The Crumby Vegan in Auckland

Posted on by The Crumby Vegan Posted in TravelTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

So this post is a sort of two-small-posts-rolled-into-one post. Neither could have stood alone as a blog post so they got smooshed together, and they link because both are about food and Auckland… Enjoy!

The Crumby Vegan in Auckland (Eating In)

So we’ve just got back from a trip visiting my in-laws in Auckland, New Zealand. We go there every 1-2 years and even though I was totally planning on doing a ‘The Crumby Vegan in Auckland’ article where I blitz through a ridiculous number of vegan/non-vegan establishments and make you jealous with my food photos, in reality we didn’t go out that much. Instead we ate in A LOT, courtesy of Mega Mother-in-law (Mega MIL).

Single vegans out there, consider marrying into a South Indian family because you get mega food when you go to visit!

So if you really want to eat good vegan food in Auckland then head to 362 Buck… Joking! Obvs. I can’t have you guys making Mega MIL tired out for when we go back 😉

Below are photos of some of the yummy food I sampled during our stay in Auckland and fortunately for us, Super Sister-in-law (Super SIL) and Mega MIL have told me the names of the dishes, otherwise I’d have zero clue what I was eating. #IgnoreTheIgnorance

Indian Chaat: Bhel
Indian Chaat: Dahi Potato Puri
Rice, Coconut Yogurt, Green Thai Curry with Tofu and Beans, Cucumber Salad and Doritos (I added the last item)
Upma, Rice Crackers and Hummus
Stir-Fry
Tempeh, Rice, Cucumber and Coconut Yogurt
Dosa and Podi
Kolukattai
Chickpea Curry, Rice, Salad and Chapati (made by Rakcha at a dinner party)
Pulao, Soy Meat, Aubergine, Coconut Yogurt
Puttu
Aubergine, Pulao and Coconut Yogurt

Mega thanks to Mega MIL for making so much effort to cook us scrummy food! 🙂 

The Crumby Vegan in Auckland (Eating Out)

When we did tear ourselves away from the awesome home-cooked food, Auckland’s vegan vibe was super impressive!

Get ready for a very random, opposite-of-thorough review of the Auckland vegan scene…

Hell Pizza

2019-03-10 08.40.53 copyDespite the grease and overall unhealthiness, Hell Pizza is amazing! I had ‘Vegan Mayhem’ which consisted of dairy free mozzarella, peanut satay, vegan nuggets, sweet chilli sauce, onions and peppers. It’s more expensive than the average pizza in New Zealand but their wild combination of toppings give you the feeling of value for money. I wish there were a Hell Pizza in Spain!

I also got Super SIL to try vegan cheese for the first time. Despite her goofy poses (she is super hot in real life!) she actually liked the vegan cheese. Success.

 

Baduzzi

2019-03-07 09.36.35 copyThis place was super packed but Super SIL managed to weasel (no offence to weasels) her way in and grab us a table. I ordered a white bean salad (I forgot to take a photo – the shame!) and risotto. Both were yummy and I can highly recommend heading to this restaurant if you want a tasty (but pricey!) meal.

We went away for a Weekend in Coromandel…

Fusion

On our family weekend away we did a lot of walking and one destination was Cathedral Cove (would totally recommend). I was super surprised to find a fruit smoothie van offering completely vegan drinks (subbing out dairy milk with coconut milk) at the beginning of the walk. All of their cups, straws etc were biodegradable and plastic-free too! I had an açai berry smoothy and it was the perfect start to what turned out to be a very long walk.

The Pour House

2019-03-02 02.23.28 copy

After the rigorous walk, I was very surprised to find this very unique ‘Say No To Meat Pizza’ offered at The Pour House. The pizza consisted of coconut sauce base, roasted aubergines, mushrooms, red peppers, spinach, pesto and a sprinkling of vegan cheese. The pizza was stunning and overall the atmosphere was great. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to any vegan or non-vegan to celebrate your successful climb back from Cathedral Cove.

Screen Shot 2019-03-17 at 16.06.08

Ben & Jerry’s

Back to Auckland… 

So Ben & Jerry’s only exists in a non-vegan form in my teeny-tiny town of Dénia, so I bet you can imagine my reaction when I finally got to sample the delights of P.B and cookies. I’m not going to lie, I was pretty happy with the taste sensation that was going on in my mouth and I will now have to impatiently wait for the vegan version to come to Dénia.

Fo Guang Shan Buddhist TempleScreen Shot 2019-03-17 at 16.05.55

This place is my kind of vegan food and lucky for me, Mega MIL takes us every time we visit. Even though almost everything is deep-fried, the flavour combinations are great. I love that with every dish you order (I chose salt and pepper patties) you also get served some form of tempeh, seitan, broccoli, random crisps and even slices of apple. The only downside of this place is that most of their desserts aren’t vegan. To end on a positive note,Wonderful Husband highly recommends the Nasi Lemak. 

The Butcher’s Son

Wow, oh wow! Meeting up with friends was a fabulous reason to visit this restaurant. Compliments to the chef(s) at this place because I sat with three non-vegans and they all seemed pretty happy with their dishes. Both Wonderful Husband and I chose the Sunfed ‘Chicken’ Burger which came with fries and a side salad. I was sooooo happy with this dish, I couldn’t get over how good the fried chicken in the burger.

For dessert Wonderful Husband and I chose to have waffles with Nice cream (vegan ice cream). This was nice but we both agreed that the waffle tasted a bit strange so as much as we wouldn’t order it again, we would definitely come back to try out a different dessert.

 

Popolato

This mostly-vegan ice cream truck sold interesting alternatives to the stereotypical 99. I tried the green tea ice cream (which was yummy) and Wonderful Husband tried the mango. Both were super refreshing and you can find this ice cream truck around the corner from the ferry terminal in town. 

I was so impressed with Auckland as the vegan offerings have improved a crazy amount in the last two years. I can’t imagine how good it’s going to be next time we visit.

LovelyMumBirthday

 

On a final note, a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Lovely Mum who turns 60 today! Fortunately for us, we’ve had the pleasure of sharing her company in Spain this past week and we’ve had a fab time together.

Let’s keep the good times going (and go vegan!) 💚

46 thoughts on “The Crumby Vegan in Auckland”

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Good question Danielle! My favourite eating in was definitely the kolukattai (they were delicious!) and my favourite eating out was either The Butcher’s Son or Hell Pizza. Both were incredible! 💚

      Like

  7. Reply
    Cendu Param says:

    LOL this was not the best post to read while hungry because now im starving lol! can i get an invite for some of that foood. it looks soooo gooood! ive never tried vegan cheese but it actually loooks awesome here!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      Ah you’re so welcome Sienny 🙂 It’s great that you’re taking an approach to veganism that you’re comfortable with by starting to cut down on meat. If you have any questions or need any support then always feel free to contact me 💚

      Liked by 1 person

    1. Reply
      The Crumby Vegan says:

      You’re so lucky to live in Auckland, such a lovely place and I’m so lucky to have family there and a reason to go quite often.

      Even though you’re not vegan, I would definitely recommend checking out some vegan spots as the food is super tasty. Plus you’re actually an omnivore as you gain nutrients from plants and not raw meat 😉

      Like

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