Ginger & Side Hustle
Ginger restaurant & Side Hustle
It was time for the Huskies and their partners to say ‘Goodbye, Adios, Ciao and Ka Kite’ to 2023. A year filled with plenty of highs and lows, hard work and sometimes long hours, we came together to celebrate our team and have some fun whilst doing it!
First up, it was time to put on something a little fancy, refresh the mascara and head off to our new fave wine and cocktail bar, ‘Side Hustle’. This new-to-Morningside pozzy has lane bar meets french wine cave vibes (and it helps that our boss Lou is one of the owners).
We ordered a mix of their epic ciders, some very pretty cocktails and craft beers. The staff here are amazing, super helpful and have a plethora of knowledge to share if you’re having trouble deciding. We ordered a selection of their delectable bites to help absorb the late arvo booze and yummo! Good choice Huskies!
We ubered our way over to Ginger in Remuera, ready to enjoy some delicious, authentic Thai food. The interior of this 4.6 star eatery has a soft toned, sleek feel that imbues calm (possibly the earlier cocktails also helped with this ;).
As there were a few of us, we opted for their Ginger Banquet #1, specifically designed for taking the large party decision making stress away. We love when the food just starts coming (and keeps on coming until you realise there is no more room at the inn)! We particularly enjoyed the flavours of stir-fried snapper, panang curry, sweet & sour pork, larb beef and stir fried tofu with vegetables and cashew.
Their cocktails were good but not on the same par as Side Hustle – sorry Ginger – the Hustlers are a hard act to follow! So much so, we decided a trip back to Side Hustle for night caps was in order, the rest of the evening was spent in the cosy atmosphere of the lane enjoying great convos and savouring delicious ports.
Our big night out ticked all the boxes – great drinks, tasty food, epic surroundings and most importantly, time to unwind with the coolest peeps, laugh and treat ourselves as the year ended. 2023… signing off!
Side Hustle total spend – couldn’t divulge 😉
Ginger total spend – 8 people – $589.50
Side Hustle
Louise had her standard, a Blackberry Margarita & and port. She said, “Love it. Love Regan. Loved introducing the Huskies to my ‘other work’. And… I don’t think I’m ever not allowed to come back tbh.”
Mel had the Lil’ Queen & a port. She said, “Fun times, such a cool bar to gather at and enjoy celebrating the end of the year. The cocktails are not only great tasting but so very pretty! My stand out though was the port, such a smooth and satisfying way to sip away while chatting and enjoying the vibes. I will partake again!”
Sam had a Classic Margarita. He said, “I’ll be back, neat little spot and just down the road from my house.”
Sarah had the Morningcider Mule & a port. She said, “Such a great spot for a drink and the snacks were awesome too! Both the cocktail and the port I had were super yum. Will be back.”
Average star rating from all of us:
Service – 4.8
Presentation – 4.8
Flavour – 4.8
Overall Experience – 5
Likely to come back – 5
Ginger
Shared dishes from set menu ‘Banquet #1’
Louise had all the things and drank a mojito. She said, “Wasn’t blown away unfortunately and felt like the plates, though very pretty, lacked flavour and interest. We had a fun time anyway though!”
Mel had a bit of everything. She said, “Pretty little place, very calming and relaxed vibe with a hint of sophistication. The food was nicely presented, a little lite in the punchy flavours I was expecting, but I enjoyed it all the same. The service was excellent, they were very attentive and friendly. Although this is not somewhere I’d particularly rave about, it was still really nice to try it out, we had fun!”
Sam had a bit of everything. He said, “I can’t see myself going back here, the food was super good but there are too many good food options in Auckland and always somewhere new to try.”
Sarah had a bit of everything and drank a lychee ginger mint fizz cocktail. She said, “A great spot and a fun night! Beautiful flavours in the food and so fresh. Loved the refreshing cocktails, lovely service and this seems to be a very popular spot with the locals.”
Average star rating from all of us:
Service – 3.87
Presentation – 3.87
Flavour – 3.37
Overall Experience – 3.62
Likely to come back – 2
