noodles, the guys here have really nailed the asian flavours, however, it was insanely salty. Would have been great if they cut the salt by at least half :) The Vietnamese meatballs and chilli cheese hot dogs were okay, they went down a treat with the others and are very filling if you have an appetite or need something hearty to accompany those drinks. The only dish I didn't like was the whitebait fritter sandwich- not really sure why it's on the menu as it seems too simple (literally an omelette, ketchup, and bread). The question I ask myself after these Zomato meet ups when rating it is "Will I return? And would I recommend it to my own friends?" And YES I would, it's not easy to find a place for drinks that does good food to accompany it too. I'm grateful for this meet up as I discovered a hidden gem that I would never have known about.

Like many of the previous reviews, I was grateful to be able to try the food at Neck of the Woods through an invitation via Zomato even though I've been meaning to try their menu for a while now since I've always been on the 'asian fusion/street food bandwagon' currently raging in Auckland.  Although this place is well known for their gigs, the food here has seriously been underrated and overshadowed as a lot from their menu was delicious!! What you're reading this review for: #1: Gao Bao ( or sometimes known as gua bao), 10/10 DEFINITELY my favorite dish of the night. Filled with the classic combo of crispy pork belly, hoisin sauce, cucumbers and radish; one of the best I've tried so far in Auckland due to the fact that the skin on the pork belly was super crispy, and the fat was rendered to perfection + the ratio of sauce was 100% on point.  #2 Vietnamese chicken meatballs: 8/10 super tasty moist chicken balls marinated in the usual Vietnamese suspects such as fish sauce, sweet chilli etcetc; super tasty as light as it's served in a lettuce cup.  #3: Chilli cheese hot dogs :6/10 The hot dogs didnt really have any fantastic elements about it except that it was served in a black bun; tasted like your typical chilli hot dog which is great if you're a hot dog lover. #4: Chow Chow Bacon fried potatoes: 7/10 A good dish to munch on whilst sipping on a glass of favourite poison; the dip it comes with is delicious, but again, nothing that outstanding for me about this dish. #5: Dan Dan noodles; 4/10 Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed with this dish. Although it looked adorably appetizing served in a little chinese takeaway noodle paper box, the noodles themselves were way too salty and reminded me of what you'd get in a packet of instant noodles #6: Whitebait Fritter sandwhich; 3/10 My least favourite dish of the six, but that may just be because im not a huge fan of whitebait itself. The brioche itself were delicious, but the whitebait itself was too salty and its pairing with tomato sauce didn't match too well ( BUT this was just my personal taste preferences speaking)  DRINKS: The bartender Eddie is seriously a magician and I highly reccomend you order their cocktails; just tell him what you love and he'll create something amazing for you: I tried the mango pina colada and it was by far the best cocktail I've ever devoured. Overall, atmosphere and service was superb! Drinks were fantastic and some of the dishes were amazing, defs reccomended for a chill night to hang with a couple of friends. Dish of the night : Gao Bao Drink of the night: Mango Pina Colada

I was very happy to be invited here for the Zomato foodie meetup. I have seen their menu online and was very curious to try them out! Eddie the bartender/mixologist made the most amazing cocktail on arrival. We started off trying various items on the menu Chow chow bacon fried potatoes, chilli cheese hot dogs, gao bao with pork belly, whitebait fritters, Vietnamese chicken meatballs and dandan noodles. The food was delicious my favourite being the gao bao! The pork was perfectly cooked and very succulent. This venue is very unique, when they don't have live music on they move things around so the venue is only about half of its actual size. This is a nice spot for drinks and food. Just make sure you look out for the sign as they are located underground. Heartshrooms Kellie Lee Frank Miss Charlotte Cake Carl Ewen FoodLoco