All day I've been fighting an internal battle - succumb to my creative urges, or earn a living. The living bit got a half-hearted look-in for a few hours but it's now 15:45 on Friday, wine o'clock looms and I've completely exhausted the smidgen of work ethic willpower I'd managed to muster.
Readers of my previous blog will be hugely relieved (weak pun intended) to know that I avoided the effects of a Wood Apple Aftermath. Phew! I'm now going to shift the focus northwards to a more cerebral contemplation.
Many of you will be familiar with my Fire Eaters club. People come along for all sorts of reasons. Some, like me, have partners who don't like spicy food, while others luxuriate in having all of the decisions made for them. Others simply enjoy the company. But I suspect many people's motivations actually lie deeper still.
One of my fellow Fire Eaters put his finger on it recently when he admitted to feeling intimidated by some ethnic restaurants - especially those that only make a cursory (or non-existent) nod to the English language and / or aren't patronised by Kiwis. I know exactly what he means.
Yet this uncomfortable experience provides a really interesting insight into what life must be like for many new immigrants.
I admit to sometimes feeling annoyed and keeping my distance when I perceive a restaurant to make no effort to include the local yokels. A couple of recent experiences have, however, reminded me of the value of keeping an open mind, feeling the fear and crossing the threshold anyway.
After all, what's the worst that could happen? Well, I can think of a few things actually. The potential for inadvertently ordering Dog Intestine Surprise, or encountering a rancid restroom quickly spring to mind. Let's not even think about the left hand thing.
For months I'd unsuccessfully sought out a Sichuan restaurant that wasn't beset by a D food rating and / or damning restaurant reviews. Just before Christmas I lunched with some friends, one of whom is Chinese. We decided to head for the Asian restaurant strip in the Balmoral Shops and get inspired from there.
The first place we happened upon was a restaurant I'd noticed on several occasions and been intimidated by. There is zero English on the signage; ditto on the menu written on an internal wall.
I'd never been inside.
"Look, there's a Sichuan place!" enthused my Chinese friend, so we all trooped in. The food was delicious: spicy hot, tasty and cheaper than chips.
It transpired they had English language menus hidden down the back. Not that anyone could tell me me what "Speculation Over Flour" was. Shame, because I would have ordered it had it passed the pork offal / any-kind-of-brain screen test.
Emboldened, I've returned on several occasions - sometimes without even so much as the kids for protection. I even ended up holding my most recent Fire Eaters there. I called by there at lunch today for a $5 bowl of Dan Dan Noodles (absolutely delicious, I'll regale you with the details another time).
As I leave I usually see the (non English speaking) chef taking a quick break at a side door. We never exchange words, but he always gives me a smile of recognition and I give him a thumbs up.
Now what's so scary about that?
I discovered your blog from Googling 'Spicy Joint Dominion Rd' since I've only just spotted it on the main Balmoral stretch and was wondering if there had been any reviews, and your post was the next hit after the ieat.co.nz. Anyway, really glad I found it because I'm also a keen hunter of good food in Auckland, and am really enjoying your posts!
ReplyDeleteAwesome to see that you enjoyed 555 Dominion Rd as much as my husband and I do, it's probably his favourite Sichuan/regional Chinese place on the Balmoral strip at the moment (though we still haven't tried every single one yet). In case you were interested the Chinese name literally translates to 'river noodle king', but I always just call it 555.
Have you tried any of the Xian Food Bar outlets yet? You mentioned you weren't a huge pork fan, but they do a really delicious braised pork on hand-pulled noodles there, as well as a range of other hearty Xian foods, like lamb soup and the 'Chinese hamburger'. We usually go to the one in the Mt Albert shops, 945 New North Rd (next to 'Chill-Out'). Another great Chinese place to try is 'Show' in Northcote, 16 Kilham Ave - great steamed dumplings. =)
Hi Clara. I'm glad you're enjoying my blog! Sorry it's taken a while to reply - I've only just spotted your comment.
ReplyDeleteI think I tried the Xian one in Mt Albert ages ago (is it the place that does a whole lot of porridges?) I'll try it out again plus the one you mention in Northcote.
A couple of friends rave about the Kung Fu Noodle Bar in the Balmoral shops. Haven't tried it yet but it's high on the list - have you been there?