Author: Bunny Eats Design

Tequila Joe’s

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Tequila Joe’s had only been open for a couple of days when we happened upon it. They don’t get heaps of foot traffic over on Vivian Street, but we passed this place twice a day on our walk in and out of town. The Koala has had a yearning to open a tequila bar in Auckland for the last little while. No such thing exists in Auckland (yet) so when we saw this tequila spot we had to try it out. Come here for… California-style Mexican food and top shelf tequilas. Unexpectedly wonderful… Caramba Pink Reposado sipped with a sangrita. A delcious tequila with caramel flavours. If you have ever had tequila treat you bad, this is the one to make you fall in love all over again. The most interesting thing on the menu… Churros and the Mexican hot chocolate. I would come back to try… The snacks and a cocktail or two. The atmosphere is… Still working itself out. It’s in a funny part of town and the word hasn’t got around yet. …

Sweet Mother’s Kitchen

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Thanks to our friend Elijah for this recommendation. I am obsessed with New Orleans cuisine so I was already biased. We ate a breakfast and a dinner shift and would have eaten a lunch too if they were open on Queen’s Birthday. Sweet Mother’s Kitchen stole our hearts (arteries and all). Photos are only of breakfast because night time photography is rubbish. Is it self righteous to say they play really, really good music when really, I just mean they play all my favourite bands? Maybe. I was stoked to be able to try chicken and waffles. We don’t eat chicken for breakfast in New Zealand. It’s just not a thing. So for those who have never heard of chicken and waffles, it’s deep fried chicken served with waffles and syrup. Sounds crazy right? Come here for… Cajun and Creole dishes from Louisiana and a smattering of Mex snacks. Unexpectedly wonderful… Curly fries with Creole mayo. The most interesting thing on the menu… Gumbo, jambalaya, chowder and hush puppies are obvious classics. But I was …

Big Bad Wolf – Gourmet Charcuterie

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This post is part of Our Growing Edge, a monthly blogging event to encourage us to try new food related things. Chandler from The Chef With Red Shoes is the host for month’s event. If you have a blog and have cooked, eaten or experienced a new food this month, come and join this event. I can’t remember where I read about Big Bad Wolf, but the idea of eating at a gourmet charcuterie (sha-koo-te-ree) had me swooning. Charcuterie refers to (mostly cured) meat products such as bacon (pancetta, prosciutto), ham, sausages and salamis, terrines and pâtés. Ham is one of my favourite things in the world and though I made bacon once I prefer to leave my small goods to the pros. We visited Wellington last week and when I divulged this place with The Koala he was just as excited as me. It wasn’t our intention to eat alpaca, but it just turned out that way. We dropped in for a nibble and beers on Sunday and Big Bad Wolf did not disappoint. We would have come again …

The Crab Shack

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The Koala and I had a gluttonous jolly good time eating our way around Wellington city last week. One thing that struck me with Wellington is that they are super conscious of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free diners. The Koala and I don’t fall into either of these categories, but I normally get the feeling that anything meat-gluten-whatever-free is a pale version of the original. Not so in Wellington. Some of the vegetarian dishes looked so good that I ordered them instead of my regular omni choices. That’s not usually a thing. Many of the menus we saw had plenty of selection for even the most discerning eater. Over the weekend, I will be posting my reviews of the places we ate and loved, from the perspective of an out of towner. The Crab Shack First up, the place I had my eye on – due to a severe lack of crab eating in this country – was the newly opened restaurant on the waterfront: The Crab Shack. New Zealanders don’t eat crabs. It’s just not …

Foodbox 4

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  First impression Winter is really here. This weeks box lends itself to roasts and soups. The produce in our Appetiser Foodbox weighed 7.5kg. Vegetables Mushrooms – Portobello x 10 (300g) Cabbage x 1 small Broccoli x 1 Leek x 1 Carrots x 2 Beetroot x 2 Kumara (sweet potato) x 2 Potatoes x 10 Fruit Apples – Royal Gala x 4 Apples – Lemonade x 4 Mandarins x 8 Kiwifruit x 4  Add ons 1 dozen free range eggs The most interesting thing in the box A cute little cabbage and our first winter leek. CSA Link Party If you are interested in CSA and what see what other people around the world are getting each week in their boxes, please check out at the weekly link party What’s In The Box over at Heather’s blog In Her Chucks.

Monday Bunday: Bunny Sweaters

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It is officially winter here in New Zealand and what better way to mark the occasion than with a collection of bunny sweaters. Not bunnies in sweaters, that would be these: I mean bunnies on sweaters a.k.a. jumpers with bunnies on them. Here are a collection of stylish jumpers with bunnies on them. I think the wearable, monochrome hues help a lot. I would incorporate all of these into my current wardrobe. They don’t scream Crazy Bunny Lady do they? Click on the images to be transported elsewhere.

Capital of Cool

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I learned today that Wellington is the Capital of Cool. I don’t know who coined this term but I guess it doesn’t matter. Someone thinks it true. The Koala and I are visiting Wellington today for a few days. I’m no expert on Wellington but I read enough NZ blogs to know that if Wellington wasn’t the windiest city in the world I might like to live there. Often considered the cool, arty child, Wellington is to Auckland is what Melbourne is to Sydney or San Francisco is to LA. Some of my favourite Wellington bloggers include: The Omnivore Hungry and Frozen Heartbreak Pie (since moved to Auckland)  The Culinary Explorations of Mrs Cake Eat and Greet Word On The Street Gutsy Gourmet and Milliemirepoix Welly Kai  Crap Kitchen The Kitchen Rebellion I’m not so so interested at being a “Tourist” (note the capital T) but I do want to see things. We’re car-less and it’s cold out so we will probably aim to stay central and without the typical tourist destinations with the exception of… …

One pot wonder: Chorizo and Prawn Rice

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This is a great one pot wonder. Warming, with a little kick and full of flavour. Fresh chorizo sausages are popping up everywhere. Unlike the traditional chorizo which is firm and cured, fresh chorizo look like regular snags, filled with soft sausage-meat and must be cooked thoroughly. Similar to paella rice or claypot chicken, the prize in this dish is the tasty hard cooked rice at the bottom of the pan. Still delicious even as leftovers the next day. I used a stainless steel pan for this job. Avoid using a non-stick pan so that you can scrape those tasty bits to your hearts content. I happened to have saffron needing to be used up but I’m sure you could make this dish without it. Saffron isn’t exactly an economical ingredient. One Pot Wonder: Chorizo and Prawn Rice  Serves 4 Ingredients 4 chorizo sausages (500grams/1lb) 250g peeled prawns (1/2lb) 1 tablespoon capers 2 cups rice, rinsed and drained (used a mixture of red rice and white rice) 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, diced 3 cups …

Foodbox Menu 3

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Winter is coming. Over the last week, The Koala and I have hunkered down and watched three seasons of Game of Thrones. According to story, since we had a long and hot summer we will have a particularly long and cold winter. Joy. The Koala’s job requires him to be on the road all day so he doesn’t have the luxury of a microwave or fridge. Last summer, I bought a nifty warmer/refrigerator to take with him on the road. Because of this, I have been able to send him to work with hot lunches. It’s getting chilly now and leftovers have become a welcome part of our work day. I can tick off one of my bucket list items. Woo! I used to buy my lunch but now I bring leftovers and we have so many leftovers I can barely keep up. Not a bad problem to have. I’ve had to put more than one meal in the freezer to enjoy another time. One day I’ll remember there’s a couple of roast drumsticks and baby potatoes that need …

Foodbox 3

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First impression Red and purple are my two favourite colours. Maybe not together all the time as they can be quite grabby intense, but certainly on their own. So it was a delight to unpack our Foodbox this week and see lots of red and purple. We got heaps of apples this week. I specifically requested more apples apples so it was cool to have 2 kinds of apples this week. Vegetables Red cabbage half Red capsicum x 1 Red kumara x 2 Baby red potatoes x 25 (1.6kg) Tomatoes x 2 Broccoli x 1 Button mushrooms x 250g Fruit Apples – Envy x 6 Apples – Lemonade x 5 Mandarins x 3 Lime x 1 Kiwifruit x 3 Banana x 3  Add ons 1 dozen free range eggs The most interesting thing in the box 25 baby red potatoes. They’re like a little army. They look so lovely I have to resist biting into them like I would an apple. CSA Link Party If you are interested in CSA and what see what other …

Slow Cooked Bœuf Bourguignon

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This post is part of Our Growing Edge, a monthly blogging event to encourage us to try new food related things. Sonya from And More Food is the host for month’s event. If you have a blog and have tried something new with food this month, come and join this event. Mother’s Day is a popular day for eating out, because mothers generally get a holiday from kitchen duties. Interestingly, the Entertainment Book is invalid on Mother’s Day, but not Father’s Day (which is traditionally a popular day for eating in). With my sister and her boyfriend currently eating their way through Turkey, this is the first time where I get to play only child. Being more confident in the kitchen, I offered to cook for Mum. Now, I never thought I had a tiger mother, but maybe I was wrong. For Mother’s Day, Mum requested Julia Child’s Bœuf Bourguignon! I had never made this dish before and I was also using a slow cooker for the first time. A perfect candidate for Our Growing Edge this month. This slow …

Tofu Tuesday: Yet another tiny carrot

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Another salad fit for a rabbit. Another tiny carrot from our garden. At this rate, we won’t be eating any of these. I haven’t eaten a single carrot from our garden yet, not even a nibble. They’ve been going to Tofu only who loves the tops as much as the tiny bottoms. They smell very sweet and delicious. Tofu the bunny doesn’t like to share. Also, dandelion leaves, bright lights silverbeet (rainbow chard), cos lettuce, sage leaves and coriander (cilantro). Tofu approved.

Foodbox Menu 2

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A delivery once a fortnight is perfect for our two person (plus one bunny) household. I’m glad we’re not getting these once a week. Possibly if we ate only fruit and vegetables, but we’re omnivores so the Tuesday box of goodies is only part of what we eat. I wouldn’t mind a little more fruit to get us through, but other than that, the vegetables are spot on. Because we only get the $33 Appetiser box, that makes it great value at $16.50 a week. Vegetable garden I’ve been slacking off in my vegetable garden lately due to the rain. I think my radishes, carrots and beetroot are suffering. Would it be considered crazy to poke clear umbrellas into the soil to shield them from the weather? Planning I’m getting the hang of planning for the two weeks at a time. The bonus is that we shop less than so I can spend more time cooking, writing, photographing, and dreaming up new projects (also eating, being wrapped in blankets, drinking wine, playing with a fat …