We like: Milse's sweet treats at Auckland's Britomart

We like the sublime, sweet offerings of dessert restaurant and patisserie Milse (pronounced 'Mil-say', and is Gaelic for 'sweet') as much as we like its dramatic interior. 

The cocoon-like space in Auckland's Britomart opened recently and supplies desserts to neighbouring Ortolana restaurant as well as hosting diners at tables of its own, and offering takeout. 

The space was designed by Cheshire Architects. HOME editor Jeremy Hansen spoke to Nat Cheshire about the design, and to Milse's executive pastry chef Brian Campbell about the amazing food. These photographs are by David Straight.

HOME What was your brief for the space, and how did you go about filling it?

NAT CHESHIRE, CHESHIRE ARCHITECTS Within this left-over back-alley space we needed to offer an immersive and transformative experience, shaping spaces around some of the most ambitious dessert cooking in the country. We were inspired by the Arabian history of dessert-making to create an interior that folds together the crystalline structure of sugars and the delicate tracery of carved wooden moucharaby panels.

HOME How does it feel to be in the space?

NAT CHESHIRE The goal is a world of quiet delight within a chaotic left-over geometry surrounded by service lanes and delivery trucks outside. Milse has a cave-like intensity within the quiet complexity of its filigree surface. We hope this means it feels like another world entirely.

HOME I remember people eating their feelings at Death by Chocolate in the 80s. How is Milse different from the dessert restaurants of that era?

BRIAN CAMPBELL, EXECUTIVE PASTRY CHEF I think people are now eating a lot more casually – it’s the norm to restaurant-hop. Our approach is to focus on the best of seasonal products as well as showcasing premium ingredients such as chocolate and spices to give people an amazing dessert experience, whether they’re eating in or taking away.

HOME What’s your favourite thing on the menu at the moment?

BRIAN CAMPBELL I like the passionfruit and apple salted caramels.

NAT CHESHIRE I am trying to eat my way through everything, one hemispherical salted caramel gelato cake at a time.

Milse is at 27 Tyler Street, Britomart, Auckland, ph 09 368 9487 (no reservations accepted).

 

We like: Al Brown's Depot

We would like to join the chorus of approval for Al Brown's Depot in Auckland's Federal Street. The pleasingly rustic interior, designed by Charlie Nott, feels as if it has always been there; the food is easy-going and excellent, and the service impeccable. These photographs are by Florence Noble, and are also featured (along with a terrific write-up by Simon Farrell-Green) in our latest issue. We wish the eatery was a bit closer to work, as we'd go there even more often.

Below, Al Brown at Depot before the lunchtime rush (the place is open from 7am but doesn't take bookings, so it's best to arrive earlyish to ensure you get a table in good time, although the staff are very good at managing waiting times).

A vintage aesthetic permeates the place, making it feel like a long-lasting and well-loved establishment, even though it's pretty new. Just out of shot in this pic is where they shuck the excellent oysters.

Diners down the back get a good view from their benches of the small kitchen.



We like: Sunday Painters restaurant

You just can't help but love Sunday Painters restaurant in Auckland's Ponsonby, which featured in our October issue. It opened earlier this year, complete with a whimsical interior that features a mural by James Kirkwood, one of the restaurant's owners. (We should add at this point that the French-style food is very good, too, as is the service).


The name Sunday Painters comes from the occasional dinners James and his co-owners Esther Lamb and Isobel Thom liked to throw for their art-school friends in RSA Halls around Auckland. The old halls didn't allow for decorative schemes as lavish as this.

Among the Cubist artworks on the walls are these plates, made and hand-painted by Isobel, an artist who also runs the Sunday Painters kitchen. We've always been suckers for a bit of Willow pattern, and think Isobel's take on it is fantastic.

The restaurant is at 185 Ponsonby Road - we highly recommend you visit, but book beforehand as it has been very popular. The number is 09 360 2001. These photographs are by Patrick Reynolds.