Nanam Eatery

This is the only great thing about Royal Oak in my opinion, RO could do with an overhaul.
Don’t be deceived by the casual recycled interior because the food is fab. Even with a bad choice of having sacking draped over the walls behind the bar which looks terrible the service is with a smile and the flavours extraordinary.
The influences are Filipino, Latin and Asian.
For starters my friend and I shared the lamb shoulder croquetta’s which in my opinion are amazeballs!
My friend for her main got sticky pulled pork which was delish.
The standout dish, a beautiful piece of wagyu skirt, tenderised overnight. The steak comes with a combination of charred shallots and sorrel butter, but it rests on a Nanam salsa verde dominated by Asian flavours.
A side of broccoli is a must, its certainly not boring. But dessert was unachievable as we were so full. So a Fili-​coffee with caramel condensed milk was a perfect finish.
I will definitely be taking more friends there in future.

One of the best restaurants I have been to lately. Never knew Philipino food could taste so good! Restaurant itself is a little small and it gets packed fast! We ordered the TacoPao, Squid, Queso de Bola and the Croquette. Presentation was lovely and the taste was superb! The Hola Hola dessert was decent and a good finishing touch to a deal. For two of us without drinks came up to around $ 60
Would go again!

Omg love this little restaurant, we we’re luckier than the group after us who were turned away due to a sad lack of table space. This little gem has only just opened but is the only reasonably priced fancier restaurant that I have come across in the royal oak/​Onehunga/​Epsom area.
Read the previous reviews and all ready had an idea of the must try’s. We shared the Tao BAU (?) (hard to explain see pictures) but omg delish interesting textures and flavor compo.
Next was the roast chicken, this was big enough to share, with a side of grilled broccoli. Normally I’m not a fan of grilling broccoli, cause steamed is my jam, but with the sauce and the mushrooms this was a standout dish.
Shared a desert, banana parfait, amazing! But it just made me want to go back and try the other options.
Service was efficient and friendly. I can see this little place needing to expand in the near future!
All of this + a reasonably priced glass of wine came to $ 73

Noisy, bustling eatery right on the roundabout at Royal Oak. The food here is really interesting, lots of flavours to tempt your palate. The Vietnamese mint and crème fraîche in a dipping sauce had us guessing, along with watercress in a pesto. The DIY pork buns arrive with a basket of the brightest pink steamed buns, tender pulled pork, crispy pork skin, pickles and chopped nuts. The roast chicken is good, but the beef is better! And, for dessert, I’d recommend the crispy banana parfait. Make sure to book a table, this place is busy, but worth the drive.

Royal Oak, not exactly what you would call a food mecca, but Nanam delivered a memorable food experience for me. One that hours after I am still thinking about.
We arrived at 6pm… It was at capacity. Not bad, we had to sit at the bar, which at this time of the night… Not a bad idea. The head waiter (probably the owner) was delightfully camp, infectiously personable & ran the front like a drum. He shared stories about the beer, was generous with his time & explained the menu to us in ways even the simplest of people could understand.
The food, we had two starters. A lamb & potato croquette that was simply scrummy. The filling tasted so soft, velvety & moorish I barely noticed I’d near burnt my tongue. Then… The arrange your own (AYO) pulled pork with handmade beets infused pork bun showed up! Bloody hell! I got lost in the textures. I forgot about the world, the restaurant vanished and I was taken on a wonderful journey. Mum said after that she’d quite happily just have that as a meal & I agree.
The rest of the meal (I’ll rush through) rice was meh, a little hairy and the muscles were a tad overcooked. Way to much. The chicken was nice, as described quite sour but lacked a depth of flavour. The salsa was a mushy liquidy amalgamation that left the eater with a strong smell of onions on there breath. Finally the beef brisket. Amazing presentation, onions were perfect, meat nearly melted in the mouth… Unfortunately it wasn’t hot. Just warm is what I would have called it. Really put a dampener on the meal because there was so much happening with that dish, the depth of flavour was immense. It was so Lukewarm that the sorrel butter on top, didn’t melt. It held in place refusing to become the warm runny juice that bastes the whole dish.
Three months though, not bad. I would definitely return.

You know when you try a cuisine from another country and your like «well that’s me, that’s it ! How do I get there «that’s exactly how I felt after Nanam tonight .
Right from the start with the welcoming staff and the pleasant décor, you feel transported to the Philipines .
We started with a few entrees to share which were the tacopao and lamb adobo balls. I honestly didn’t want to share. You must go here just for the tacopao — small parcels of pulled pork and condiments of chopped nuts, red onion and crispy pork. You make these yourself, the pink buns are just so soft .
For the mains we shared the chicken, beef bistek (my fave) and the fish. We also got a side of broccoli .I love broccoli but this was something else lightly sautéed with cashews and a tangy soy sauce, I could’ve eaten this alone .
Now I hardly ever order a dessert to finish but the banana parfait with jackfruit gel and choconut soil caught my eye, I’m really glad I did. Soft banana flavoured parfait in a pastry case came oozing out when I dug my spoon in .
This is the sort of casual neighbour hood joint that are needed in all pockets of Auckland .
Long may it last !

I wanted to try Nanam with my Filipino friend so I could experience «real» Filipino food outside of his kitchen. In the past, he had only been able to name places NOT to try when I asked for Filipino restaurants.
In the state of my delusional hunger, I found myself amused at the red «baos» that looked like fat cartoon tongues. These were the tacopao that you can fill with their sticky pulled pork, pickles, peanuts and the beautiful pork chicarron — crunchy fried pork rinds.
I found out later that they’re red because of the beetroot. These were part of the AYO (assemble your own) dishes and definitely a stand out dish. The pulled pork was saturated with sauce and the baos were soft and bouncy. And the pork chicarron– ohh the pork chicarron — can I please take home a jar of these to scatter on top of my less than average meals? I could easily polish off three of these tacopaos on my own.
Another AYO dish is the spiced chicken hearts or Sisig. Don’t wrinkle your nose yet. I’ve been tricked into eating chicken hearts before and while I was enraged, I have to say, just get over it — be opened-​minded and try new things! Mixed with egg, liver pâté and garnished with more of the pork chicarron, it’s a rich offering but it was beautifully balanced with the chestnut and spring onion salsa, and fresh lettuce leaves.
Another highlight was the beef bistek which was skirt steak which was served with salsa verde, charred shallots, and sorrel butter. It was so heart-​warming and cooked to medium rare by default. I found that every dish was generous with the sauce and the meat was beautiful and moist.
Now onto the dessert — we had a pleasure of ordering «everything on the menu» which were Halo halo, Turon (crispy caramelised banana parfait) and sweetcorn ice cream. Honestly, order everything — it does not break the bank and every dessert is unique and moreish.
The vibe of Nanam is casual, somewhere to have fun with your friends. With paint splattered distressed walls, it’s a real turnaround from what used to be the fine-​dining restaurant, Coco. Nanam is much more neighbourhood friendly, being just opposite from Ollie’s the ice cream parlour and not just exclusive to Royal Oak $$$ house owners.
I’d recommend going with a group so you can order more shared plates to try. They don’t take bookings for less than 6 though so you’d really have to try your luck if you’re going on a Friday or Saturday night. We found it surprisingly affordable, given the huge spread of plates and drinks we had over the whole night — it only amounted to around $ 30pp. I would gladly go back, and given the consistent standard of food we had that night — I wouldn’t hesitate to try other dishes on the menu too.

We went to Nanam because there is not much Filipino restaurant in town and because my officemate’s brother runs the place. The food are Filipino inspired and not traditional but will satisfy your taste buds and cravings (yes I crave for Filipino food for quite some time!). We ate beef caldereta which we felt a bit different from the traditional food but when we tasted it, it was oh so delicious we thought we should have ordered more. The pinaputok na isda (stuff and baked fish) is also good but the best we had is the special halo-​halo which we really liked even though is freezing cold outside. I’ll definitely go back and probably order the roast chicken as it looks delicious. The only thing I didn’t like is that rice is not part of the menu (which is always part of any filipino food) and should be bought separely and the dish size is relatively small but I can’t complain because the food price is cheap. The place is also small and the place can get full easily so you may to reserve a table.

When I saw the invite for dinner here on Unilocal I was over the moon excited! When I lived in Seattle I was spoiled with choice for Filipino food options. The west coast of America is definitely experiencing a Filipino Food trend and perhaps NZ is picking that up too? Hope so! Filipino is the new Mexican!
Firstly, I would NOT call this Filipino food. Where’s the Adobo? Pancit? Lumpia? This is definitely «Filipino Fusion» or even «Filipino Inspired.» In saying, the food was FANTASTIC. Beautiful flavours, super creative, and San Miguel beer. And at a reasonable price too! I think the beers were $ 5?
At the third week being open they were hopping! I think they didn’t expect to be so popular on a Friday night. It was packed out, but what do you expect when you are featured by the Denizen? They were super attentive to our large group and coped with chaos the best they could. They made a few mistakes, but happily gave us a free round of drinks and comped a few dishes. That’s real service!
Favourites were the Sisig, «Tacopao,» Adobo Croquettes, and the Halo Halo! Wow the Halo Halo was amazing. Flavours are off the chain. Really. Don’t skip this.
Seriously though everything was so delicious. I liked every dish we tried, and we tried it all, nearly. In true Filipino style order a bunch of dishes and share everything! I would skip the Lumia crêpe though. Seriously, Filipino food doesn’t do vegetarian. Filipinos love pork. Sorry vegos.
Flavours of the Philippines with NZ ingredients, what more can a foodie ask for! Can’t wait to go back.

Nanam is the new & noteworthy Filipino in town. It’s only been open a couple of weeks and is already wildly popular.
My must-​try item is definitely the pork buns. They’re similar to Taiwainese gua bao except the buns are a bright pinky-​red hue — beetroot flavour we were told — and they’re build-​you-​own served with saucy slow-​cooked pork, pickled vege, peanuts and crispy pork crackling.
Also, definitely leave room for dessert! I don’t have a sweet tooth but after trying a spoonful of my neighbour’s halo halo and the pastry wrapped fried banana parfait I was sold — not too sweet, light and refreshing!
Pro tip: If you’re in a group of 6 or more book. If not, get in early!

I try to live my life with an underlying guideline: No regrets.
…yeah, it’s cliché (I can practically hear Drake’s YOLOOOOO in the background right about now ;)), but it’s not a bad edict to live by.
Anyway, the relevance to Nanam? It’s all about dessert. And by that I mean: I didn’t order a dessert and I freaking regret it!
A few of my dining companions did not make the same mistake, however. The Halo Halo (caramel flan, pandan granite, sweet beans, melon etc) and Turon (caramelised banana parfait) desserts were both gorgeous in presentation and flavour (I taste tested). Please don’t be intimidated by the «purple yam pudding» or «coconut jasmine foam” — they 100% know what they’re doing here.
Pros:
— Very attentive, friendly service. As Nanam recently opened, there were quite a few glitches with dishes/​drinks missed but, when raised to the staff, it was quickly remedied and they did not hesitate in offering us items on the house to make up for the wait :)
— The broccoli side with sautéed mushrooms and cashews — no idea how they do it but I’ve never truly enjoyed broccoli thiiiis much
Cons:
— Limited vegetarian options (No vegetarian entrée options, sadly. I went for the tofu crêpe for my main — the pesto sauce was fresh & light but I was pretty disappointed with the blandness of the actual tofu).
— Small space: There are only a few tables and most are quite small — I could see how they could build up quite a wait
— Bit out of the way for me in Royal Oak (but an epic bike adventure, nonetheless)

Definitely a bit out of the way, considering there’s not much in the area in terms of dining options and certainly not your usual brunch menu. We tried Sisig ($ 10) and TacoPaco ($ 12), leaving room for the delicious deserts: Halo Halo and Turon ($ 11each). Interesting flavour combinations and will be back to try out the rest of the menu. The roast chicken Sinigang ($ 22) and the beef Bistek ($ 20) looked particularly delicious. We could only spot a small Nespresso machine, so not really barista coffee on offer though.

This was my first encounter with Philipino food, and I liked it. According to a Phillipino friend of mine, this isn’t Philipino, however Nanam does serve up dishes with Philipino influences and delish all the same. The chicken hearts and water chestnuts are worth trying for those bravehearts. Love the bright pinkish red tacos and of course our mushrooms crêpe was very tasty. Well presented dishes. The décor — perhaps feels a bit like a collage of all the bits and pieces from current food industry’s trends, does the job of setting the place apart from others in the family friendly suburb of Royal Oak. The only eatery opened for Sunday lunch in the cul de sac behind Ollie’s, good call Nanam, no wonder you guys were packed. I would have given you 4 stars had it not been for the delicious looking Halo Halo which sadly never arrived :(Maybe next time!

This little hidden away gem is worth a look in. I had no idea what to expect of Filipino cuisine. Well now I know it’s delicious!
The taco polo I enjoyed the most. Steamed buns that you fill with your own pulled pork stuffing. The half chicken was a great portion size and so tasty.
The desserts are something you need to be game for. Sweet corn icecream, sweet yams and red bean purée. All were exciting for the taste buds and well worth a try.
If the food wasn’t enough to rave about the service was great too. They were extremely busy and managed to still provide a good service.
I will eat here again and again. I am already planning when I can have those sticky buns again.