Young Kiwi chef William Mordido is hitting Auckland diners up with the global craze of pop-up dining. His travelling restaurant Buko will be making its first appearance in the City of Sails at Café Holm on Karangahape Rd at the end of November. Diners will be treated to a four-course dessert menu, featuring Jackfruit and a purple yam Ube, created by the 25-year- old chef to celebrate his upbringing both in New Zealand and the Philippines. This event follows Buko’s hugely successful launch in Melbourne last month.
Mordido, a Mt Wellington resident, hopes there will be opportunity for more than one event in Auckland. The idea behind Buko is to showcase New Zealand chefs’ food on one-off projects in existing restaurant establishments around the country and the world.
“When dining at a restaurant you know what to expect, but with a pop-up there’s a huge surprise factor,” said Mordido.
Mordido, who is originally from the Philippines, believes his model of the travelling restaurant is a way to nurture young, talented chefs and it could be a solution to keeping them in our country.
“It’s a win for everyone as it makes use of spaces not being used at night and it’s a great opportunity for chefs to experience a different level of cuisine.”
The menus pay respects to traditional and modern cooking techniques and flavour combinations, with a special emphasis on Mordido’s upbringing in New Zealand and the Philippines. ‘Buko’ means young coconut in Tagalog, the national language of the Philippines. As a young child, Mordido was likened to the coconut for having three cowlicks in his hair, like the Buko’s three dots.
Mordido is looking for more venues in Auckland interested in having a guest chef put on a menu or letting Buko rent its space.
