Two restaurants with the exact same name operate beside each other in Mt Albert. But which is the real Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House? Madeleine Chapman eats and investigates.

Occupying the heart of the Mt Albert food district are two rival restaurants right next door to each other. Both make cheap, generously portioned, delicious Chinese cuisine. Both have loyal customer bases who treat each restaurant as their local hangout. And both have owners who are willing to stand outside their restaurant, calling in diners off the street who are confused about where they’re supposed to be eating. The point of confusion?

Both restaurants are called Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House.

In 2004, there was just the one Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House and it stood at 932 New North Road. It was popular, known for its low prices and huge portions. At the end of 2004, the owner sold the business to Huatuan Qiu and Huatuan (first names will be used to avoid confusion later on) still runs the operation there today.

When I enter his store at 11am, it’s empty. A young man is furiously chopping onions in the kitchen and another asks for my order. When I tell him I’d like to speak with someone about the story behind his workplace and the identically named one next door, his expression darkens. His English isn’t good but he tells me to wait and alludes to a manager arriving at 11:30.

While I wait I order the $10 special that’s taped to the shop window. BBQ pork on rice plus a can of coke. That $10 will buy you enough pork to feed a hungry couple and enough rice to feed a family. The can of coke is single serve.

At precisely 11:30, two older women enter and speak to the man in Mandarin before taking their seats. When he brings out their food – two overflowing plates that are almost bigger than the women themselves – he says something to the younger of the two, who turns to me, acting as translator. “He said you have some questions about the two BBQ Noodle Houses.”

Shortly after Huatuan took over the business in 2004 he was joined in the shop by his older brother or cousin Huali Qiu. Huatuan confirmed several times that they’re brothers while Huali flatly denies any relation whatsoever. A neighbouring shop owner believes they’re cousins whose fathers are brothers.

In 2015 when the lease on their restaurant ended, Huatuan and Huali parted ways and Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House shut down. But like the Greek serpent Hydra, it would soon return with twice as many heads.

It was during this shut down period where the miscommunications began. It’s hard to communicate when you refuse to talk to each other, as the two owners were.

An enquiry into why the pair parted ways in the first place only brings about speculation from the two women. “Always the money,” the younger one says. “Chinese it’s the same, European it’s the same. Always money.”

While Huatuan put up renovation notices at 932 to say the BBQ Noodle House would be back soon, Huali wandered next door and took over the lease of the much larger, more established M + M Tea, otherwise referred to as Momo Tea.

On the 17th of July 2015, MT ALBERT MOMTEA LIMITED changed its name to MT ALBERT BBQ NOODLE HOUSE LIMITED. To the casual diner, the old classic had simply moved next door. The original sandwich board was put up outside 930 New North Rd and a new sign was installed proclaiming “Original BBQ Noodle House”. Huali tirelessly manned the entrance, making sure everyone knew that Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House had moved, albeit two metres to the left.

Meanwhile, next door at 932, Huatuan was working on putting in a new kitchen, new flooring, new everything before reopening as the same old Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House. When he saw what Huali had done, he sped up his renovations and reopened soon after.

“When I reopened the shop he came here to make noise and disturb so I called the police a few times,” he says through his translator. He soon goes on a tangent, explaining how Huali uses and abuses his disability parking permit to occupy all the parks in front of their stores. His friend laughs hysterically as she translates.

When I ask who really has the rights to the name, Huatuan disappears behind the counter and reemerges holding a binder filled with supporting documents. As he flicks through to the back where the business registrations are, I spot more than one letter written by solicitors on his behalf. This family feud is no longer just between family.

When he reaches a business licence from 2004, he points to the two names listed as shareholders, himself and a woman “who doesn’t work here anymore”. Then he pulls out his licence and lays it next to his name to prove it’s really him. But who is the woman? The translator explains herself. “When they first start here it was him and I thought his wife. But that woman went to the other shop so she’s the other one’s wife.”

Momo Tea already had its own customer base, so Huali did well to merge the two Mt Albert institutions. The new location took off immediately, certainly helped by his front of house manner, which was to approach diners entering Huatuan’s store and tell them no this is the original Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House. It worked more often than not. Huatuan noticed his customers being poached and soon both Qius could be found outside their respective stores at night, insisting they were the real deal, the old favourite.

They work every day mere metres from each other, often standing within arm’s reach outside their shop fronts. But do they speak? Huatuan is emphatic. “No. Not since he opened the shop.”

When I leave Huatuan’s store with a shameful amount of rice still sitting on my plate, I take a menu with me. I’d stopped into Momo Tea beforehand. They weren’t keen to talk about anything so I took a menu and left. But when I walk by a second time on my way home, Huali is outside and sees that I’ve just eaten at Huatuan’s place. He waves me over.

“I’m the BBQ Noodle House owner. The original.”

He doesn’t muck around. “He’s a new owner. He copied my name, he copied my menu.” Huali points to the food grade certificate stuck to the post at his entrance, something I’ve seen him show almost every customer who walks into his restaurant. It says “Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House”. Then he points to the food grade certificate certificate next door, which says “Mt Albert BBQ House”.

“He copied my licence.”

When I show him the business purchase agreement from 2004, he shakes his head, “no”. Then he too disappears and reemerges with a binder full of supporting documents.

“He copied my name, he copied my menu, he copied my licence.” He doesn’t know a lot of English but he has his argument down pat. He says his wife was the original owner, not Huatuan. And when they moved next door, Huatuan stayed behind and unlawfully reopened under the same name.

“Check with city council. Illegal.”

I do check with the council, and while being largely unhelpful they inform me that businesses are allowed to trade under a name different from the one on their licence. Given the cost of trademarking a name, neither man has full ownership of Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House and neither can do much about the other, no matter how strongly they feel they’ve been wronged.

It’s hard to say which Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House is better. At the Momo Tea one, there are more tables and, of course, bubble tea. While at 932, I’ve been told they still do their own BBQ meats. “They own their own BBQ here,” said the translator when I asked if she ever thought of dining next door. She motions to the duck carcasses that can be seen slowly spinning above the counter. “Over there I heard they buy from someone.”

What can be said for sure is they’re both good. Essentially they’re two halves of the same whole. And the food, whether in taste, portions, or price, is almost indistinguishable. So indistinguishable that a google search of “Mt Albert BBQ Noodle House” brings up just one official result. The address is listed as 930 New North Rd while a third of the images are of 932. Both places have received negative reviews online from customers who placed an order over the phone at one restaurant and then showed up to the other to find their food wasn’t ready. And reviews for one are frequently listed on the pages of the other.

For most customers, the noodle house they frequent is simply whichever one they happen to walk into first. There’s no black and white, good versus evil. It’s a classic family drama that’s simply become part of Mt Albert life. If someone were to ask which one to visit, the likely answer would be that it doesn’t matter. Except, for Huatuan and Huali, it matters a whole lot. And they’re more than happy to tell you why if you happen to be walking up New North Rd any night of the week.

As I said goodbye to Huatuan and his friendly translator, she mentioned a Chinese saying. She turned to confer with her friend before attempting to translate it into English, while Huatuan made his way back into the kitchen to prepare for the coming night’s business.

“Even the good judge can’t resolve the family problems.”

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When Bethenny Frankel first bought Amazon shares, the company was nothing. But her gut said it was going to be big, so she bought in. That’s just one of her many, many business successes. On a recent visit to Auckland, Rebecca Stevenson tapped the Real Housewives of New York star for her top financial tips.

Spiky, funny, flawed and with a filthy mouth, Bethenny Frankel’s first foray into TV was as a contestant in The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in 2005.

She didn’t win the gig, but she parlayed the appearance into a broadcast career which has included Real Housewives of New York, two spinoffs (Bethenny Getting Married, Bethenny Ever After) and a talk show called, yep, Bethenny.

Frankel is now back on Real Housewives (the talk show was cancelled), and she’s also on a new show, Bethenny and Fredrik, where she and Million Dollar Listing New York realtor Fredrik Eklund renovate real estate in the Big Apple with the aim of making a juicy profit, cleverly combining two of the US network’s most ambitious and animated personalities for (hopefully) ratings gold.

The show also allows Frankel to show her work; she owns a number of properties as investments as part of a financial strategy to keep a roof over her head, but also to accumulate assets.

Because while Frankel is famed now for feisty retorts to taut-faced housewives, she’s a legit businesswoman with a number of companies under her belt and a knack for picking trends before they become mainstream. She founded Bethenny Bakes, a natural foods business (Frankel is also a chef); she imported and peddled pashminas for a time; and, most famously, she is the creator of the mega-successful Skinnygirl low-calorie alcohol brand (with a flagship margarita), which Frankel sold to Jim Beam maker Beam Suntory for a reported $100 million in 2011.

But, displaying her business acumen, when she cashed out of the alcohol business she held onto the Skinnygirl moniker – it’s now on organic sugar-substitutes and shapewear, among other products. “I own Skinnygirl, but Beam paid me all this money to use her,” she told The New Yorker. “I win.”

She’s the author of numerous self-help books, and millions of women around the world listen to her because she is herself, self-made. Frankel has a powerful, unapologetic message for working women – work your ass off, outwork everyone, trust your gut and if you have a strong opinion “stick with it”.

So what are her tips for financial success? Frankel says she’s getting back to business basics; but this may mean leaving Real Housewives of New York behind.

The Spinoff: You made serious money with Skinnygirl. Where did you first get capital for your businesses?

Bethenny Frankel: Well there were so many iterations. We had a wheat, egg and dairy-free bakery, a baked goods company long before it was cool to be gluten-free and dairy-free and all of that. I was an importer of pashminas long before pashmina was a thing. I used to produce events. For those different things I needed money along the way.

For this next iteration of fame I was on television and with the Skinnygirl idea – my part was marketing and the platform, and the partner that I ultimately found was to spend the money and be the operations person. But not having my own money to put into it meant there were limits in how much he could produce, because he didn’t have that much money. 

Are you a saver? Are you a big spender? How do you manage your finances and make sure that you feel secure?

It’s evolved. When you first make money you’re conservative because you don’t know what could happen to you. You may not be able to write, you may not be able to be on TV, so you wanna think like that. And as you invest in bonds, and different stock portfolios, once you start to make money, then the pie changes, you’ve made so much of a profit. Then you can start being risky with some of it.

So it’s like going to a casino – once you are playing with the house’s money, you’re willing to be a little bit more risky. And then you have to go with your gut. I mean years ago I told my financial guy, “Amazon is going to take over the world.” Amazon was nothing. It was book. I said, “Amazon is going to take over the world.” And he didn’t buy as much as I wanted him to, and I always bring it up to him. We own a lot, but not a ton, because that was my gut.

I also use Twitter. If I use it, other people probably use it, it’s probably good, let’s buy that. I did very well on Twitter. But I don’t buy in what I don’t know. TJ Maxx is a retailer in the States that I like, so I said, “Let’s buy that.” Chipotle went down because of a scandal, I said, “Let’s buy that while it’s low”. I’m not a stock trader, but if I think about something, I do it. But ultimately I’m conservative.

Your new show is about flipping houses; how did you get your first home?

I went from broke to rich in a very short period of time and I was like, I have all this money, theoretically, in my mattress. So I need to do something with it, and I purchased a home, and I renovated it, and the idea of being able to custom-tailor something to your needs and add value to something with your ideas sounded really great to me.

That’s how I am in business, so it translated into renovations and real estate; that apartment was purchased for $5m dollars and sold for $7m in one day, all cash. And it was a major deal. Fredrik told me to price it at $6.5m and I pushed and pushed and said “no, it’s worth seven million”. So even if it’s not your business, if you have a strong opinion about something, you should stick with it.

What is it about real estate that appeals to you?

People often say, “oh, you should rent, because either the taxes, or it doesn’t pay in this market, or that the mortgage rate, or…”. But my opinion is own. I think that it’s not only a pride thing for people to own; if you own you will continue to increase the value. You will change the tile in the kitchen. You will upgrade appliances. You will take care of it in such a nice way. You will feel pride, and you will have an asset that no one can take away from you. And it’s not money in your bank account that you can spend.

So have you got any advice about absolute shockers – money that people shouldn’t spend on things in their homes when they’re renovating? Things they definitely should do?

The most value is to renovate but not make it taste-specific. So upgrade but in a way that it’s neutral tones, not unlike this carpet [she points to the beige carpet]. This could be for a man, a woman, a child; not to have important colourful details that you love but someone else might not like. You have to really think about it. This is a neutral wallpaper, but maybe your floral vases are pink and your pillows are bright because those you can take with you and they’re not expensive. It’s like accessorising.

And you want to invest in places that have good kitchens, bathrooms, and floors. You can change them, but it has to have good bones, good plumbing, the floor is not lopsided, we have to rip it out – you might just stain it, or buff it and polish it. So you want kitchens, bathrooms and floors to be intact. You don’t want the big expenses because you’re gonna have so many hidden costs, especially at the very end. When you finish, that’s when all the real costs come in. Ah, we forgot to do this knob, and the hood of the stove, and the air conditioning vent, and the toilet paper holder… All that nonsense adds up.

So how do you see then your business versus your TV life? Do you see them as helping each other?

They’re one thing. That’s the challenge of me being an entrepreneur because people don’t usually think about it this way. But I am the talent and the CEO. It is almost impossible.

Have you ever had a really tough moment where you just were really, really struggling?

I just had it on the show, it will be the end of this season of The Real Housewives of New York. I cracked in Colombia. I was doing five renovations, three television shows, running my business, being a mother – and I just cracked. I had to figure out a way to change my life. It’s hard to think that I’ve done that because right now, I’ve regressed a little while being here, but I made it that I would really focus on yoga, and drinking water, and saying no, and making trips like this also fun, and take care of myself, and even though this has been a very intense trip, I still am doing that, even on this trip.

What advice would give to a working mum who has a lot of things pulling at her, and on her time?

I think having kids makes you better at business because it makes you know how to prioritise and utilise your time, and you know where you’re supposed to be. You’re with your kids, have quality time with them, make it important, so you feel good, you’re not beating yourself up.

And then the other time is your time for work, and to make your mark in this world, and to jump off the page, you have to pivot. You have to make different types of moves and you have to be a strategic thinker. And not everyone’s an entrepreneur.

The problem is entrepreneurs are ultimately alone because no one can really tell you what you’re supposed to do. You’re alone. Everyone told me not to do The Apprentice. Everyone told me not to do Housewives. And I myself alone decided to do that. Everyone told me that the Skinnygirl Margarita was not going to happen, it wasn’t a good idea… I now am deciding where my mark is going to be on television. What shows am I going to do? Am I going to stay on Housewives? Am I going to do Shark Tank again? Am I going to add other shows? Am I going to produce a show? Am I going to get into this very risky controversial business that I’m thinking about getting into, which could go either way? You have to have balls, you have to make the decisions. No one’s gonna hold your hand.

So have you made the decision to stay on Real Housewives?

I have not made that decision. I may decide not to leave.

How close are you to making that decision?

Six months away.

Bethenny and Fredrik screens on Bravo on Monday nights at 8.30pm.

The Spinoff’s business section is enabled by our friends at Kiwibank. Kiwibank backs small to medium businesses, social enterprises and Kiwis who innovate to make good things happen.

Check out how Kiwibank can help your business take the next step.