As a vegan for over a year now, and a vegetarian for over seven years, I’ve learnt the ins and outs of ordering plant-based dishes in restaurants and cafes, but it hasn’t always been easy.
Khu Khu Eatery in the heart of Ponsonby is one such place which is all about flavour. I was fortunate enough to have a chance to chat with Michael Khuwattenasenee, the brains behind the business, about the initial concept and next steps at Khu Khu.
Khu Khu opened in 2019 with the main aim and philosophy being to create a 100% plant-based restaurant that uses quality ingredients. They keep things simple with a small but considered menu. Now I’m an avid fan of Khu Khu. I go there a lot and I really can not recommend more highly the meals they serve and the overall atmosphere in which customers are greeted.
When visiting Khu Khu, you must order their Panang Curry. It’s the perfect balance of sweet and spicy and leaves you wishing you had ordered more, which if you’re like me, you might just do. Both the Panang and Thai green curries are served with a mixed purple rice with sunflower seeds, and as someone who is not usually the biggest fan of rice, I can honestly say that I could live off this stuff. However it’s Khu Khu’s ability to provide these traditional Thai cuisine classics, such as Pad Thai and curries, while interspersing their menu with regular new menu items featuring varied plant-based meat alternatives that makes it so special and accessible. Previously, vegan prawns, scallops, chicken and steak have featured, and on their new menu the ‘Duck and Dive Red Curry’ showcases a tender and juicy vegan duck meat alternative, which I am yet to try, but am excited to do so as soon as possible.
Recently I was fortunate to be invited, along with other ‘foodies’ in Auckland, to a new menu tasting night where we had the opportunity to try the dishes the Khu Khu team was experimenting with and to provide good customer feedback. My fellow diners and I felt like we were judges on Masterchef or the like and it was a fun evening enjoyed by all. Some items have reached the new menu and some may in the future. One that has, is the ‘Saku Dumplicious’ which are like nothing I have ever tasted before - perfect bite sized peanut saku balls that have the perfect balance of sweet and salty; like bursts of joy in one's mouth! Although I have not yet tried the remaining new menu items, the ‘Duck and Dive Red Curry’ and the ‘Scalloping Thai Basil’, I will be sure to head to Khu Khu as soon as I can to get
a taste of these.
As well as providing immense flavour from solely vegan products, Khu Khu’s menu has some of the most beautifully presented dishes I’ve seen - one might even say, ‘Instagram worthy’!
“Eating vegan can be a challenge, and finding a local restaurant with vegan food that isn’t a salad is even harder,” says Khuwattenasenee. But trust me, Khu Khu provides some of the best vegan food in Auckland and it’s not as scary as you might think! Throughout the time that Khu Khu has been open, I have visited with many an omnivore friend, but because Khu Khu serves meals with “immense flavour, and plant-based meat to compensate for those unfamiliar with plant-based eating”, vegans know that Khu Khu is a great option to introducing the sceptics in their lives.
For both vegans and those who are not, Khu Khu is definitely one to visit. (Sofia Roger Williams)
KHU KHU, 171 Ponsonby Road, T: 09 360 1992, www.khukhu.co.nz
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