Inside the empire of Auckland’s first couple of food

In 2014, when I first ate at Cassia, my palate was racist. I knew the food at the new modern Indian restaurant hidden down a back alley in the heart of Auckland’s central city was really good, but my taste buds believed the flavours it recognised – the cumin, ginger and cinnamon – should be found only in plastic takeaway containers. I couldn’t comprehend Indian food this complex and delicate, or expensive.