Word on Fashion recently stumbled upon 269 Parnell in Parnell Village, Auckland. Literally stumbled as I’d just finished doing the 10km Pink Ribbon Walk at the nearby Domain.
The courtyard was inviting and within moments I felt as if I were on holiday in the Mediterranean or travelling through Latin America.
The building facades could be Italian. The chef of Artisan Culture, Angelo Tredicucci, is Italian and you must try his spaghetti!
European and Latin culture, food and community is at the heart of 269 Parnell which includes restaurants Artisan Culture, Aula’s Kitchen, Taco Amaiz, Tamo and The Marble Bar owned by Paula Cubillos who originally hails from Colombia.
The dining setup is similar to that of Auckland CBD’s Elliot Stables in that you can order from any of the restaurants and sit where you want.
The Marble Bar does freshly squeezed orange or tangerine juice! If you’ve travelled through Central America you’ll know what I mean and why I’m excited to be writing this.
Of course margarita cocktails are on the menu and the wine list is excellent – offering wines from around the world including France, California and New Zealand. I chose French rosé on this occasion. My friend was partial to the NZ rosé. I’ve already eyed up the Californian Chardonnay from Napa Valley for next visit.
Some delicious dishes from Aula’s Kitchen.
While we were enjoying our meal, Latin American band, “Banda Latina” rocked up and the atmosphere was complete. The music was so uplifting that couldn’t help toe tapping. As we sat al fresco sipping wine and dipping pita into freshly made hummus, others took to the dance floor. There was more salsa going on than the sauce kind and I even got up to join the group merengue and conga line.
I haven’t had so much fun in ages. Everything about this place is good for the soul including the ceremonial rollout of the giant braziers in the evening. Each requires two people to manoeuvre into position, after which they provide warmth and ambience.
And there’s live music every weekend – Friday, Saturday and Sunday!
Regular times are:
Fri 5.30-8pm
Sat 12.30-2pm and 5.30-8pm
Sun 12.30-3pm and 6-8pm
The bands are often latino or ‘continental’ but they do vary so best to keep up to date on instagram.
