Author: Bunny Eats Design

5. Tanuki Sushi and Sake Bar

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In celebration of Auckland Restaurant Month, I will be posting 31 quick-fire reviews on 31 restaurants and cafes in the Auckland CBD and city fringe. Tofu Tuesday is on hiatus this month but in its place I present this delicious Tofu Steak! The atmosphere is… Alive and well. Cosy wooden dining room with plenty of cute Japanese decorations. A tanuki is native Japanese racoon dog that is popular in Japanese folklore. The fellow is well known for his rather large family jewels. Spot them on the various tanuki idols around the restaurant. Most people might not notice, but well, I did! Come here for… Japanese plates to share, Japanese beer and/or sake. Basically Japanese tapas (food to eat with drinks). The most interesting thing on the menu… Deep fried cheese sticks – with fresh pineapple and sesame sauce Takowasa – raw octopus with wasabi Unexpectedly wonderful… Broccoli – in sesame and mayo sauce Tofu steak I would come back to try… Sake Soft shell crab Catering to… Omnis and Vegetarians. Some of their best dishes are vegetarian. Gluten …

4. Mondays

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 In celebration of Auckland Restaurant Month, throughout August I will be posting 31 quick-fire reviews on 31 restaurants and cafes in the Auckland CBD and city fringe. The atmosphere is… Sweet, light filled, like a well executed home reno. Come here for… Organic, gluten free, dairy free, refined sugar free and whole foods. The most interesting thing on the menu… Kombucha Unexpectedly wonderful… Their darling little leafy courtyard Beetroot cheesecake (especially the gingery base) I would come back to try… Some cake…nothing too substantial. Catering to… Vegetarians, vegans, allergen and intolerance diets, tiny appetites. Expect to spend… $20-$30 per person The service is… At the counter. Efficient. A little shy. Avoid if… Portions are small so avoid if you are hungry or don’t want to pay premium for whole food. This place is tiny so avoid if you really want a seat or don’t want to wait for one. Mondays 503B New North Road, Kingsland Open til 4pm every day but Wednesday http://www.mondayswholefoods.com

3. Miss Clawdy

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In celebration of Auckland Restaurant Month, throughout August I will be posting 31 quick-fire reviews on 31 restaurants and cafes in the Auckland CBD and city fringe. The atmosphere is… Casual, busy, well decorated, a little girly and comforting. Come here for… Southern food, cocktails and desserts. The most interesting thing on the menu… Green eggs Oyster po boys Unexpectedly wonderful… Chargrilled baby kumara Key lime pie and torched meringue Coconut fried banana I would come back to try… Oyster po boys Catering to… Mostly Omnis. All pork and chicken is free range. Gluten free options. A few vegetarian dishes. Expect to spend… $20-40 per person The service is… Wonderful. We were kept well watered (and liquored) and our waiters remembered exactly who ordered which drinks. Avoid if… You don’t like bold flavours or sharing. Avoid if you are on a diet. Auckland Restaurant Month special: $25 FOR TWO COURSES, AVAILABLE FOR LUNCH OR DINNER Courses include beef & goats cheese empanadas with a green Mexican pesto, a side of sautéed okra with chili, garlic, …

2. Orleans

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In celebration of Auckland Restaurant Month, throughout August I will be posting 31 quick-fire reviews on 31 restaurants and cafes in the Auckland CBD and city fringe. The atmosphere is… Rambunctious, smoky and seedy like a New Orleans jazz club on Bourbon Street. Come here for… Live music, cocktails and sharing many small tasty plates with friends. The most interesting thing on the menu… Chicken and waffles Roasted bone marrow Unexpectedly wonderful… Seasonal dish: Fig and blue cheese on toast. So good I was inspired to recreate it. Curly fries Desserts – all of them I would come back to try… Grilled salmon collar Roasted bone marrow Catering to… Omnis mostly. Not many vegetarian options, but if you are vegetarian, you could probably find 1 or 2 from each category and then go hard on dessert. Gluten free and gluten free on request menu items clearly marked as well as full intolerances list on request. Expect to spend… $30 to $40 per person The service is… A bit snobby and elitist, but gets the job …

1. Al’s Deli

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In celebration of Auckland Restaurant Month, throughout August I will be posting 31 quick-fire reviews on 31 restaurants and cafes in the Auckland CBD and city fringe. The atmosphere is… Vintage industrial diner chic. Probably awesome when they are busy. Come here for… Montreal slanted bagels, grill and diner food. First dates and good company. The most interesting thing on the menu… Moose ears – wholemeal Canadian flat doughnut Poutine – Fries topped with homemade cheese curds and gravy (vegetarian option available) Unexpectedly wonderful… A range of gluten free bagels (not just plain). I would come back to try… Ribs, poutine, burgers, hard shakes. I like the sound of Caramel Bourbon, or Nutella Irish Cream hard shakes. Catering to… Red blooded omnivores. Not many vegetarian options here, though vegetarian poutine is available. A range of Gluten free bagels. Expect to spend… $20-$30 per person The service is… At the counter, friendly and efficient. Avoid if… You are on a carb-free, dairy-free diet. Al’s Deli 1/492 Queen Street, Auckland CBD (entrance on City Road) Open 7 days …

1 pâté, 18 cheeses and 3 soups

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Cheesey leftovers We had quite the cheese fest in the weekend and ended up with 7 different kinds of cheese leftover. Leftover cheese!? What is that? I hear you ask. I know, it sounds strange to be the owner of leftover cheese. To be fair, we sampled 18 different kinds of cheese and most of them were finished. I’ll be posting more about the cheese fest later. We had a shit ton of crackers, baguettes and antipasto bits and pieces. I made 3 cups of chicken liver pâté for the occasion and have a little leftover. It is amazing spread on hot toast. If you’ve never eaten pâté on hot toast before, you are missing out. The moment that buttery goodness touches heat, it starts melting. It’s amazing. The Honest Truth This week The Honesty Box delivered spuds, kumara (sweet potato) and a big pumpkin among other goodies. This all screams SOUP to me. Since we had no soup last week, this week we’re having 3 kinds of soup! I’m cutting down on gluten for my Graves’ …

Crispy Roast Pork: Cantonese style

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This post is part of Our Growing Edge, a monthly blogging event to encourage bloggers to try new food related things. Ash from Organic Ash is the host for this month’s event. If you have a blog and you are eating or cooking something new this month, click below to join. More information here. Crispy roast pork (siu yuk) can be found hanging among roast ducks and slabs of shiny red BBQ pork in the windows of Cantonese BBQ restaurants everywhere. Traditionally, pork is roasted with seasoning in a charcoal furnace and is served as an appetiser* with your choice of dipping sauce. Soy sauce and hoisin sauce are popular but I love it dipped in mustard. Served with a bowl of rice and some Chinese greens, it’s a simple and delicious dinner. It’s interesting to note that the words “siu yuk” directly translates to roast meat, not roast pork. I guess pork is so ubiquitous in Cantonese cuisine that meat equals pork by default. While I have made English-style roast pork on many occasions, I’d never considered cooking the …

This week’s menu

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“Mmmmm…millet!” Yes, this has been uttered by me on more than one occasion. No, I’m not a hippy, tree-hugging, health freak. I’m also not a bird. I love millet, almost as much as I love rice and I’m a bit baffled why millet isn’t more common. This week I’m making a millet pilaf and stirring through fried sausage, pesto, toasted cashews and lemon zest. I’m going have leftovers the next day for lunch and I’ll probably be thinking about it all morning prior to eating it. If you’ve never tried millet, please give it a go. I tried it for the first time last year with this roast vegetable and millet salad and now millet is a staple in my kitchen. Millet is gluten free, cheap and a great substitute for rice, couscous, pasta etc. It’s quick and easy to cook (similar to rice, a bit more forgiving). It’s good hot or cold, though I prefer it hot in this weather and tends to be quite liquid hungry so will soak up any flavours and sauces that …

Pop Up Macarons

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Last weekend, a couple of friends and I checked out the J’aime Les Macarons’ pop up shop at Bloc in Mt Eden. The Bloc is a design retail hub with stores such as BoCocept, Citta Design, World Beauty, Collected by LeeAnn Yare and Douglas and Bec. Swoon-worthy stuff and reasonable prices. My go-to stop when ever I want to buy a gift, though I haven’t actually bought anything for myself there…until now. J’aime Les Macarons means I love macarons in French. A pop up shop a temporary shop and a great way for new businesses to get feedback in unfamiliar waters. Amanda Marchant and Bridget O’Sullivan are in charge and are two passionate, creative foodies with an eye and palate for some stunning flavour combinations. J’aime Les Macarons currently have two stores in Christchurch as well as stockists scattered around the country. If you prefer, you can buy a box of 12 from their website and they also do cakes, weddings and corporate events. They have a range of 6 classic flavours and their Winter …

Tofu Tuesday: King size bed

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Tofu has been sleeping on our bed lately. He comes into our room sometime between midnight and dawn, long after we’ve gone to bed. I guess that is when the temperature drops. He sleeps on top of our blankets, snuggled between our feet. In the morning, he can be found perfectly positioned on that patch of blanket directly on top of a hot water bottle, enjoying the residual heat through 2 layers of blanket. He dozes there for hours while I get up, work out, shower, dress, pack my lunch, check what’s new with the internet etc. He usually hops off the bed (in search for food) by the time I leave for work. Life is pretty sweet. In winter, if a rabbit has the choice, he would choose to snuggle with a hot water bottle and/or between his humans. It makes me wonder how pet rabbits who live their entire lives in outdoor hutches can survive even our mild Auckland winters? It doesn’t snow in Auckland, but it can get close to 0°C at night yet house …

Monday Bunday: Shiner Wild Hare Pale Ale

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I’m quite fond of the branding for Shiner’s Wild Hare Pale Ale. The copy was clearly written by advanced lagomorph experts. Lepus texianus hopus aleicus STYLE: Classic American Pale Ale  ABV: 5.5%  IBU: 32 A mature individual stands 9.5 inches tall and weighs 12.0001 ounces. Renowned for its assertive temperament and hoppy characteristics. It has a distinguished heritage, being the product of high alpha Bravo and U.S. Golding hops, as well as two-row barley malt with a blend of Munich and caramel malts. Note the Wild Hare’s handsome red pelt and distinctive neck band, which helps distinguish it from others out in the wild. The beer enthusiast is its only known predator. More info on their website here: http://www.shiner.com/beer/wild-hare     

Dinner and a Movie: NZIFF Food Matches

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The New Zealand International Film Festival is currently on in Auckland. Next week it will start in Wellington and Christchurch will follow that. The Koala and I LOVE watching movies. Like, love it to bits. We have varied tastes in what we look for in a movie but we can usually both recognise a good movie, even if it’s not our favourite genre. I like anything thought provoking or whimsical and The Koala likes anything with action. We both enjoy thrillers and scares. Recently, we invited a group of friends to watch the cult classic Tampopo. It is a 1985 Japanese film about a woman, her ramen (noodle) shop and her search to make the perfect bowl of ramen. A foodie action comedy with some very innocent characters who contrast with some freaky food erotica. Naturally, we followed the movie by feasting at our local ramen shop. Sorry, we didn’t partake in food erotica. That pairing may have been obvious, but I like to pair food with activities. It’s like wearing shoes that match your bag. A little bit fancy. …

Getting back on track menu

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Results I had a blood test on Saturday and the results weren’t so flash. I hadn’t been feeling quite normal lately and I should have guessed that I was back to being hyperthyroidic. My last few blood tests had been great so this setback feels like a slap in the face. The pendulum swings both ways, so let’s hope it swings back in my favour with adjusted meds and diet. I haven’t done a menu plan for a few weeks and as a result, maybe I’ve been slacking off on my self-imposed diet. There is controversy about diet and auto-immune diseases. My endocrinologist (frustratingly) says diet has no influence on my condition. But I think eating better makes sense and surely it cannot hurt. I guess being able to control at least one aspect of my life helps. Diet I’m going mostly gluten-free and eating lots of whole foods. Proteins, vegetables, dairy are up. More juicing. Minimal alcohol and refined sugar. I’ll allow myself 1 glass of wine per week (medicinal purposes) and use honey in my hot drinks. I’m going to invest in a …

Tofu Tuesday: Good Side

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Photo taken from Tofu’s “good side”. I keep apologising for the way that Tofu looks at the moment. Our neighbours who share our back yard were happy to see Tofu in the garden again and went down to greet him. I couldn’t help but pipe up a warning. I’m used to the way he looks now but his other side can be a shock if you’re not expecting half a shaved head and stitches in place of an eye. I still think he is the handsomest bunny. And he is king of the house once more. Yesterday he spent all morning on the couch (which was covered in a big puffy blanket). I arranged snacks around him so he wouldn’t have to leave his warm nest for food. I believe the term is morph* whipped. Click here to see more editions of Tofu Tuesday. * Lagomorph is to bunnies what felines is to cats.  

Monday Bunday: Mark Hearld’s Harvest Hare

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Check out this linocut design by artist Mark Hearld for St Jude. The design is called “Harvest Hare” and the wallpaper is printed in the UK using water-based inks and paper from sustained forests. Available in blue slate, corn and chalk white. Also available in other colours as cushion covers and fabric. More info on Mark Hearld’s printmaking here: www.stjudesfabrics.co.uk/collections/mark-hearld  

Our Growing Edge July Intro

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        Phuong of My Kitchen of Love who is currently in Vietnam has just posted the round up for June’s edition of Our Growing Edge. Check out the sumptuous 13 item feast here.   July’s edition is being hosted by Ash from Organic Ash.   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. If you have a blog and are trying something new with food this month, come and join us!

Tofu Tuesday: Off meds, weight up

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We went back to the vet for a re-visit on Saturday. Tofu has gained a whopping 100 grams in just one week so we are pleased he is eating normally and gaining weight. If he keeps this weight on it will be good. Tofu is now off all his meds so this is great news for his post-operative healing. Tofu has jumped onto our bed once since surgery and come begging for food in the kitchen a couple of times. He also jumped onto the couch last week and again last night for snuggles. I wish you could see him jump up onto the couch. Being completely blind, he gives it everything he’s got, sailing above the couch (and above me), but landing softly on the blankets on the couch. We’re not at the stage where he’s spending all day free range outside (with weather and fencing issues) but he can have some supervised time in the yard. The Koala hopes to let Tofu be roam free again, but I’m not quite comfortable with that yet so yesterday after work, I …