Inside Auckland’s Best-Kept Food Secret: A Mediterranean Feast with Zeki

Welcome to a very special episode of the Forkin' Good Podcast — because today, we’re not just talking about food… we’re EATING it.

Simon and Kate take you inside Lokanta, the legendary Mediterranean restaurant run by their long-time friend and Turkish chef Zeki, right in the heart of Auckland, New Zealand.

This episode is part feast, part masterclass, part travel story — and fully packed with:

🍷 Proper Mediterranean dining
🐙 Octopus & lentils cooked the traditional way
🔥 Flaming saganaki
🦪 Rice-stuffed mussels
🥗 Why olive oil truly matters
❤️ Food, family & human connection
🌿 What the Mediterranean diet ACTUALLY is (not what Google tells you)

You’ll hear:
• Stories of cooking together in Turkey & the Greek Islands
• Why Mediterranean food is naturally healthy, clean and flavour-packed
• How we can cook this way at home
• Zeki’s philosophy on food, hospitality, and why “less is more”
• Rapid-fire questions including favourite herbs, sauces, secret dislikes & kitchen must-haves

This episode has everything: food, friendship, travel, nostalgia, storytelling and the kind of hospitality that fills your soul.

👉 If you're in Auckland, GO to Lokanta.
👉 If you love good food, hit LIKE.
👉 If you want more Mediterranean adventures, SUBSCRIBE.
👉 Tell us in the comments: What dish should Simon & Kate try next?

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