Porch Bar & Eatery

About Porch Bar & Eatery

Porch Bar & Eatery sits on St Heliers Bay Road in the seaside Auckland suburb of Saint Heliers, running a kitchen built around one simple idea: food made to be passed around. The menu predominantly reflects the flavours of Southeast Asia, and dishes are designed to share, rolling out of the kitchen as soon as they're ready regardless of the size of your group.

Rather than starters and mains, the menu moves through raw and chilled plates, small shares, a few things 'a bit more', bigger shares and sweet stuff — from kingfish sashimi and coconut lime ceviche to cheeseburger spring rolls, duck bao, pad thai, drunken noodles and a Nikkei steak. If you can't decide, the kitchen offers a way out: just say 'feed me' and they'll serve up a selection of their favourite dishes.

The practical side is straightforward too. Tables can be booked online, the current menu is published as a PDF on the website, groups of four or more are subject to a one bill policy, and a 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.

Porch Bar & Eatery: Southeast Asian Share Plates in St Heliers, Auckland

On St Heliers Bay Road, in the seaside Auckland suburb of Saint Heliers, Porch Bar & Eatery does things the sharing way. Its menu predominantly reflects the flavours of Southeast Asia, and almost everything that leaves the kitchen is designed to be passed around the table — from raw sashimi and ceviche to wok-fried noodles, bigger sharing plates and a dessert list worth lingering over. Dishes roll out of the kitchen as soon as they're ready, regardless of the size of your group, so the table fills with plates in waves rather than formal courses.

A Menu Built for Sharing

Porch splits its menu into raw and chilled plates, small shares, a section labelled 'a bit more', bigger shares and sweet stuff. The raw bar leads with kingfish sashimi dressed with nam jim, kaffir lime, coconut yoghurt and toasted rice; a tuna sashimi plate with watercress, wasabicado, enoki and citrus ponzu; and the Mitsu sashimi, combining tuna, salmon and kingfish with ginger, finger lime and shoyu. There's coconut lime ceviche made with local fish and served with sesame rice crackers, fresh salmon nori crackers, and sushi tacos filled with spicy tuna, soy-cured salmon or crab salad over rice, avocado, wakame and ikura.

The small shares read like a tour of the region: Isaan chicken larb lettuce cups, Vietnamese prawn and pork rolls with nuoc cham, duck bao with coconut, lemongrass and galangal, sticky fried chicken, Sichuan bang bang chilli chicken, three mushroom dumplings with black vinegar-chilli oil, and a curiosity that has become a signature in its own right — cheeseburger spring rolls, built with wagyu beef, American cheddar, yum yum sauce, pickles and parmesan.

Wok-Fired Favourites and Bigger Plates

'A bit more' covers the heartier, wok-and-grill end of the menu: chicken pad thai finished with a Chinese doughnut, stir-fried drunken noodles tossed with prawns, Thai basil and the house godmother sauce, prawn cutlets in a young green rice crust, wok-fried Asian greens, egg fried rice and jasmine rice. When you want a centrepiece for the table, the bigger shares step up: twice-cooked crispy pork belly with tamarind chilli caramel, pineapple and a fragrant herb salad; miso salmon with wakame salad and yuzu kosho; burrata with shandong sauce and chilli crisp; and the Nikkei steak — a 300g Angus Pure striploin with yakiniku, chimichurri and straw potatoes.

Say 'Feed Me'

Can't decide? The menu's advice is don't be shy — just say 'feed me' and the kitchen will serve up a selection of its favourite dishes, a rolling feast that makes sense of a list this broad. There's a vegetarian thread through the menu too, from garlic-ginger tofu and eggplant with miso caramel to crispy cauliflower bites with bang bang sauce. And save room at the end: the sweet stuff runs from lychee vanilla panna cotta with raspberry sorbet and ginger beer jelly to passionfruit pavlova and a peanut butter parfait, plus a dessert plank that's a chef's tasting platter of desserts built to share.

The Practical Bits

A few house notes are worth knowing before you go. Groups of four or more are subject to a one bill policy, and a 15% surcharge applies on public holidays. The kitchen also flags that it can't guarantee trace elements of ingredients will not be present, so anyone with allergies should raise them when ordering. Tables can be booked through the Book a Table page on the Porch website, and the current menu is published as a PDF, so you can browse the full list of plates before you arrive.

Between the raw bar, the bao and the wok-fired classics, Porch covers a lot of ground without losing its thread — Southeast Asian flavours, share-sized portions and a kitchen that keeps the plates coming. Whether you order plate by plate or hand the reins over with a 'feed me', it's an easy way to work through a wide menu in company.

Signature items

• Kingfish Sashimi
• Sushi Tacos
• Cheeseburger Spring Rolls
• Twice Cooked Crispy Pork Belly
• Nikkei Steak
• Feed Me

Menu

Feed Me

• Feed Me — Say the word and the kitchen serves up a selection of its favourite dishes

A Bit More

• Egg Fried Rice — Spring onion, crispy shallots
• Jasmine Rice
• Wok Fried Asian Greens — Chilli, garlic, soy, sesame
• Prawn Cutlets — Young green rice crust, Thai 'crack sauce', chilli salt
• Chicken Pad Thai — Tofu, sprouts, spring onion, Chinese doughnut
• Stir Fried Drunken Noodles — Prawns, Thai basil, godmother sauce

Sweet Stuff

• Lychee Vanilla Panna Cotta — Raspberry sorbet, ginger beer jelly, coconut, strawberry
• Passionfruit Pavlova — Panna cotta, passionfruit ice cream, pashmak
• Peanut Butter Parfait — Peanut dacquoise, chocolate ganache, butterscotch sauce, toasted peanuts
• Dessert Plank — Chef's tasting platter of desserts

Small Shares

• Edamame — Lime, sea salt
• Seaweed Salad
• Smashed Cucumber Salad — Pulled herbs, sweet & sour dressing
• Crispy Cauliflower Bites — Bang bang sauce
• Vietnamese Prawn & Pork Rolls — Vermicelli, fresh herbs, nuoc cham
• Cheeseburger Spring Rolls (3) — Wagyu beef, American cheddar, yum yum sauce, pickles, parmesan
• Fillet O Fish Bao (3) — Japanese tartar, tobiko
• Isaan Chicken Larb Lettuce Cups (3) — Lime, chilli, fresh herbs, toasted rice
• Sticky Fried Chicken — Hot and tangy ketchup, sesame, toasted peanuts
• Sichuan Bang Bang Chilli Chicken — Black vinegar, chilli, sesame, peanuts, cucumber
• Duck Bao — Coconut, lemongrass, galangal, chilli oil
• Garlic-Ginger Tofu & Eggplant — Miso caramel, pickled ginger, sesame
• Three Mushroom Dumplings (6) — Bamboo shoots, spring onion, black vinegar-chilli oil

Bigger Shares

• Twice Cooked Crispy Pork Belly — Tamarind chilli caramel, pineapple and fragrant herb salad
• Miso Salmon — Wakame salad, pickled shallots, yuzu kosho
• Burrata — Shandong sauce, chilli crisp, sesame, roasted peanuts
• Nikkei Steak — 300g Angus Pure striploin, yakiniku, chimichurri, straw potatoes

Raw & Chilled

• Kingfish Sashimi — Nam jim, kaffir lime, coconut yoghurt, toasted rice
• Tuna Sashimi — Watercress, cheese, wasabicado, enoki, cucumber, citrus ponzu, salmon caviar
• Mitsu Sashimi — Tuna, salmon, kingfish, ginger, finger lime, shoyu
• Coconut Lime Ceviche — Local fish, chilli, coriander, tobiko, sesame rice crackers
• Fresh Salmon Nori Crackers (3) — Edamame, avocado crema, pickled daikon, sesame, spicy ponzu
• Sushi Tacos (3) — Spicy tuna, soy-cured salmon or crab salad with rice, avocado, wakame salad, ikura

Frequently asked questions

What style of food does Porch Bar & Eatery serve?

A menu that predominantly reflects Southeast Asian flavours, served as share plates — raw bar dishes like kingfish sashimi and sushi tacos, small shares, wok-fried dishes like pad thai and drunken noodles, bigger shares and desserts.

What is 'Feed Me'?

If you can't decide, say 'feed me' and the kitchen will serve up a selection of its favourite dishes — a rolling tasting across the menu.

How does the share-style menu work?

Dishes are designed to share and roll out of the kitchen as soon as they're ready, regardless of the size of your group, so it works best to order a mix of small and large plates and pass them around.

Do I need to book?

Porch takes bookings through the Book a Table page on its website.

Are there any surcharges or house policies?

Groups of four or more are subject to a one bill policy, and a 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.

Can the kitchen cater to allergies?

The menu carries a note that the kitchen can't guarantee trace elements of ingredients will not be present, so allergies should be flagged when ordering.

Where can I see the current menu?

The current menu is published as a PDF linked from the Porch St Heliers website.

Tips

• {"body":"Say 'feed me' and the team will serve a rolling selection of their favourite dishes — the easiest way through a broad menu.","title":"Let the kitchen decide"}
• {"body":"Dishes roll out of the kitchen as soon as they're ready, so start with a few raw and small shares and keep adding as plates land.","title":"Order in waves"}
• {"body":"Groups of four or more are subject to a one bill policy, and a 15% surcharge applies on public holidays.","title":"Heads-up for groups"}
• {"body":"It's a chef's tasting platter of desserts made to share — ideal for finishing a Feed Me feast.","title":"Save room for the Dessert Plank"}
• {"body":"Reservations can be made via the Book a Table page on the Porch website.","title":"Book ahead"}

Good to know

• {"dietary":"Kitchen can't guarantee trace elements of ingredients won't be present; flag allergies when ordering"}