Lauraine Jacobs

Food Writer and Author of Delicious Books

Restaurants

27 February 2012

FARO

Last week I ate a very stylish Korean restaurant. Faro Korean Grill Dining opened their latest place in Newmarket and it's sleek and smart with light pine furniture and the privacy of individual booths separated by blinds.

This was the first experience of Korean dining I have had (apart from a foray into a Queen St hole-in-the-wall many years ago.) It was tasty parade of treats both meaty and vegetable based and we ended up having consumed almost 20 plates. There was no need to stress about how to order as the menu card comes with clear pictures and all the waitstaff were charming and helpful.

I love the idea of cooking my own meat on the hot plate set in the middle of the table,and we had two different cuts of beef, many pickles, vegetable dishes, fritters and little unexpected treats like rolled squid that all appeared as part of our set menu.

We finished with a stunning combo of rice and a soup. The tasty rice I think, was red rice, while the soup was fishy and I would describe it as the closest thing I have had to a well made prawn bisque. See pic above.

We drank Soju wine, Korean beer (light and delicious) and finished with a sweetish plum tea that my dining companion declared she could drink forever.

Faro, 49 Nuffield St, Newmarket www.faro.co.nz T 09 529 4040