I almost cancelled my reservation to Tokki, a restaurant in Auckland famed for Korean cuisine served with a modern twist. I had just baked myself in the sauna less than an hour earlier, and I was pretty knackered after a whole week of working and networking (though I don’t know whether drinking with your managers and colleagues counts as networking).
On the other hand, I’d wanted a table at Tokki since last year and could only score one this time because I booked weeks in advance. Also, IMO, Auckland has some of the best Korean cuisine restaurants outside of Korea.
So with that and a hungry stomach, I made my way across the bridge to Lake Pupuke.
Tokki Auckland
A waiter greeted me when I entered the small and minimally decorated Tokki. They gave me a choice to sit by the bar or at a sad single-chair table by the window. I chose the sad table.
When I made the booking, I pre-chose Tokki’s House menu ━ a Korean cuisine taste adventure through a sampling menu.
All I needed to choose was the drink, and I settled for the umeshu on the rocks.
With that, I popped on my AirPods and let myself enjoy fine dining with a TV-dinner setting.
Modern Korean Cuisine Feast
I got a free starter: deep-fried twisty seaweed, served in a mini vase ━ cute and yummy.
The first dish was Hwe ━ raw fish, two thinly sliced tuna with Korean mustard and Minari. It was so divine that I made a mental note to get another serving if I still had space after the whole course (spoiler alert: I was too full by the end of the meal).
Then came Kimbap Wagyu Tartare with perilla on top and a bed of white radish fried to perfection. It was so delicious that I cleared the plate in minutes.
Next, Tteok Gook Chicken Soup with sesame and eggs, which came in a typical Korean household metal soup bowl and a teeny tiny spoon. The soup, like all the soup under the Korean cuisine umbrella, was so flavourful and comforting. It’s also something I’d order again (and again).
Not up to Standard KFC ━ Korean Fried Chicken
On the booking, I opted to add crispy chicken wings for an additional cost because I know Korean makes ass-kicking, finger-licking chicken wings. And it was supposed to be the next serving. Unfortunately, it was replaced with prawn-meat-stuffed fried chicken, which, in theory, sounded quite appetising, but it didn’t look good and, worse, didn’t taste good.
I forced myself to finish one of the two pieces but stopped there. It was fine dining; I shouldn’t be eating the food I didn’t like even though I paid extra for it ━ justifying it with a conversation with Fafa in my head in which he would say, “If you don’t like it, don’t eat it”.
Thankfully, the following few dishes were back to the yummy scale. I had Tokki Ssam with pork galbi, or in layperson’s terms: a piece of pork on a bed of rice wrapped in lettuce, which I ate with my hand.
It was followed by Crispy Eggplant with Korean soya and chilli glaze, which was also yummy.
Then came the prettiest dish of the day, Tteok Galbi, with crispy rice and cured yolk, which was exquisite with homemade Kimchi.
Speaking of which, the Kimchi itself is worth a separate shout-out. I generally don’t like Kimchi and would skip it when it’s on the menu or served as a side, but I tried this kimchi, and it was truly the best I have ever tasted.
So fresh and flavourful, I wanted to jump into the Kimchi-loving wagon after eating it.
Korean Noodles
I was excited about the last dish on the tasting menu; the original reason I wanted to come to Tokki: the flat noodles with chilli and Doenjang minced pork. I was expecting it to be a cross between Italian and Korean (not unlike Simon and Lee, also in Auckland). I was also looking forward to eating the same type of noodles I had last in Gwangjang Market in Gohyang Kalguksu. But to my utter disappointment, I didn’t like it. The sauce didn’t hit right; in short, the flat noodles tasted flat. After forcing myself to eat as much as I could, I gave up and requested a doggy bag instead.
The Best S’mores of My Life
Good thing my journey through Tokki’s Modern Korean cuisine hasn’t ended just yet.
There was dessert, Melano S’mores, which I assumed was, you know, s’mores. Even if I got just that, I knew I’d be happy. But I got so much more!
The chef, Jason, came to grill the s’mores on a stick in front of me. The s’mores were not just your basic B s’mores!!! It came with melon ice cream inside. I’d never thought I’d say the best s’mores I ever had were from a Korean cuisine restaurant in Auckland, but that’s the fact.
It was a perfect happiness-inducing dessert.
And it continued…
A waiter came with another fancy-ass box filled with pieces of chocolate. They then gave an elaborate explanation of the homemade chocolate, but my attention was fully on the beautiful box it was kept on. I only remembered “cinnamon” and could taste a hint of it when I popped it into my mouth. Though not as good as life-changing ice cream s’mores, I love the sweet surprises.
Thanks, Tokki team!
I wrote this on my hotel bed to quickly memorise one of my best Korean cuisine experiences, and now I’m ready for ice cream s’mores-filled dreams.
Meanwhile, I hope this post inspires you to check out Tokki when in Auckland if you are craving some delicious ass-kicking Korean cuisine. May it also remind me not to dish on restaurants that mention a “modern” twist on the classic menu before trying it.
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