Whatever your thoughts are about Eight Restaurant at the Cordis, it is a place that brings back many special memories for me.
From celebrating the wife’s first birthday when we returned to Auckland from Christchurch, to hosting family and loved ones visiting from overseas and celebrating the son’s 21st birthday amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
I remember the days when Eight used to offer the “dessert only” buffet for $25 per person after 8.30pm - I used to go there for this, and often get invited to have bites from some of the other stations as well.
Eight is a restaurant located at one of Auckland’s top hotels, featuring eight interactive kitchens hosted by a team of chefs and offering international flavours, including Japanese, Chinese, Indian, Italian, and Western.
The meat selection features everything from kangaroo and ostrich to wild venison, as well as the more familiar beef and lamb cuts. Additionally, there are curries, freshly baked naan from the Indian tandoor, fresh-cut sashimi, dim sum, and a succulent selection of seafood, crustaceans, and oysters.
Visits to Eight are more than just coming to dinner; it’s also playing a game - a challenge on who can eat the most, and who has the best strategy. Eating here is not cheap, so making it value-for-money is important.
Although there’s no limit to the number of times you can fill your plate, there is a two-hour window.
I’d head straight for the seafood and oyster stations for the crab, prawns, and oysters before getting a plate of sashimi. Telling the sashimi chef you’re having a plate to share at your table will almost certainly mean he will be more generous with what he gives you.
Now, while it may be tempting to enjoy the unlimited crab and prawns, the need to peel them will eat into your eating time.
Remember, there are eight kitchens, and much of the food is cooked to order. From the butchery cabinet at the New York Grill station, select your raw meat, from ostrich, kangaroo, venison, pork chops, to eye fillets. Then head to the next station and choose from a variety of fish fillets and shellfish, and have them cooked on the grill.
There was a time when the grill station had lamb skewers and a chicken with white chocolate and coffee sausage, which I love, but they are no longer there during this recent visit. I hope Eight will bring them back.
One of my favourite stations at the restaurant is the Indian kitchen, where the vindaloo, korma, and murgh makhani or butter chicken are among the best in Auckland.
I try to skip the carbs, but at this station, must-haves for me, always, are the chocolate naan, which I have learned pairs really well with the curries, and the chicken biryani.
I’ve been to Eight many times now, but I have yet to try the pizza because by the time I get to this point, I’m already on the verge of a food coma. I have had the mushroom risotto before, which I must say was really good.
I often skip the cheese board, but the one station I never miss is the dessert bar - the panna cotta, chocolate mousse, and Kapiti ice cream are irresistible. Stick fresh fruit pieces under the chocolate fountain to end dinner on a sweet note.
Eight Restaurant
DINNER 5.30pm - 10pm Mon – Thurs | From $119 Fri | From $139 Saturday | From $149 Sunday | From $129
Children aged 5 to 12 dine at half the adult price (except Christmas). Children 4 years and under dine free of charge
Located in: Cordis, Auckland Address: 83 Symonds Street, Grafton, Auckland 1010
