Restaurant Rec: Woodpecker Hill
On a recent date night, my husband and I decided we were going to be all kind of wild and crazy and try a new restaurant. This was a last minute decision that we put exactly zero effort into, and we somehow found ourselves walking into a Parnell restaurant called Woodpecker Hill. For some reason, the name irrationally reminds me of Little Woodrow’s, in Austin, so therefore it had to be worth checking out.
We got lucky and were seated right away. Even though it was early on a Friday evening, the place was already filling up. To be clear: this is not a restaurant to take your kids. It was an overwhelmingly adult crowd with only one immobile baby sitting with her parents and grandparents. There was no kids menu to be seen, and the prices aren’t cheap. The interior is on the dark side, but well designed and with comfortable seating. There was enough separation between tables and soft surfaces to keep the noise level low.
The first thing that caught my eye was this description presented on the menu:
Any mention of “Texa[s] wood-smoke barbecue” piqued my interested (and incredulity). Chef Che, as far as we could determine from the conversation with our server, doesn’t have a Texas connection, but that doesn’t appear to matter in Auckland. We ordered a gigantic seafood tasting platter to start, and I absolutely swooned at the fried clams. The worst thing on the platter - the salmon paté - was still delicious. Next, we followed up with the best onion rings I’ve ever had. EVER. They were the perfect combination of umami and salt. I only remembered to take a picture when there was a solitary, not-long-for-this-world ring left. We finished with the dry red curry duck. My only complaint about this dish is that it was too small. I could’ve eaten another three or four bites before being fully sated.
The wine and cocktail list is even more extensive than the food menu. My husband is an Aperol negroni connoisseur, and he was happily ordering his favorite drink. I enjoyed the recommended pairing with the seafood platter, the Ata Rangi sauvignon blanc, which is from my favorite wine producing region, Martinborough. No matter what your imbibing preferences are, you’ll have no trouble finding something appealing at Woodpecker Hill.
Next time I’ll make sure to save room for the fourteen hour smoked beef brisket to see if it really is as good as the Austin varietals I’m used to. If it is anything like the rest of the menu, it will be out of this world. Woodpecker Hill is a real standout in the Auckland dining world. I need to schedule another date night.
