Author: Bunny Eats Design

Ten delicious ways to spend $60 during Restaurant Month

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Restaurant Month is almost upon us. There are some amazing events at Auckland’s finest restaurants with tickets over $200pp. But for those who only dream of $200 dinners, I’ve picked out specials under the $60 mark. There are some pretty amazing restaurants on this list with big reputations so this is a great opportunity to dine out at some of these places for a fraction of the normal cost. There are so many options that I suggest you check out the master list over here. For the sake of quality, I have only included restaurants that have a Zomato rating of 3.9 or higher. If you are new to Zomato, make sure you check out my reviews complete with drool-worthy photos here. Ten delicious ways to spend $60 during Restaurant Month Besos Latinos, Elliot Stables $55 FOR A THREE COURSE DINNER Including a trio of Mexican dips, ham and cheese empanadas, quesadilla and char-grilled marinated steak. Industry Zen, Viaduct $55 FOR A FIVE COURSE DINNER Including wasabi-marinated seafood, sashimi selection, teppan hot plate, teriyaki chicken and beef and …

Ten delicious ways to spend $40 during Restaurant Month

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Here are some $40 options for Restaurant Month. I had a hard time compiling this list as it was a the biggest category. There are so many options that I suggest you check out the master list over here. For the sake of quality, I have only included restaurants that have a Zomato rating of 3.9 or higher. If you are new to Zomato, make sure you check out my reviews complete with drool-worthy photos here. These represent the best deals and are places I’ve either eaten at or are on my wishlist. Two or three courses and some of these even include a glass of wine. Ten delicious ways to spend $40 during Restaurant Month Scarecrow, Victoria Street East $40 FOR A THREE COURSE DINNER OR LUNCH Options include scorched sashimi with citrus and macadamia oil, North African spiced fish with roast romanesco and pear and ginger tart with vanilla ice cream. Tourquet, O’Connell Street $40 FOR A TWO COURSE LUNCH OR DINNER WITH WINE Including veal blanquette with glazed carrot and caramelised onion matched with …

Our Growing Edge August 2015 Intro – Treat Edition

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We all have bucket lists. Whether they’re written down somewhere or kept in our heads and hearts. Our Growing Edge is the part of us that is still learning and experimenting. It’s the part that you regularly grow and improve, be it from real passion or a conscious effort. This blogging monthly event aims to connect and inspire us to try new things and to compile a monthly snapshot of what food bloggers are getting up to. More info on the event can be found here. This month is hosted by Caroline from Shrinking Single. The theme is TREAT YOURSELF. I’m super excited because this month is Restaurant Month here in Auckland city. No doubt I’ll be treating myself to the various great restaurants over the month. I’m no sweet tooth but I know many of you are and I’m sure you can find some sweet ways to treat yourself this month. It was fun thinking about what I consider a treat and how I treat myself. I can find indulgence in lots of places. Some ideas you could try this month: …

Five delicious ways to spend $25 during Restaurant Month

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Restaurant Month is upon us. There are some amazing events at Auckland’s finest restaurants with tickets over $200pp. But for those who only dream of $200 dinners, I’ve picked out some $25 specials. These represent the best deals, two or three courses and one even includes a glass of wine! Yes, that’s right, a 3 course meal with wine for $25. Nuts! There are so many options that I suggest you check out the master list over here. For the sake of quality, I have only included restaurants that have a Zomato rating of 3.9 or higher. If you are new to Zomato, make sure you check out my reviews complete with drool-worthy photos here. I have eaten at all these places, these are very good deals! Five delicious ways to spend $25 during Restaurant Month Daikoku on Victoria, Victoria Street West $25 FOR A TWO COURSE DINNER OR LUNCH Including sashimi, tempura and miso soup and a choice of teriyaki chicken, salmon or beef served with rice and a side dish. Depot, Federal Street $25 FOR …

The Food Show Auckland 2015

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If you follow my Instagram account, you’ll probably know that today was the preview day for The Food Show. My sister and I grazed our way through more exhibits than I can count. I’m not sure if we even visited a quarter of what was on offer. The Food Show is HUGE. I could go back every day and find new things to sample. My highlights were: Mahurangi oysters, fat and freshly shucked, 4 for $10. Perfection. Taste magazine 12 month subscription for $29 (includes a free magazine and a wheel spin prize). West Coast Cocoa. Gorgeous stand, delicious samples. Meyer cheese. 4 for $20. A steal. The Pie Piper. Adorable. Delicious. Black Stag Deli’s pendulum BBQ. Cool factor and their Mega Dog was the best. Tips for The Food Show: Avoid the queues and buy your ticket online Bring cash, including coins (parking is $8) Bring an appetite Keep hydrated with a bottle of water Bring a sturdy bag and sensible shoes Leave your jacket in the car (it gets warm inside) Check out the …

The Moth: Stories for soulful foodies

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If Humans of New York is a collection of portraits of real people, The Moth is a collection of true stories told by real people. The Moth is based in New York and are true stories read aloud by professional and amateurs. Fascinating and insightful, their stories are soulful, funny and at times heart breaking. I have been binge-listening to The Moth and I’ve curated a list of ten stories with food themes. Warning, some of these food stories will hit you right in the feels. The Moth: Stories for soulful foodies Sweet and Sour Meatballs Alvin Lau details what he’d like his last meal to be if he doesn’t survive his cancer. Star Custodian David Chang of Momofuku cooks for Michelin stars at Momofuku Ko. Hoboken Roast Beef Slow service at a deli counter leads to an angry and regrettable outburst and a lesson learned. Under The Wires A college kid has his jaw wired shut for a month and a half after having jaw surgery. Ruthy’s Dinner A grandmother shares wisdom (and a beer) with …

Auckland Restaurant Month 2015 – Events

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Auckland Restaurant Month starts this weekend! I’ve picked out a few budget-friendly events for those foodies who can’t quite make the $200 pp events that are happening across Auckland (as much as we’d love to). Check back over the next few days as I share restaurant promotions in different price brackets ($25, $40 and $60) as well as Q&A with chefs, owners, food writers and food bloggers throughout the month. Foodie Films If you missed the two food documentaries at the recent Documentary Edge festival, here’s your chance to see both of them for free. Deli Man is playing this Saturday and For Grace next Saturday. Seating is on a “first in” basis. Deli Man Saturday 1 August, 12pm Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium (FREE) For Grace Saturday 8 August, 5pm Auckland Art Gallery Auditorium (FREE) More info here: http://www.documentaryedge.org.nz Street Eats Saturday 29 August, 10.30am – 8pm Shed 10, Queens Wharf $5 entry (Free entry for supervised children) Immensely popular gourmet market with street food from central city restaurants. Beer, wine, kids’ entertainment and live music. …

Sliders Party

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  The Koala and I had friends over for a sliders party last weekend. We love home made burgers and make them all the time. With The Koala as captain and me as his prep chef, we usually create towering cheeseburgers with all the trimmings that require you to unhinge your jaw to feast upon. Having a burger party was on my foodie bucket list. Having never made sliders before, we might have been too ambitious with our five slider menu. Luckily we didn’t have many guests and everything went smoothly (if a little frantic). We made 50 sliders but this was too many as the sliders were more filling than anticipated. Our eyes were much bigger than our stomachs so we sent everyone home with extras and we grazed on leftover sliders all night. It was hard to pick the winning slider, but the top three were: (in no particular order) Crispy Pork Belly Pan-fried Fish Peking Duck All the sliders were good, some were just better. In future, I would just make the top three flavours. Five kinds was too much …

Healthy Food Guide giveaway: Winners

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With special thanks to Healthy Food Guide, I am pleased to announce the winners for the 3 x 12 month subscriptions to Healthy Food Guide drawn by Random.org. The winners are… **drum roll please!** Stephanie G Sarah Peart Anya Truong-George   Congratulations and thanks to all who entered, if you would like to find out more about the Healthy Food Guide and why the’ve been in print for 10 years, visit their website here. To keep up with announcements including giveaways, make sure you follow me on Bloglovin’ or Facebook.

Tofu Tuesday: Sea Slug

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Um…have you guys seen the ridonkulously cute sea slugs that people are calling “sea bunnies”? I saw this post over on BoredPanda.com and since Tofu sometimes resembles a slug (due to his posture), I thought it would be a fun to compare the Jorunna Parva (the official name of these sea bunnies) with our own land bunny. I honestly think Tofu does a better impression of a slug and the slug does a great impression of a bunny. They even have the same coloured ears! What do you think? Click here to see more editions of Tofu Tuesday.

Game of Rhones Auckland – a review and a meaty recipe

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A couple of Saturdays ago, my friend Miss A and I found ourselves at upstairs at Shed 10 on Queens Wharf. We were dressed in Game of Thrones garb, feeling a bit foolish and ready to taste some good wine at Game of Rhones. Game of Rhones is different to other wine tasting events because of the  unofficial Game of Thrones theme and also the awesome feature being token-free. You don’t have to worry about rationing out your drink tokens, just try whatever you feel like. Each ticket holder also gets a Reidel wine glass to keep. (Just in case you’re wondering, “Reidel” rhymes with “needle”). The only thing you have to pay extra for is food which was priced well for the size and quality. For $50 we got entry, all our wine tastings and a wine glass to keep. A bargain. Game of Rhones has enjoyed sell out events in Australia for a few years but this is the first time Game of Rhones has come to Auckland. There were plenty of dressed up folk from the …

10 New Zealand flag designs that don’t suck

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Today marks the deadline for design submissions for New Zealand’s national flag. No one has decided that we will be changing our flag yet. It might not happen at all, but submissions have been accepted for consideration. As a designer and a tax payer, I agree that redesigning the flag is inevitable and something to think about for our future. Our flag is outdated and doesn’t reflect our nation. Still, changing the flag is an expensive, unpopular exercise we don’t need right now. Design by committee is never a good idea and generally speaking, crowd sourced design is terrible. The panel of judges was appointed by the government from nominations and represent a broad range of New Zealanders. There are no designers in the panel, though the panel have expressed that they will be consulting with advisors including design and cultural experts. Design by designers and selection by an experienced panel could work. But submissions accepted from anyone with an internet connection and selection by a cross section of people will be far more unpredictable. The sheer number of entries has been …

The Food Show givaway: Winner!

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  With special thanks to The Food Show, I am pleased to announce the winner for the double pass drawn by Random.org. The winner is… **drum roll please!** Maria Williamson   Thanks to all who entered, if you would like to find out more about The Food Show or purchase tickets, details are below. The Food Show Thursday 30 July – Sunday 2 August 2015 10am – 6pm (finishes 5pm on Sunday) ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland. Early bird tickets start at a very reasonable $26 for adults. For more information, please visit their website here. See you there! PS. Don’t forget to enter my other giveaway here. To keep up with announcements including giveaways, make sure you follow me on Bloglovin’ or Facebook.

Auckland Eats for Bastille Day

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Tuesday 14 July is Bastille Day. In France, it is called La Fête Nationale or Le quatorze juillet (fourteenth of July). This marks the start of the French Reveloution in 1789 and the first anniversary in 1790 a year later. In France there will be fireworks and parades. Here is a list of Auckland restaurants and their Bastille Day celebrations. >> Click on the restaurant names to visit their websites. La Cigale 69 St Georges Bay Road, Parnell Bastille Day celebration $75pp for 3 courses. Expect dishes such as beef Tartare, snails, duck a l’orange. Prize for most French looking table Touquet 23 O’Connelll Street, CBD. Tourquet have a 3 course set menu for Bastille Day: A flute of French sparkling wine, pork and venison terrine, blanquette de veu (veal casserole), creme brulee and madeleine. $58pp. Cheese course for an extra $25. Their regular menu will also be available. La Fourchette 8C Turua Street, St Heliers 3 course set menu with Veuve Clicquot champagne. $70pp. Salmon Tartare or Greek Artichokes or Escargots s/ in Garlic and Tomato Ragout. Pavé de Boeuf, château potatoes, spinach …

Healthy Food Guide – giveaway

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Healthy Food Guide is the top selling food magazine here in New Zealand and is currently celebrating it’s 10th birthday. Thanks to Healthy Food Guide, I have 3 x 12 month subscriptions to give away. Competition details at the bottom of this post.   We have a shameful history of demonising foods. Butter, saturated fats, red meat, salt, sugar, seafood, carbs, grains have all been glamourised and shunned. I’ve never professed that this blog was a healthy food blog (and it still isn’t), but food and nutrition are inextricably tangled together. There is so much misinformation and pseudoscience out there both online and in print. Blogs sometimes cite unproven, anecdotal information without real science to back it up. There is no-one fact checking blogs and with cases coming out like Belle Gibson and The Whole Pantry, it is clear that self regulation does not work. That’s why it is comforting to have experts such as the Healthy Food Guide here in New Zealand. Niki Bezzant is the founding editor of Healthy Food Guide and contributors include …

Kiwi Flavours in Mt Eden

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Last month, I was invited to Tuihana Cafe for a Zomato meetup. A mere 600 metres from my house, I was a little embarrassed that I’d never visited Tuihana Cafe before. With a clean, modern interior with gorgeous monochrome wallpaper on one wall and a huge photographic print of the owners on Piha beach, Tuihana has a modern kiwi feel…like a brand new beachside bach. The owners are Nate and Leslie: Nate is the operations guy and Leslie in charge of the food. The story We met with Nate, who guided us through their menu and business as if we were new staff getting up to speed. I’ve worked in hospo before but I’d never seen anything like this sort of training. Nate had printed a set of notes for each of us, props at the ready for our viewing pleasure and professionally photographs via his iPad to explain the dishes. Nate’s background is in IT and this geekery clearly shows with their tech integrated cafe. As someone tethered to a computer, phone or wifi …

Tofu Tuesday: Pet pack

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A lot of rabbits live outside in a hutch, even in winter. They survive. However, I have no doubt that if they had the choice, they would prefer to live inside and snuggle up with a warm pet pack (or other bunnies). This is the first winter we have tried a warming pad for Tofu. It’s just a bag of orange gel that I microwave for a few minutes until it is warm, then it goes into a fleecy pouch with a couple of sheets of reflective stuff to keep the warmth in. As Tofu is gets older (almost 8 years) he seems to feel the cold more. Some mornings this winter, he would rather stay indoors than to roam free in the backyard. I sometimes find Tofu with his fluffy bum pressed against his warm pet pack. He grooms the pet pack like it might be his friend. Tofu has also been coming into our room at night. He hops around my side of the bed until I wake up and scoop him up and he …

Our Growing Edge July 2015 Intro – Party Edition

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We all have bucket lists. Whether they’re written down somewhere or kept in our heads and hearts. Our Growing Edge is the part of us that is still learning and experimenting. It’s the part that you regularly grow and improve, be it from real passion or a conscious effort. This monthly event aims to connect and inspire us to try new things and to compile a monthly snapshot of what food bloggers are getting up to. More info on the event can be found here. This month is hosted by Pia from Joie de Vivre and Cupcakes. The theme is PARTY WITH FRIENDS. I’ve got a few ideas for this month. Maybe I’ll even tick off a bucket list item. Some ideas you could try this month: Throw a 4th of July BBQ party Translate a family favourite to feed a large group Host a dinner party at home Invent some new drinks for a cocktail party Throw a make your own taco/burger/pizza party Create some make-ahead party canapés. To join, click on the submission button below:   Below are just a …