A love of food runs in my Filipino Family's bones and in New Zealand, food has been our comfort when far from home or each other. Over the 15 years we've lived in Auckland, we have been amazed and excited by the abundant array of good foods we've been able to experience in this melting pot that we call home. But it was on a classic grey and cold Auckland day that a little hole in the wall, out of the blue cafe, Hare and the Turtle, helped me realise what true Auckland food really means to me. A humble Baloney sandwich transported you to a Deli in the Big Apple with its tangy but hearty mix of ingredients paired with the passion for sandwitch perfection that the chefs provide. Like Auckland, it seems a small place, but with a little digging, inside it is full of big flavours that you can't get enough of. Not to mention their sticky, soft, Cinnamon roll which tasted like the ones we used to eat out of a paper bag next to our mechanic in Manila. Simple made amazingly well with a love of all things local, while still being open to other cultures and experiences is what makes up this epic dish and what I believe Auckland is to me.