Munch - Aunty Mena’s

A feed for fuck-all

Aunty Mena’s

What: Vegetarian/Vegan Malaysian 

Price: $13.50 - $20.00+

When: 12:00 - 9:00pm, Monday - Saturday

Homely and healthy, but keeping it budget is a struggle.  

⭐⭐

Many of you will read today’s title and, being in your seventh month or umpteenth year of living in Wellington, ask, ‘he’s only just now discovered Aunty Mena’s?’ And to that I say a quiet ‘yeah…’ 

It’s been one of those places that I’ve heard a lot of other people’s good opinions about and I never got around to visiting to make my own. But there’s no time like the present, so, for all the ‘at some point’ people and those new to Wellington this trimester, welcome to Aunty Mena’s. 

Sat in the heart of Cuba Street, just along from popular haunts San Fran, Slowboat Records and Glover Park, you’re sure to have passed by this institution at least once. It’s unassuming from the outside, fading back behind the butter-yellow facade of Satay Palace on the left and the new highlighter tones of MISU on the right. But step inside and you’ll feel that this is somewhere with a community. It’s busy and a little haphazard; there’s a constant flow of people coming and going and taking away, all while plates of rice and curries thread their way to tables in-between. If the hundreds of five-star Google reviews don’t sell you, just glance at the back wall, which is covered in thank you letters, children’s drawings of baby Godzilla and the Mona Lisa, and a testimonial of Aunty Mena’s having cured someone’s depression. 

Unfortunately for us, most of the miracle menu sits on the cusp of $20. The Roti Chanai or the (Mock) Chicken Laksa—two of their best offers, I’ve been told—will each cost you $18, which is higher than I’m aiming to pay. So it’s back to the soup menu for me. However, I must say I’m impressed by what they could do with just Mixed Vegetable soup. The broth was so much more than just vegetable stock, and the perfect temperature to sip and feel the warmth spread out from your chest. The bright vegetables made this a really appealing bowl, they were softened just enough without going limp or stewy. The bok choy and the broccoli especially were delicious and surprisingly fun to eat, releasing bursts of salty broth with every bite. The Mixed Vege soup was the next-to-cheapest option, at $15 for a large bowl. There wasn’t nearly enough heft to it, however, to recommend it as a value option, and adding a side of rice or noodles tips you over the general price of a main course. 

I know that Aunty Mena’s is a staunch favourite for many people though, and I’m a big fan of how they’ve popularised and streamlined vegetarian cuisine. So I returned a few days later, hoping I could put together a more substantial meal by puzzling together some entrees and side dishes. To cut a long story short, I could not. While an entree with a side of rice puts you at a more-reasonable $16.50, these smaller dishes consist entirely of deep-fried food. Sure, they come with a little dipping bowl of sweet chilli tomato sauce, but that tablespoon-measurement of flavour and liquid has to do a hell of a lot of the heavy lifting. The Vege Balls were recommended and actually not bad value, with nine on a plate and being reasonably filling; if you want to chew your way through nine unsweetened cake-pops. Curiosity prompted me to also order the Deep Fried Drumsticks from the vegetarian restaurant, which was an interesting textural riddle. Wrapped in layers around a popsicle stick was some sort of stretched tofu, almost akin to an omelette and very akin to a vinyl glove. There wasn’t any flavour to redeem it either, once the tomato sauce ran out I was left taking bites of rubbery cooking oil. I’d recommend sticking to the vegetables here. 

I’ve given Aunty Mena’s quite a lot of shit here, and I want to note that my review is an unfair one. The goal of Munch is to stay on a low-budget, and in this case it meant that I ignored two pages worth of main dishes. Like the Very Broke Caterpillar, I ate my way around the fringes of the menu, which was not a fair assessment of the kitchen here. Whether at 5:00pm or at 9:00pm, the place was bustling with families, friend groups, couples, and singles. It’s a warm and communal space, with a very fast turnover of dishes, which is perfect for a quick bite or a group dinner out. So, while my rating here today isn’t stellar, Aunty Mena’s certainly isn’t a write off. 

Am I talking shit or shit-talking your favourite restaurant? Or have I overlooked a place that readers really need to know about? Send me something to chew on at: guy@salient.org.nz.