Food lovers rejoice because Auckland Restaurant Month is here!

From 1-31 August, Restaurant Month celebrates the central city’s diverse dining scene, offering 26 unique dining events and the chance to experience over 100 special menus, priced at $25, $40 and $55+.

It is also a great opportunity to step outside the box and eat odd – try a food you wouldn’t normally eat and have a whole lot of fun doing it!

Last Friday, a friend and I were invited to dine at SOUL. In honor of Restaurant Month this year, SOUL goes L.A. Chic! They have a limited edition menu which is inspired by the flavours and food trends of Los Angeles. It’s new, it’s funky, it’s delicious!

We indulged in their $50 three course Restaurant Month dinner, matched with a delicious gin and pineapple rum cocktail and wines. I particularly enjoyed their Smoked Chicken Liver Pâté with date vinegar, Oxtail Agnolotti, and to finish, a decadent Chocolate Budino Tart. The Santa Monica Sling cocktail, Pencarrow Pinot Gris and Kumeu Village Chardonnay were also perfectly matched!

Here’s a peek of the dishes we tried:

To start: 

Santa Monica Sling Cocktail with black robin gin, pineapple rum, rosemary, kaffir lime syrup and almond spice. Lovely refreshing cocktail with strong flavours. A great start to the night!

For entrees:
Smoked Chicken Liver Pâté with date vinegar and grilled bread. My first time trying chicken liver pâté – it definitely exceeded expectations!

Salt & Pepper Squid with almond skordalia, chilli oil and lemon. SOUL’s salt and pepper squid is always a highlight!

For mains:
Oxtail Agnolotti with pistachio, rosemary, brown butter and currants. My favourite dish of the night – melt in your mouth!

Mushroom Tortelli with balsamic and hazelnuts. Our least favourite dish of the night, as the pasta was under cooked.

For dessert:
Chocolate Budino Tart with salted caramel, olive oil and sea salt. Glossy, rich, decadent, divine.

Food aside, service was friendly and attentive – we couldn’t fault a thing! The atmosphere was buzzing and the setting always a highlight. Think waterfront views, boats, twinkling lights and pretty white flowers hanging above.

The ‘SOUL goes L.A. Chic’ menu will be available the whole month of August and costs $40 per person for a two-course meal or $50 including dessert.

For more information about Auckland Restaurant Month and a full list of events, click here.

Photo credits for non food pictures: Heart of the City / SOUL