As I’ve been making my way along Ponsonby Road’s greatest vegan eateries over the past year with Ponsonby News many new restaurants have been opened and added to my list to experience and review - Ockhee being one of the relatively recent ones.
On one of my favourite foodie blocks of Ponsonby, just a couple doors down from Khu Khu Eatery and neighbours to The Gyoza Bar, Ockhee brings “hot and sexy” Korean soul food to the people of Ponsonby. Although it is by no means 100% vegan, no vegan will go hungry with their plant packed menu.
I visited for the first time with my boyfriend and his family for his birthday, where I was the only vegan in our group. His family have been regular diners at Ockhee and had been practically begging me to join them on their next dining adventure there, which I was more than happy to do after hearing them rave and speak so highly of it. Kindly, the group chose to eat vegan with me that night too.
After receiving very prompt and friendly service, we simply told our waiter that we were hungry, to surprise us, and make it vegan. He was very accommodating and proceeded to bring us the perfect amount and variety of dishes and delicacies for us to indulge in.
We started off with what I took away as my personal favourite; a sweet and spicy glazed tofu. The flavour and texture was perfectly balanced and the piquant sugary sauce was truly addictive. The next dishes bombarded us with more excitement - crispy broccoli and cauliflower with Yuza and Korean soybean dipping sauce followed by zucchini chips, Chun Sa Chae noodle salad and seaweed rice balls.
Similar to the sweet and spicy glazed tofu, the dipping sauce of the crispy broccoli and cauliflower was equally addictive. So much so that we continued to dip the zucchini chips and rice balls into the leftovers. Somewhat surprisingly, the most simple dish - the zucchini chips - turned out to be particularly raved about amongst our table. Their texture was superbly soft, light and fluffy, while still with a light crunch from the perfectly seasoned batter. These nibbly morsels paired beautifully with everything else on the table, as well as just on their own.
I thoroughly enjoyed the interactive aspects of both the Chun Sa Chae noodle salad and the seaweed rice balls. The noodles were new and exciting - like nothing I’d ever had before. Being seaweed noodles, their texture could be compared to glass - completely transparent with the most satisfying crunch that could be described as a bouncy break each time. Try them - you’ll understand!
Equally, the seaweed rice balls had that interactive aspect. They were presented to us as a bowl of rice, unmixed and not yet formed into balls, together with a plastic glove and one of us was asked to volunteer to mix the ingredients and make the balls for all - fun and not like anything I’ve experienced. Left slightly peckish still, we opted for a Korean pancake and salady main consisting of a range of veg and pickles with which we each filled our pancakes - another dish to build and make your own.
To say the least, Ockhee sated my appetite. Its social and trendy environment makes me feel confident that I’ll be taking my friends and family there in the very near future. (SOFIA ROGER WILLIAMS)
#ponsonbynews #iloveponsonby #ponsonby #auckland #aucklandshippestrip #onlyponsonby #ponsonbyroad #Greylynn #freemansbay #westmere #ponsonby #hernebay #stmarysbay #archhill #family #friends #coxsbay #Ockheedokey #koreanfoodponsonby #khukhu
Published 4 March 2022