Pop-up dining Bao at DOC Bar K'road

 The eating scene in Auckland is getting merrier as the weeks passed. Coupled with the most amazing summer that we just had it was a real treat. I was meant to post this a couple of weeks ago but it forgotten. I know I have to post this because this new cool concept has taken NYC, Sydney, Melbourne, London, Chicago and many other cities by storm. Many restaurateurs in Australia has jumped onto the bandwagon; diluting the true experience of the concept. However in Auckland it's still relatively new although the Pop-up dining guys has been around for a bit over a year now. The best place to find them is on a Wednesday at D.O.C Bar in K'road. They are not always there but if they are cooking up something good, chances are they will be there. I have been there a couple of times and these guys can cook up some wicked dishes for $10 and you can't even find similar food in a restaurant. How cool is that? But don't expect to be seated and presented with a wine list. DOC Bar is a student bar and it's not flash but bring along a few mates and you are in for a cheap and cheerful meal and come cheap beers.

Pork Belly Bao with Sriracha sauce

I came here after yoga and I was starving. The options were easy- vegetarian or pork. Both are divine. For the vegetarian option, it was mushrooms braised with a lot of yummy flavours and you will not miss meat after eating it. It's succulent, creamy and packed with loads of flavours. The pork belly option was pretty damn good as well. The meat was so tender and cooked with the right amount of hoisin sauce so it's not sickly sweet and sticky. I am not sure if the buns are handmade or store bought but they are pretty good. They are mostly uneven in size and shape so I would guess that it's handmade by the talented duo of Andreas and Ben.

The dish is a popular dish from David Chang of Momofuku NYC which later generated a cult like following and copycats has been appearing everywhere since. It has even become one of the most popular food in NYC in 2012. Yes, food can be trendy too and one day in the near future you might find a Food Runway. Don't laugh.

For $10 I got two baos with gorgeous fillings and a small side salad. Pretty good deal for $10 I would say. Beats the boring subway sandwich anytime.

Pop-up dining will appear at DOC at 6p.m 27 March. My advice is to get in early to get a seat. Come late and there won't be anything left. They will be serving up Korean Tacos. Check out their website for other upcoming food events.

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