After the dinner at Lucky Buddha, I grew an immense liking for baos. Through the vines I’d heard of Chinoiserie in Mt Albert, so of course I went to try them out. Normally I’d have asked A to accompany me there but he wasn’t able to – I forget why. No matter. I was at J’s for a visit when we both got very hungry after hours of catching up. Just a short drive away at Chinoiserie, we ordered every single bao on the menu – pork, chicken, calamari… I must say, not all of them were fantastic, some were pretty dry. But so filling. Chinoiserie is also a pretty cool place to hang out, with its eclectic colourful deco. A long dragon dances above the diners, who consist of both groups of the youthful and families. The owners of Chinoiserie also opened another place called Kiss Kiss, which I hear has awesome breakfasts, though there has been a more divided amount of opinions on their dinner fares. Apparently Asian fusion dishes aren’t for everyone, so perhaps give it a miss if you are after authenticity.

Chinoiserie
4 Owairaka Avenue,
Mt Albert, Auckland