Yum Cha at East Restaurant, Auckland

Allow me to cancel your brunch reservation this weekend from a cuppa and a plate of eggs bene at your local hotspot and book something a bit more exciting – perhaps an endless supply of Cantonese food, the atmosphere of a bustling CBD restaurant and the satisfaction of each plate being entirely vegan?

Here’s all you need to know about your new reservation:

Who: the more the merrier, so I’ve gone ahead and booked you for a party of 4.
When: a slow start on a Sunday morning is a must, so feel free to roll in from 11:30am.
Where: East Restaurant, 63-67 Nelson St, Auckland.
What: a plant-powered spin on the beloved Cantonese classic, Yum Cha.

You mightn’t get the cheery sound of families sucking on chicken feet or the clatter of trolleys rolling around, but East Restaurant's latest Yum Cha menu does promise your favourite dim sum inspired dishes and tea to match.

Known for its plant-powered take on modern-Asian cuisine, East believes in more sustainability-conscious dining without sacrificing taste. Their chefs, representing culinary talent from across Asia, take inspiration from the east near and far to present an innovative and flavourful vegetarian menu available for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

Executive Chef Stuart Marsden with extensive experience both running kitchens and travelling in Asia, alongside Head Chef Vincent Yan who has spent time working in restaurants across Hong Kong and Macau, have both mastered the art of Cantonese cuisine. Himself and the team at East have curated the menu to ensure cult favourites like Char Siu Bao, which is usually made with BBQ pork, can be enjoyed with the likes of flavoursome, sticky jackfruit. Or Chiu Chow Fun Guo Dumplings, usually made with prawns are instead brought together with carrot, shallot, garlic chive, and fried peanuts.

There were two particular dishes that we personally could not stop talking about – one being the Glutenous Rice Taro Rolls. The unique texture combination was dreamy with a soft rice paper wrap, a crispy tarro roll filling and a flavoursome soya mince centre.

The next was Gai Ian, which to put it simply, is a plate of Chinese broccoli with “oyster” sauce. However, I’m still finding this difficult to believe that such a simple dish can be so flavour-packed and addictive – a must try.

And the rest fell nothing short of impressive – we also opted for the Spring Onion Pancake and Crispy Spring Rolls from the fried menu; and ‘Char Siu Bao’ Jackfruit Buns, ‘Chiu Chow Fun Guo’ Dumplings, and Water Chestnut Wontons from the steamed menu.

Our only regret was not having enough room for any of the sweets. So please do not be like us during your reservation this Sunday as the Mango Tapioca Pudding simply sounds too good to miss.

Menu Picks:

• Glutinous rice taro roll, soya mince, peanut, sesame
• ‘Gai Ian’, “oyster” sauce
• Crispy spring rolls, sweet chilli sauce

East's Yum Cha menu is available every Sunday from 11:30am-2:30pm and bookings are recommended. 

Head to easteats.co.nz to find out more.

Facebook: @easteatsnz
Instagram: @easteatsnz