All posts filed under: Events

Auckland Seafood Festival – coming up next

I’ve been gorging myself on seafood lately. Prawns, salmon, white fish, sea cucumber, squid, more salmon, more prawns, more salmon…That’s just the last few days. I do love seafood and it generally seems to be the more politically correct “meat” to eat. It’s a long weekend here in Auckland as we celebrate Auckland Anniversary weekend. The Auckland Seafood Festival is on all weekend so if you are a seafood lover, it’s worth checking out. This will be my first time at the event so stay tuned for my report back this weekend. My sister Joey and I will be going on Saturday armed with appetites, cameras and general silliness. Tickets are $20 each and more more info can be found over at the event website: www.aucklandseafoodfestival.co.nz Things I have my eye on at the Auckland Seafood Festival: Scampi – If you like prawn, you really should try it’s hulking cousin. The meat is sweet and firm. Wild Seafood – If you’re into eating non-farmed food and are feeling a little adventurous, there is a Wildfood Seafood passport …

Monday Bunday: Goodbye to the year of the Rabbit

Published by Bunny Eats Design

Gong Hei Faht Choy! It is Chinese New Year today which marks the end of the year of the rabbit. I’ve enjoyed seeing rabbits celebrated this past year and this time last year was spent in various asian countries. For me, seeing cities all jazzed up in rabbit decorations was better than Christmas. This year is the year of the Dragon. I hope you had a relaxing rabbit year, because this coming year could be engergised and dramatic. Here’s a drawing I did a few years ago called Bo Bo and the Pet Dragon. It seems relevent today. So happy Chinese New Year to all of you and if you can, check if there are any celebrations in your area. Have a good one!

Eleven Eleven Eleven. Stolen Hakanoa

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Everyone should invent a cocktail on their birthday. What a way to start the day right? Yesterday morning, the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year of the century, I celebrated my birthday with a cocktail at 11 minutes past 11. For my birthday, The Koala bought me a bottle of Stolen Rum in gold. I first had this rum at Taste at the Cloud in a cocktail called Stolen Summer. It was delicious. Stolen Summer is STOLEN white rum infused with Manuka wood smoked Apricot, Peach and Nectarine, fresh lime and ginger beer. I’m still experimenting with Hakanoa Ginger Syrup at the moment so I thought why not pair them together? Stolen Eleven Eleven 1 shot Stolen Rum (or any smooth golden rum) 1/2 shot Hakanoa Ginger Syrup A squeeze of lemon A lemon wedge A sprig of mint Ice Add the rum, ginger syrup into a glass of your choice. Top with a squeeze of lemon juice and ice, a sprig of mint and lemon wedge. Sip in the sun.

Ponyo wants ham!

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Years ago, we had an art exhibition at Rising Sun on K Road on my birthday. My family got me a glazed ham for my birthday (at my request) and we brought it to the exhibition to share with friends and art appreciating strangers. It was grand. A few years later, at a different bar, I met a guy that said he met me once at an exhibition where there was ham. Ah, to be forever associated as the art and ham girl. Awesome. Fast forward another 5 or 6 years, it’s my birthday today and what better way to celebrate than to have another glazed ham with my nearest and dearest. I adore ham and when I saw the Studio Ghibli movie Ponyo, I could relate. Watch this clip if you don’t know what I mean. As for the ham, I’m inspired by Pepsi, mango and brown or palm sugar. I think a cup of each should do the trick and a squeeze of lime juice for an extra South East Asian inspired pop.

RAW: AUT Grad Show

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This week, 7 years ago, I had just completed an illustrated children’s book and had set up for the AUT Grad show for the Bachelor of Art and Design. It happened to be the same week as my 21st birthday and I was so busy with the exhibition that I flagged a formal 21st party. Instead, I opted for a spontaneous knees up at Rising Sun bar on K Road where The Koala worked. We lived on K Road back then so it was an easy choice. It was a good party, not that I remember, but for the next week, random strangers told me that they had met me my birthday and that I was really happy. Good to know. Well, this year’s AUT grads are on show and I’m going to visit tonight for the preview evening of RAW. I love going to grad shows. Something about the naive enthusiasm, the relief that it’s all over and the general buzz, is great to be around. It’s always inspiring and a little daunting to see …

CreativeMornings AKL #2

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I’ve been following CreativeMornings in the US for a few years now, after seeing it at Swissmiss. I have watched many of the back catalogue of taped sessions from the comfort of my own home. I think of it as a TED aimed at designers. “CreativeMornings is a monthly breakfast lecture series for creative types. Each event is free of charge, and includes a 20 minute talk, plus coffee!” Art, coffee and pastries make me a happy girl. More info in CreativeMornings at their website http://www.creativemornings.com or the Tublr site for CreativeMornings Auckland here. I took the morning off yesterday to be inspired at CreativeMornings at Alleluya Cafe at St Kevins Arcade. Jade Tang and Elise Sterback are the powerhouse duo behind Creative Mornings in Aucklad. The second edition of CreativeMornings Auckland, it followed a similar format to the first one last month at Box Cafe. Considered the best graffiti artist in NZ and one of the world champions of his craft, Askew One a.k.a Elliot O’Donnell gave designers and creatives an insight into his processes and inspirations. …

Out Standing 2: David Schofield at Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market

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David Schofield is the 2011 New Zealand Chef of the Year this year and it was a pleasure to see him whip up some quick and delicious dishes on Sunday morning at the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market. This was the very last of a national series of cooking demonstrations at farmers’ markets organised by Kylie and Blair from Out Standing In Their Fields. Farmers’ markets celebrate seasonal, local food and buying at your local producers is a great way to show your support. The stars were hot smoked salmon, flounder, oysters, and free range bacon. David had a wealth of knowledge and it was clear how passionate he was about his food by the trivia he shared with the crowd. He encouraged questions and interaction from the audience. Having plenty to talk about, David disclosed right from the start, “I waffle”. His veering was hardly offcourse, never pointless or uninteresting and I enjoyed his tidbits of foodie folklore. Toothsome trivia from David: The demand for perfect produce encourages imports. If we happily buy odd shaped and …

Taste at The Cloud

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Taste at the Cloud has been running at the Cloud on Queens Wharf since September 13th. Today is the last day. I highly recommend you check this out today if you are heading around the city. It’s your last chance! There is no entry fee, you only pay for your food and drink ticket. Tickets come your choice of 2, 4, 6 or 8 dishes with matching beverage. Prices $17, $28, $42 or $54. The more dishes you buy, the cheaper the average price per dish. We didn’t realise until after we had bought our three separate tickets that we could split 1 or 2 big tickets between us. Oh well. Hopefully this info benefits someone else. There are menus from four themed kitchens: Seaside, Urban, Rural and Winery/Orchard. Each offering four kiwi showcase dishes. You can choose to mix and match any of the menus. You simply queue at the kitchen of your choice, collect your food and then your drink. We checked out the food at the Cloud yesterday and Now I wish …

Taste of New Zealand 2011

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It was a stunning day on Thursday when we visited Taste of New Zealand at Victoria Park, Auckland. The rain the night before had turned the grounds into a moist chocolate cake. I was at this culinary festival with 3 of my favourite people and my trusty camera. We tried a several dishes, several beers and several wines and plenty of free samples in between. I hit 3 out of the 4 dishes I had my eye on. Not too bad. I could have drank less and eaten more, but I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun. My evening started with a glass rose from Tohu Wines and the lovely lady there shared her tips on the festival including where to find free lamb and which restaurants were the best value. From my experience, for the average diner, Taste is not for a cheap night out. Tickets, plus meals, plus drinks, plus products can quickly add up. It’s a treat and you pay a fraction of the price of what you would pay at some …

Tasting, tasting, 1, 2, 3.

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2011 will be my third Taste festival and I’m looking forward to trying and buying new delicious things and soaking up the good atmosphere down at Victoria Park. Taste of New Zealand kicks off this evening in Victoria Park, Auckland and the menu can be found on their website here or scroll to the bottom of this post. The dishes range from 8 to 20 crowns and a crown costs $1. This year, there are 13 restaurants offering 35 dishes. Quick breakdown: Dessert 5 Shellfish 5 Fish 5 Venison 3 Beef 3 Pork 3 Lamb 3 Duck 2 Chicken 2 Rabbit 1 Mixed grill 1 Vegetarian 1 There are loads of dishes for omnis and pescis, but only 1 vege dish of portobello mushroom. I ordered 4 dishes last year (all the ones on my wishlist) and I recommend 3 or 4 dishes per person for dinner. Don’t forget to make room for all the samples on offer. It’s great to have someone with you so you can sample their dishes too. Last year, we tasted …

Out Standing

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On a beautiful Saturday morning, Parnell Farmers’ Market celebrated their “Hello Spring” event with face painting, Walnut the clown (making super balloon animal hats), Old Macdonald’s barnyard petting zoo and the main course: Julie Biuso’s Out Standing In Their Fields cooking demo. With 14 books under her belt and a 15th due out next month, Julie wears various foodie hats including writing, radio, television and teaching. I’m a subscriber to just one food magazine and Julie happens to be their food editor. Julie is well known for her accessible style of cooking and Taste magazine is my favourite for that same approach to food. Food shouldn’t be fussy! The first dish, a hot and sour pork salad was zingy and smart. Using asian exotics like lime, palm sugar, coriander, mint and fish sauce it has punchy flavours that bring out the freshness of the produce. Julie’s handy tips: Use soft brown sugar as a substitute for palm sugar Refrigerate onions to save your eyes Don’t be scared about using fish sauce as a seasoning This …

Monday Bunday: Silly Pink Bunnies

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Jeremy Fish (sillypinkbunnies.com) draws awesome bunnies. He has also contributed in the art scavenger hunt in London in conjunction with Juxtapoz Magazine and Absolut Vodka. If I were in London, I would be scavenging for this signed piece. Isn’t it divine? Watch the trailer for the whole project here. (Is it still called a trailer if it’s not for a film?)

I want to put a ding in the universe

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By now you have probably heard that Steve Jobs, at age 56 has passed away. Am I an apple whore? Maybe. Do I have an iPhone or an iPod or a Macbook? No. Do I have an iMac and an iPad? Sure do! I like apple products because they work exactly like they were supposed to. In high school, I had an after school job and when I was 18, I bought my first imac. It was the alien looking, long necked imac that would serve me for the next 7 years. I have to say, that neck made a robust handle. I know this because it moved house 7 times with me. I would pick it up by it’s neck and take it to the next place. 10 years later, I’m only my second imac and more recently, an iPad too. Steve Jobs designed products that are fun to use. The fact they look good too is a nice bonus. At least the iPad and iMac I have are fun to use. I can’t vouch …

Auckland Art Week is…

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Auckland Art Week is just around the corner (13-23 October) and there is time to have a squiz at all the events that are on to figure out which ones tickle your fancy. Some events that require a ticket but there are plenty of free events. More info can be found at artweekauckland.co.nz. Some things to see and do at Auckland Art Week: Basement Fest 2011. A whole lot of shenangins going on at Basement Theatre, including street art show The Dirty 13, Comedians including: Cori Gonzalez Macuer presents Cori Gonzalez Macuer, Burlesque show: In Flagrante and Regrooved Block Party. 28 September to 22 October @ Basement Theatre. Alessandra Zecchini and her daughter Arantxa Zecchini-Dowling will be making, baking and decorating as per their new book Party Food for Girls. 16 October @ Lopdell House Gallery. Artfeast. Mixing 2 of my favourite things. 18 October @ Whitespace. Hungry! Opening Night. 13 October @ Te Karanga Community Art Space. Alphabet City Open Studio. A must if you have any interest in letterpress, zines or bookmaking. 18 …

Moon Rabbit

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We’re going to Canton Cafe in Kingsland for dinner tonight with the extended family in celebration of the Moon Festival (12 September 2011). Canton Cafe is one of my all time favourite restaurants and we’re super lucky that we live within a hop and a skip. One of the icons of the Moon Festival is the Moon Rabbit. I kid you not. I didn’t make this up. It’s on Wikipedia, so it must be true. 😉 The Moon rabbit, also called the Jade Rabbit, in folklore is a rabbit that lives on themoon, based on pareidolia that identifies the markings of the moon as a rabbit. The story exists in many cultures, particularly in East Asian folklore, where it is seen pounding in a mortar and pestle. I like to think that there is a culinary rabbit on the moon working away with it’s mortar and pestle. Maybe that is where the phrase “moon dust” comes from? Cultures that have the moon rabbit are Chinese, Japanese, Buddhist, Mexican and Native American (Cree). Also from Wiki: The moon rabbit was mentioned in the conversation between Houston and the Apollo …

All Black Morning Tea

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Like many people in the country yesterday, we had a themed morning tea at work. There were some great treats including an amazing black rugby ball chocolate cake, cheesymite scrolls, dark chocolate and the prerequisite sausage rolls and mince savouries. Yesterday, with the Rugby World Cup celebrations, we finally took advantage of the fact that we live and work in Mt Eden. We worked outside the stadium last night with a team of 10 and it was nice to be part of the festivities even if we weren’t going in. Relieved we didn’t have to deal with public transport, we had an evening of of walking from work, to home, to work, to the park to home again, finished off the night drinking beers with friends at home watching the game on TV1. It must be the first game I’ve ever watched.

Farmers’ Market Demos

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Zo from Two Spoons recently brought my attention to the farmers’ market cooking demos that are running from 4 September 4th to 23 October in conjunction with the REAL New Zealand Festival. The demos are free. Yes! Free! One of my spring goals is to visit a new farmers market, so the timing is impeccable. There is a competition to be a Market VIP for the day with great prizes including a chance to meet with your local chef. Visit this link to enter. You can visit the schedule on their website or over on Facebook. The Auckland demonstrations are: 15 October 2011 at Parnell Farmers’ Market. (10am – noon) Chef: Julie Biuso 23 October 2011 at Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market. (10am – noon) Chef: David Schofield More info on Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market can be found here. More info on Parnell Farmers’ Market can be found here.

Labbits at We Can Create

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When I heard that Frank Kozik was coming to We Can Create this year, I was there already. I collect Frank’s bunny inspired labbit and dunny toys and he is one of my design heroes. Geek out! Frank Kozik was the grand finale for We Can Create and I was super stoked that he talked a lot about his toys. He even mentioned that his fans regularly sent him pictures of their toys on wedding cakes and in different scenarios. Frank Kozik Graphic artist, San Fransisco Unlike many of the other speakers, Frank seems to enjoy designing for niche and an underground. With any successful artist, Frank questioned if people were collecting his early gig posters because they liked his work, or because people were collecting their favourite band’s poster – no matter what it looked like. After many years in the music industry Frank called it quits and went to Japan for a while. There, he was inspired by toys and revisited old friends like Hello Kitty. Toys are non-exclusive because of their multiple nature. Unlike artworks, …