An eatery that has been spicing up Dominion Road with fusion Thai flavours is now on a quest to bring more authentic tastes.
At Kiss Kiss, guests can now indulge in offerings from a new menu and a Thai-style hot pot.
“While there continues to be a significant demand for fusion food, we note that people are also wanting more authentic flavours,” says owner Quynh Pham, who took over the eatery from its original owners in 2019.
The kitchen at Kiss Kiss is helmed by chefs from Thailand Irk Chotamungsa and Somboon Lek On, who had previously worked in Thailand’s COCA Hotpot - a chain renowned for its authentic Thai flavours and traditional elements. They are also the original two chefs when Kiss Kiss first opened in 2016.
Hotpot is a comfort meal for many, so with the winter months and the chef’s first-hand experience working in a top international hot pot chain, it makes perfect sense to have the dish on the menu.
It involves cooking raw ingredients in a boiling pot of soup placed at the centre of the table, and a base set priced at $42 comes with a platter of mixed marinated meat, seafood, vegetables, and egg that can feed between two to three people.
“The magic of any hot pot is in the sauce, and the deliciousness in our hot pot comes from Chef Somboon’s secret recipe suki, red bean curd sauce,” Quynh said.
Refills for the base soup are unlimited, and diners can order add-on platters for $25 that come with two tiger prawns on top of the mixed meat, vegetables, egg and vermicelli noodles or individual small add ons for $5.
“We are very conscious of keeping prices affordable, especially in the current economic climate,” Quynh said.
“So, besides our hot pot being a good option for a dinner gathering, it is also very economical because it works out to about $20 per person.”
Quynh said the move towards being more authentic has also seen the chefs tweak some of its popular dishes.
Its top seller continues to be the Thai-style pork ribs served with jaew sauce.
The ribs are succulent, sticky and much-loved, but the feedback was that it can be a tad “too sweet”.
“A lot of Thai dishes that are sold in New Zealand are generally sweet because there’s a perception that Kiwis love their food sweet,” Quynh said.
“That may have been true some years back, but tastes are changing, maybe also due to a greater awareness of health. That is why we know we have to change too.”
But guests seem to be loving the new taste, with people wanting to sink their teeth into this on the up.
The menu continues into salads, with the Thai beef salad being a must-try. Tender slices of beef, tossed with tomato, cucumber, red onions, carrot, spring onion, coriander and covered with a tangy tamarind-chilli dressing.
There’s also the som tum (green papaya salad), that is without meat, but loaded with shredded carrot, swede, tomato, garlic, chilli, green beans and peanuts.
Quynh said the dishes are generally northern Thai-influenced, which means they are not too heavy or rich in coconut cream.
They don’t have an extensive curry offering, but a hot seller there is the Panang Beef Curry, which is creamy and mildly spiced and has agria potato, carrot, green beans and is topped with crushed peanuts and chilli flakes.
If noodles are what you love, then Quynh recommends the Pad See Ew, wok-charred flat rice noodles with egg, bok choy, broccoli and cauliflower and chicken.
There are vegetarian options for the curry and noodle selections too.
Kiss Kiss was originally started in 2016 by the team behind Chinoiserie and L’Oeuf.
The old-school view masters, which were once used as a cocktail menu, is now just a novelty item.
Quynh and her partner took over the business in 2019, six months before the Covid-19 pandemic struck.
People we spoke to tell us it’s not just the food that keeps them coming back to Kiss Kiss. They love the wooden tables, communal benches with PVC table clothes, tropical umbrellas and the pink-tinted neon lights at this Rocklands Avenue eatery just off the main Dominion Road strip.
“The whole idea is to recreate the ambience of an old street bar in Bangkok,” Quynh said.
Ending your visit to Kiss Kiss on a sweet note is a must, with either the sticky rice with mango or banana, and the doughnuts served with pandan custard.
Kiss Kiss
1 Rocklands Avenue, Mount Eden, Auckland. Ph: 09 6003076. Business Hours: 11-2.30pm, 5-8.30pm (Tue-Fri), 12-9.30pm (Sat-Sun), 5-8.30pm (Mon)
