Overview
You've likely become a kitchen whizz under the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions and, in turn, become tired of coming up with fresh and exciting meal ideas. Under the current Alert Level 3, restaurants, bars and cafes can offer services like takeaway and contactless delivery. You might use the opportunity to tick off your restaurant bucket list or queue with the masses at your favourite drive-thru. How about flexing your culinary muscles further with a delicious meal kit, as designed by a professional? With a little mixing, heating and plating, these restaurant-approved food kits will help you recreate the magic at home.
BURGER BURGER
Auckland's much-loved burger joint has launched its own general store in time for the lockdown lift. The company's meal kits include all the deliciousness so you can recreate BB staples at home for four people. Learn what it takes to build your favourite BB burger — from the classic beef and cheese to the cajun chicken and vege. Sides also make the cut, including the restaurant's popular charred broccoli, skin-on fries and kumara chips. The restaurant is also putting its liquor license to use by offering wine, beer and RTDs for delivery. If you can't bothered cooking, the takeaway menu is available, too.
CLAY
As well as doing the rounds with craft beer and wine, K' Road bistro Clay is now delivering pasta kits direct-to-door in the central suburbs. The good news is that you don't need to be elbow-deep in flour for this one, as the kits only require basic cooking skills. Throw together hand-rolled pici with arrabbiata spicy tomato sauce, dish up ricotta ravioli with sage butter, or pop a beef and béchamel lasagne in the oven. Instructions are provided or you can simply follow along to Instagram instructional videos. Flesh out your meal with a Cazador charcuterie platter, sourdough country loaf and a bottle of pet-nat from Wellington.
MY NOURISH KITCHEN
From Auckland hospitality empire Nourish Group comes a new service featuring signature dishes from its lineup of top restaurants. Pulled together by executive chef Gareth Stewart, each food box comes with portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes so you can recreate restaurant-quality meals from the comfort of home. Whip up Andiamo's potato gnocchi with chicken gravy, Euro's lamb rump with spiced carrots, Soul's grilled tarakihi with salt and vinegar potatoes, and Jervois Steak House's Taupō sirloin with truffle mac 'n' cheese.
CULPRIT
After selling out in its first week, Wyndham Street favourite Culprit is now taking pre-orders for its three-course deluxe meal kits. The team has done all the hard work so you can look like a rockstar in your own kitchen. Simply follow the supplied heating, mixing and plating guide and enjoy fig-infused panna cotta with walnut and vincotto, pork-stuffed roast duck breast, and baked pavlova with boysenberry and lemon curd. The restaurant is also offering free contactless delivery within three kilometres of its CBD location.
ELMOS
Until this Ponsonby pizza and burrata bar can open its doors it will be slinging gourmet food boxes with all the ingredients and instructions for any home cook. If your lockdown pizza dough has turned out dense, crumby or floppy, then take a chance on Elmos' Pizza Box which includes 48-hour-risen dough, quality ingredients like mozzarella, pecorino, nduja spicy sausage and black truffle cream, and detailed instructions on how to get it all across the finish line. Other kits on offer include everything you need to make meatballs and pasta, while there's an assembly-only antipasti party platter for bubbles of four. Preorder your food box now for Wednesday delivery.
PASTA & CUORE
These pasta champions were known for dishing out fresh handmade bundles of joy before the lockdown. With the Mount Eden pastaria closed, it's now slinging make-your-own kits where you can order pappardelle, tagliatelle, spaghetti, potato gnocchi, tortelloni and ravioli per 100 grams. Instead of reaching for the home brand red sauce, pair your carb feast with one of Pasta & Cuore's sauces, including creamy parmigiano or bolognese ragout. And if you'd prefer the experts take care of it, they're also serving up takeaway and heat-and-eat dishes.
COTTO
To provide the freshest experience possible, K' Road pasta joint Cotto is offering an at-home menu which will see you complete the finishing touches. You'll be supplied with all the ingredients and info to pull together two portions of gnocchi, ravioli, maltagliati or lasagne, plus focaccia and salad. Each box is $50 and feeds two. If you'd like a quick fix you can also grab beef cheek pancetta ragu with maltagliati or pumpkin lasagne via pick-up and delivery. The restaurant also donates $6 to Everybody Eats for every pasta box bought.