KOL: PONSONBY’S LATEST RESTAURANT

KOL (pronounced ‘coal’ and inspired by the same word) is a new bar and eatery, serving innovative cocktails alongside an extensive champagne, wine, and beverage list.

That drinks list is complemented by a selection of tandoorinspired snacks and dishes primarily cooked over fire using the best New Zealand produce with an Indian influence.

Located in an iconic villa on the corner of Ponsonby Road and Hepburn Street, Ponsonby, KOL is independently owned and operated by restaurateurs Sid anc Chand Sahrawat who also run Cassia and Sid at The French Café.

Ponsonby News caught up with head chef Vicky Shah and bar manager Mangesh Shah to find out more about the duo and their favourite drinks and dishes on the menu right now.

Vicky Shah

Born and raised in Mumbai, Vicky Shah’s love of cooking was first inspired by his mother, an excellent cook in her own right. As an only child, he would hang out in the kitchen with his mum and began cooking alongside her, deciding at the age of 14 that he wanted to be a chef.

Vicky made the move to New Zealand in 2014 to begin his culinary career, completing a course at (now named) The Culinary Collective Cooking and Hospitality School while working part-time at SkyCity and Ponsonby fine diner Sidart.

On graduating, he took a full-time job at Sidart under chef Sid’s tutelage, first, as a pastry chef, before working in every section of the kitchen over the course of the next two years.

When the Sahrawat’s acquired fine dining institution, The French Café, in 2018, chef Vicky transitioned to that kitchen until he became head chef at Cassia in 2019, a position he held for more than two years before moving to KOL. Below, Vicky shares his favourite “date night” picks from the KOL menu.

I would start with a couple of ghee roast oysters. Oysters are perfect on date night, right? The beef tartare, charcoal, khakra would be next; I like the balance of sweet, sour and spicy in the tartare with the crunchy khakra. I would follow this with oyster mushrooms, ghost chilli and macadamia; it’s easy to share, and I love the little hint of ghost chilli coming through.

For mains, I would go for the new dish on the menu, scampi and 'nduja laccha and Kurobuta pork rack, black garlic and cabbage. Scampi from the Auckland Islands is just so tender - I love pairing it with ‘nduja. The pork rack is the perfect size for two and I am a sucker for pork cooked on fire.

From the drinks list, I love a negroni so I would order KOL's Agni, the Campari is infused with bonito and ginger. This adds savoury and umami notes to the drink and elevates a classic negroni.

Mangesh Shah

Mangesh grew up in Eastern Nepal. He commenced his studies in hospitality and hotel management in Nepal, moving to New Zealand in 2018 to complete his certificate. Mangesh began his career at Cassia in Auckland’s Fort Lane, moving to Sidart in 2022 honing his skills as one of Auckland’s top mixologists – and taking away the 2022 Best Bartender Award at the Metro Restaurant of the Year Awards.

Mangesh says he was always destined to work behind a bar creating innovative cocktails with unique ingredients and constantly pushing the boundaries. Mangesh shares his favourite “date night” picks from the KOL menu.

My favourite cocktail is the Wolof Punch. It’s a rum based cocktail, made with our rotary evaporator. This cocktail is zero waste, which helps KOL be as sustainable as possible. The rum is cold infused with kaffir lime leaves, yuzu, banana pulp liqueur and banana skins. We toast the banana skin with coconut sugar and brandy, which helps to add sweetness in this drink.

I’d start with the vindaloo fries because no date night at KOL would be complete without sitting around at the bar enjoying a few cocktails with some of the bar snacks. For dinner, I would choose the broccoli with black garlic miso, burnt onion raita and pickled onions, I love the saltiness of the black garlic and how it pairs with the sweetness in the wolof punch. I do also love the oyster mushrooms with ghost chilli and macadamia; this dish has the perfect amount of spice and a great balance of flavours.