chinoiserie

this place is definitely top fave. chill atmosphere, suuuper quick service, rad music and omg dem buns so soft👌🏼 will be back here on the regular

while it may have taken me a while to finally get there, chinoiserie was love at first sight. greenery, school chairs and kimonos for when it’s cold, it has a relaxed aesthetic that is right up my alley.

on my first visit we were greeted by (who i presume is the manager), sharita kali. we grabbed a table out the front and sharita took us through the menu. with eyes larger than saucers we ordered as many sides as possible and a bao each. you have to go up to the bar to order but it’s not really a hassle, i quite like getting the payment out of the way up front. 

in what felt like a blink of the eye we were being served and believe me, this wasn’t a one off thing. every single time i’ve gone back, the waiting time for food has been ridiculously short. we wolfed it down. that’s not an exaggeration either. i actually made myself feel ill, but with so many flavours on offer. i couldn’t help myself. 

now that i've chilled out and actually tasted what they have on offer (as opposed to inhaled) i think my favourite menu items are the chicken gua bao and the asian slaw. also gong. gong all day every day and at home too (because you can buy it for home). 

chinoiserie for me is a sum of my favourite parts, quick, friendly, delicious. and they do take away! 

if you're interested, chinoiserie is one of my favourite places for good service in auckland. to see my other faves, check out my blog (or my zomato reviews!)

a great vibe and very on it and attractive staff at this little joint in mt albert. my wife and i had the pork baos and were blown away. the creaminess of the bun contrasts well with the umami of the pork and the snap of the herbs and spices. we regret that we didn't order a side of the slaw but will be back soon.

one thing that wasn't bang on was the squid rings. pretty tough, dry and chewy the night we were there.

overall, a very down to earth and funky vibe that reminded me of my hometown (san francisco), great prices and great food.

just thought we would pop in on way to movies and were very happy

very good pork belly buns and our chicken nibbles were delish

very friendly staff who make a great cocktail topped it off

wow. just wow. the quality of food, packed with that much flavour...for such a reasonable price- dare i say it cheap even!

a tiny yet tasty menu of the lightest steamed buns jam packed with fresh ingredients, delish slaw light and not too creamy, a small yet tasty drinks menu i wish we had a place like this near my house- i would be proud to call it my local.

amazing food matched with a really good price. highly recommended. atmosphere is amazing and the staff are really nice :) on the plus side, there's always a carpark - definitely going back here.

super busy on a friday night but we did not mind a few beers at the bar while we waited for a table. as the menu was limited we ordered the lot and shared as a group. it is hard to go past a good pork bun and a fresh tasty asian slaw.

we will be heading back.

i went here recently to try their baos as i've read many reviews.

i had ordered the tofu bao whilst my meat eater mate had ordered the pork one.
the tofu bao had a delicious satay sauce that really went well together, could have done with more slaw.
i was told the pork bao could have done with more kick and seasoning.

for the price we both felt the size should be larger and they were just barely warm.

great to have such a unique and funky local bar and restaurant in the mt albert/owairaka area. the milk buns were super tasty. i wasn't so keen on the beans. definitely worth dropping in if you're passing through or near mt albert.

my friend recently suggested checking out this place when we were making plans for dinner. mt albert is not somewhere i go very often, but its not actually that far from where i live so it was nice to check it out. i like the idea of more hidden gems in different areas of auckland so every time you want to have a meal or a drink you don't necessarily have to head into the city.

so the menu offers tawianese fusion food and their main speciality are milky buns with either, pork, chicken or tofu. in addition to the buns they have side such as asian slaw, fries, fried squid and chicken nibbles. we each ordered the pork bun (the chicken one was tempting but i find it hard to go past port belly) and then the asian slaw and fries to share. 

the food was all amazing, and cheap as well. we had to try the tawianese donuts for dessert (didn't disappoint) and  by the time we were done we were well stuffed. if you are super hungry you may consider two buns, but with the sides and dessert one was definitely enough for me!

i’ve had some gua baos from other auckland eateries that serve fusion food. the reality is that they stuff the open-styled chinese buns with something made in the kitchen and call it a gua bao. no.

the trick to the tasty authentic guao bao is that fatty pork must be used – the pork belly type where you can count the layers. juiced up with a beautiful sweet sauce and a touch of peanuts, it is literally heaven in the mouth.
this is where the gua bao at chinoiserie wins. 

the bun was surprisingly soft and fluffy, both to have there and takeaway. this is interesting because this type of bun usually dries and hardens when it cools. think of the buns you have at yumcha when no one wants to eat it, and the peer pressured one is then faced with a cold hard white chinese bun.
the first time i tried chinoiserie, i embarrassingly made friends take it away because i was stuck in glorious auckland traffic. them coming all the way from christchurch to taste this, i was lucky the taste wasn’t compromised!

the second time i went with friends who had the authentic gua baos in taiwan, and it was a unanimous thumbs up. the only difference is that the ones there are usually made with pickled veggies instead of the colourful western slaw.

unless you have a reason to:

- don’t order the tofu gua bao. the taste really paled in comparison to others. eat some meat!
- opt out for the fries. they are really just fries with a wasabi dip. plus they were the skinny kind and i like the manly chunky ones.
- opt out for the coconut crusted squid rings. they were a bit bland and there was no sign of coconut taste.
- go somewhere else for dessert. the black sticky rice dessert seemed to be just a sliced assortment of ingredients scattered.

instead
- order the pork gua bao. 
i normally don’t even like pork but they are traditionally made with pork and once you taste it you’ll know why.
- in fact order 2. because if you have a normal appetite, one gua bao won’t totally fill you up. you’ll need sides.
- try erk’s sticky chicken nibbles. a touch of spicyness – so good.
- get the fresh coconut. you’ll also get a spoon to scrap the sides for coconut flesh!

i can happily say owairaka ave is turning into quite a trendy place to eat out thanks to chinoiserie and l’oeuf. the menu is simple and you order at the till. no table service or waiters there to pick up white serviettes that drop when you stand up. just satisfyingly tasty food.

chinoiserie is the new kid on the block in mt albert, bringing taiwanese fusion with a trendy and modern outfitting.
i would call this place a quick bite because the menu is limited to gua baos aka the taiwanese burger and a few sides.i thought this would be a great place. since the menu is simple, there is no place to hide and what they provide should be done really well. however to be honest i was pretty disappointed.

firstly theres no table service, which i think for the size of the area and amount of tables i feel its needed. also when we asked to order one of each bun, the girl taking the order was like "there is no squid bun", and we were like "its on the menu". we had to point to her to the menu continuously, it was very odd. maybe some training is needed for the staff. another recommendation is to change or update the wine list, as no one recognises where the wine comes from and knowledge is key.

the buns themselves were good. at least there was plenty of filling. a few downsides were that they don't actually make the bun themselves which i think is a shame. if thats the main menu item, there isn't a lot of labour that goes into the bun for them to sell at $8 a pop. also nothing comes out hot. it was only just luke warm and they came out extremely quick after ordering - too quick, which makes you question your order. however i know thats an issue that doesn't bother all diners. some positives were the house made satay sauce found in the tofu bao, and the pork belly was cooked well and oozed plenty of flavour. also a note, i wouldn't bother ordering the asian slaw as a side if you order the boas, because its the same filling as whats in the baos.

i think theres future potential because the atmosphere and fit out is great, i think the food needs to lift its game especially now with all the competition in the auckland area.

rating
food: 5/10
service: 5/10
value for money: ok

4 owairaka ave, mt albert
opening hours: mon-sat 4pm-late

asian inspired fusion eateries are spreading like wildfire these days. on trend, recently opened chinoiserie showcases the taiwanese-chinese influence. the coconut crusted squid rings were the winner for me this night; crisp, well flavored and tasted like real squid without the overpowering seafood aura - try it with the wasabi mayo. the edamame and erk's sticky chicken nibbles were also a fantastic decision. we sampled the tofu and pork gua baos. i was a tad disappointed; don't get me wrong they were definitely good. however i wanted to be blown away seeing as they're the main feature of the menu and they looked so damn appealing. the house steamed milk buns were the right texture but tasteless and a bit soggy so when you got to the part without filling it was pretty boring, otherwise pretty good. eating these baos can get pretty messy so maybs don't bring your hot date here. service is fast and friendly with fine pricing, this fulfilling meal accounted to $45 between 2. i love the dragon painted wall expansing the horizon. 

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depending on your intentions, a visit to chinoiserie could go either way.
the atmosphere is nice and so is the food. however, if you're planning to satisfy a large appetite, especially cost-efficiently, then this place would not be appropriate at all.

overall: as it states on this page, chinoiserie is definitely suitable for "casual dining".

went to this restaurant recently and not at all impressed. expensive for what was on offer and had to get dinner elsewhere after. very limited menu and i suggest you have some drinks before you go as they are over the top as well.wont be back.