Ben Hefford and his wife Nela opened Tucks and Bao in the centre of Takapuna in late March. It’s inspired by the couple’s extensive travels and their feeling that there was a gap in the market for a casual bar and eatery with interesting food and beverage options.
“We love street food, and we wanted tasty food. So a lot of our food is Asian-influenced, especially the bao,” says Ben. “But we’ve also borrowed from Mexico, Creole and European cuisine. We stole the Bao Boy from the New Orleans Po Boy; and we have French-inspired mayo dips. It’s global, but Asian-influenced.
“We also wanted it to be a proper bar with craft beers and an interesting selection of wines and cocktails. We have Asahi, and Good George IPA and Pilsner on tap, plus all the classic cocktails, including frozen margherita and frosé.” They are all just $8 at the daily happy ‘hour’ from 3-6pm, along with the house wines from Mudhouse.
Before opening in Takapuna, Ben and Nela had proved the concept at their first eatery – Tucks and Bao in Newmarket – which quickly became popular with the local business community.
“Tucks and Bao is casual, fast and not fussy. It’s a bar and eatery, and it’s also a restaurant. We’re serious about the food and delivering a good time, but it should not feel serious to our customers.”
Ben and Nela wanted Tucks and Bao to have a great atmosphere. “What we loved about our time abroad was the street feel; a sense of immediately being able to relax because you’re in an unpretensious environment where everyone is having a good time. So we’ve used bamboo, fairy lights and plants to replicate the feeling of sitting in a garden bar in Ho Chi Minh city or a street café in Bangkok.”
Takapuna, Ben says, is the perfect location for their second restaurant; being more residential, it's an opportunity to satisfy the demand for family-friendly eating options. “People in Takapuna are genuinely lovely – and there are not many places in the world where there's great shopping, restaurants, night life, and a picturesque beach.”
The menu, not surprisingly, features bao: finger-food-size for catering packs, small bao for small appetites or shared eating, and larger bao (about the size of a burger). Also not surprisingly, the pork belly bao is the most popular menu item. But Ben recommends you try some of the other flavour combinations, such as chicken with truffle mayo, caramel-spiked tofu, or Orleans’ fried shrimp with pickle, tomato and sriracha mayo.
If you want to test your taste buds beyond bao, try the Eurasion, a crispy wonton wrapper bowl holding chilli chicken or tofu, Asian-influenced Mexican taco style with French truffle mayo and a salad to make it uniquely global. The tofu version can also come as a vegan option with a chilli lime dressing. Ben also recommends the Prawnbroker – little tastes of ‘popcorn shrimp’ with sriracha and lime mayo dip – perfect as a sharing snack with drinks.
Sitting at the indoor bar leaner is always popular, as are the bamboo-enclosed booths for groups, but eating street-style in the covered lane outside Tucks and Bao most closely replicates the street feel Ben and Nela have aimed for. You can also order online through Tucks and Bao’s app or website, but most people just pop in. Whether eating in or taking out, the food is always prepared fresh, so use the 20-minute wait time to try that frozen margherita or a glass of one of the many beers or New Zealand wines on offer as you watch the Takapuna street activity.
And the name? Bao is the Taiwanese word for the now almost ubiquitously popular Asian steamed bun. Tucks is an old English word for shared food. Together they offer an invitation to tuck in to the many tasty options at this newest bar and eatery in Takapuna.
Tucks and Bao 70 Hurstmere Rd, Takapuna
P: 09 486 1615, E: hello@tucksandbao.co.nz
www.tucksandbao.co.nz
Open Monday – Sunday 11.30am till 9.30pm
(closed 3pm to 4pm on Mondays & Tuesdays)
