The Dish: Food openings and trends to try

WHERE TO GO: CEPAGE

Just three months after opening Spanish tapas spot The Black Hoof, Will Thorpe and Logan Coath have turned their attention to France. Set to open tomorrow is their wine and cheese bar in the former Tasca premises on Upper Vulcan Lane. They are offering a full French wine list and 20 cheeses sourced from Gilles Mereau at Maison Vauron and La Fromagerie, alongside terrines, pates and liqueurs. With Thorpe and Coath having worked in French restaurants, and Coath having lived in France, this will be close to the real deal.

• Open 3pm-11pm Tuesday-Saturday, ph (09) 309 6300.

DINE WITH THE WORLD'S BEST

New Zealand winery Craggy Range has been named New World Winery of the year in Wine Enthusiast's Wine Star Awards. Last year, the Hawkes Bay winery was a finalist in the prestigious US-based wine magazine's awards, but was pipped at the post by Penfolds.

With 800,000 readers, Wine Enthusiast has one of the largest readerships for a specialist wine publication. Every year the magazine's editors honour the individuals and companies that have made outstanding achievements in the wine and beverage world, with the most recent awards to be presented at a gala dinner in New York in January.

Craggy Range owner Terry Peabody, says his team was thrilled by the win: "The Wine Star award for New World Winery is well earned recognition for the team for the years of hard work and passion that has gone in to making Craggy Range what it is today."

Experience the winery's charms next Thursday, November 27, when Craggy Range and Masu host an intimate dinner in Masu's private dining room for just 14 guests. Hosted by Craggy Range chief winemaker Matt Stafford, the dinner will celebrate the release of the 2013 Craggy Range Te Muna Four, a blend of four classic grape varieties from Alsace in northeastern France, produced in the winery's Te Muna Rd vineyard in Martinborough.

A summer menu designed by chef Nic Watt will complement the Te Muna Four and a small selection of other Craggy Range single vineyard wines, with Stafford guiding guests through a wine tasting.

• $180 for a four-course meal matched with Craggy Range wines. Ph (09) 363 6278 to book. Only 14 seats available.

MENU PICKS
What we're loving around town right now...

• Buffalo mozzarella, tomato and basil dressed with olive oil at Waiheke dream destination, Poderi Crisci. - Sophie Burton
• Northcote's The Engine Room is the spot to find the best churros con chocolate in Auckland. - Fiona Ralph
• Head to the tiny but vibrant Ken Yakitori Bar on Anzac Ave for perfectly seared beef tataki. - Anna Lee

AN ELEGANT AFFAIR

The summer soiree from social community Les Gens is scheduled for November 29 on the lush grounds of the Highwic Gardens. Tickets $50, includes light refreshments, a Bombay Sapphire cocktail and a taxi ride courtesy of Uber. See lesgensgardenparty.eventbrite.co.nz

MORE TO LOVE

Honeytrap, the best kept secret in St Kevin's Arcade on K Rd, has opened for weekday breakfasts offering grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches, salads, frittatas and bircher muesli, alongside fast-filter coffee. It is also making inner-city deliveries for orders over $100, perfect for sating appetites at an upcoming team meeting, or a lazy hang-out with friends. Be sure to order the delicious burger-sandwiches and some home-baked whoopie pies to quieten the sweet pangs post-lunch.

• Ph (09) 550 5332. Open from 8am weekdays, 11am weekends.

MADAM WOO TAKES FLIGHT

Josh Emett's Madam Woo, which opened in Queenstown last year, is heading north. Set to descend in March 2015, with Emett bringing traditional Chinese-Malay street food to Takapuna's Lake Rd. Think honey and soy-tossed squid, cashew nuts with Szechuan pepper and Madam's signature Hawker Rolls.

CHARCOAL FOR BREAKFAST

Local delivery company Greenleaf Organics has a new organic smoothie on offer. Titled Marle - after a new local knitwear brand launching next year - the delicious coconut blend owes its unusual pastel grey hue to charcoal (yes, charcoal), famous for its detoxifying properties. Order online atgreenleaforganics.co.nz

FAT DUCK LOTTERY

Were you lucky enough to secure a table at Heston Blumenthal's The Fat Duck Melbourne pop-up? Frenzy surrounding the restaurant's upcoming six-month stint in Australia reached a fever peak last week when an automated ballot drew names of diners fortunate enough to experience the Downunder version of the famous chef's restaurant. More than 90,000 people registered their names, yet only 14,000 will get to dine in, at a starting price of $525 a head.

Next week brings Thanksgivingcheer to Miss Clawdy, in its second annual collection for the Auckland City Mission. Exchange two cans of food for a slice of sweet Whittaker's chocolate pie, with the cans donated to the mission. There'll also be a Thanksgiving-themed menu alongside its regular offerings. Ph (09) 969 6986.

SANDWICH SCOUT

Pt Chevalier's The Chevron has re-opened as a takeaway pizza and pasta spot. The tiny local favourite had a pizza oven installed over winter so that owner Ciro Sannino, from Naples, Italy, can fire his delicious baguettes, pizzas and stuffed breads while you wait. Try the simple salami baguette for an excellent lunch.

THE COOKBOOK COMPENDIUM

Designers and gourmands alike will appreciate the visual-ledCookbook Book (Phaidon $85), which profiles 125 cookbooks, each chosen for their design and influential impact on the world of home-cooked food. Containing reproductions of original pages, you'll love the cartoon step-by-steps for perfectly golden ready-made chips, and likely balk at the recipe for "Aunt Donnah's Roast Possum" in White Trash Cooking, published in 1986.

GOOD BUNS

Our bahn mi obsession keeps growing, with Rad adding new flavours to their delicious selection, and two newcomers fuelling our hunger. District 5, from the owners of the popular Cafe Viet in Grey Lynn, opened last week on Shortland St, selling Vietnamese street food such as bahn mi and rice paper rolls, alongside coffee. To get even closer to the street food experience head to the Botany and Glenfield night markets and hunt down newcomer Viet Sandwich, specialising in bahn mi. A cleverly branded take on the usual delicious market stalls.

TRY IT

We are big fans of artisanal nut butters like Poppy & Olive's chocolate hazelnut version and Pic's legendary peanut butter. Our new favourite? Mt Manganui's Small Batch cinnamon raisin peanut butter ($9.50). New to Farro Fresh's three Auckland stores, the smooth blend conjures the festive flavours of Christmas tarts, spiced bread and hot cross buns.