Local cook Sam Low (centre) hosted Ali Wong (right) for dinner, and his friend Jean Tang. Photo: Supplied, Sam Low
When local cook Sam Low extended a dinner invitation to Ali Wong's people, he didn't expect the famous American comedian would accept.
But on Sunday night, after a day out on the black sands of Piha Beach, Wong and her family showed up at Low's Auckland house for a wholesome Asian feast.
Last Tuesday, the MasterChef 2022 winner/cookbook author and Instagram star received a message on social media from Wong's producer. They got his contact from a reality TV comrade over in the US and wanted his picks of where to eat in Auckland.
"They specifically wanted Asian restaurant recommendations and they didn't want, you know, the fancy eats and things like that, because I guess she wants it quite low key," Low, famous since his 2022 MasterChef win, said.
"… They were like, you know, where should I go for really comforting, Asian food. And so I was like, you know what? I can totally do that at mine.
"I sent over a bunch [of recommendations] and then at the end of it, I was just like, 'By the way, if you guys just want to have dinner at mine, like you're totally welcome to'. And then they were like, 'Great. We'll just see you there'."
The next day, Low set about preparing his menu for eight. Ali Wong, a stand-up comedian, writer and producer best known for Netflix shows like Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife, is on the New Zealand leg of a whirlwind world tour, and Low had a good idea of what she and her entourage might feel like eating.
"I was like, if you came over, I'd prepare something that was like, really like herbal, really healing, really, kind of comfortable. And that was the main goal."
That feast included a whole slow cooked duck wrapped in lotus leaf with herbal Chinese ingredients, char siu (BBQ pork belly) with sweet fermented bean curd, pomelo and raw tuna salad with herbs (Wong's favourite), chicken and scallop broth with baby bok choy, drunken chicken with goji and aged rice wine (Low's MasterChef audition dish) and steamed eggplant with aged black vinegar and fennel.
Dessert was assorted fruit with oolong jasmine jelly and shiso granita.
A feast for his celebrity guest. Photo: Sam Low / Instagram
Low and his freelance food writer friend Jean Teng sat down for a family-style dinner with Wong's crew and beyond the food connection they spoke "a lot about [Ru Paul's] Drag Race" and dating.
Char siu (BBQ pork belly) with sweet fermented bean curd, which Low will serve at a pop-up restaurant in Auckland this weekend. Photo: Instagram, Sam Low
He was happy with Wong's verdict at the end of the night.
"She was like, 'it tasted like a grandma made the meal, but like from a young person's point of view' and I was like, I will take that."
Low visited six different places to make sure he was able to source just what he needed for his feast, showcasing the producing that we have access to and representing "the mix of cultures you get here".
"One thing that she [Wong] said she was just like, 'wow, the produce here is like significantly … fresher and real compared to what's on average in America ... she was, like, man, your bok choy is so much greener, like everything just looks way more fresher'.
"That was really nice for them to, you know, witness as well."