Finding yourself hovered over the toilet bowl is not how you expect to find yourself when you thought you were getting better. There is no question about it. Curling up in bed after a plain dinner tonight. A plain dinner here, means congee, also known as Asian rice porridge, also known as juk.

Lately we've been in an Asian food mode, especially Chinese, and it's been interesting to see how A copes with all these different textures and flavours for the first time in his life. Guided by our foodie flatmate who specialises in this side of the cuisine, and knows the Asian Dominion Road like the back of her hand, we've been trusting her blindly.

Passion Food is one of those places we would have never even given a second glance, had it not been for L. Set in the back of a bare foodcourt in a dark carpark like passageway that always stinks of seafood, it had no appeal to me whatsoever. No ambiance, no style, so no taste, right?

Don't always judge the book by it's cover. L recommends Passion Food for cheap homemade Chinese food. We've had a huge dinner feasting on crispy roast pork, sweet and sour chicken, and more, but it's for their congee that we'll be coming back.

A has taken a liking to congee, which is great, since congee is just what you need when you're sick. Apparently the Cantonese name for congee is juk, which is also how it's called in Korean. Congee/juk is what your Asian mother makes you when you're sick because it's easy to digest. I especially loved my late Gran's abalone juk, and I miss her the more for it. Passion Food's congee is nothing like Gran's, but when there are no other substitutes, it's still pretty good. Especially when it's that cheap.

Now, I don't want this place to become too crowded in the future, but you should try them out.

Image from Unsplash/Duong Tri

Passion Food
Asian Food Hall, 
Shop K6, 5-11 Kent Street, 
Newmarket, Auckland 1050