All posts tagged: Auckland

Goats go to Hell…Pizza

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I was recently invited to try the the latest from Hell Pizza. I make pizza at home and standard toppings are not my speciality. Smoked salmon, spiced lamb and fat prawns wind up on pizzas at our house. Hell Pizza are on that adventurous foodie journey too so I was interested to see what was on offer. Enlisting the help of some Wellington food heroes, Hell Pizza have created the “El Cabra”. The Spanish word for goat, this Mexican-inspired dish was created by Chef Martin Bosley, Panhead Custom Ales and Mexican restaurant La Boca Loca. Hell Pizza are infamous for their naughty marketing tactics and controversial pizzas (hide your rabbits and your kangaroos) but this time, I feel like they’ve gone for something pretty accessible. I’ve eaten goat recently and I’ve cooked with it before and it’s really nothing to be nervous about. The flavour of the goat meat is very similar lamb – one of our country’s most prized meats. It’s a wonder why we don’t see goat on the menu more often. Did you know that all Hell Pizzas …

Artisanal tequila from Mexico and tapas at Besos Latinos

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Hear me out friends. It’s my birthday today and I have an important message. My friend Vanessa has is moving from Auckland to Guatemala for a year. True story. Vanessa is one of those friends you have who is super smart, well travelled, passionate and with a heart so big it couldn’t possibly fit inside that chest of hers. She is a giver. Maybe you have one of those friends yourself? Here’s a pic of Vanessa, me and The Koala on the back of a truck in Thailand. Don’t ask me what The Koala is doing in this photo. I just don’t know. A group of us had finally met up in Koh Tao, it was Vanessa’s birthday and we had a rad time in the islands of Thailand. I’ve shared many a meal and drink with her Auckland and overseas. Vanessa will be volunteering full time next year as the Communications Officer for Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos doing the type of fulfilling work most of us can only dream of. Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos (NPH) Spanish for ‘Our Little Brothers …

Taste of Auckland 2015 – the verdict

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This year, I wined and dined at Taste of Auckland. Twice. Going twice is some next level shit because if you’re like me, there’s no way you get even CLOSE to trying all the dishes you want in one session. This year was blue skies and summer glory and festival veterans will be positively basking in the sunshine. The reason being that the weather was horrible at last year. It rained so much, the grounds were chocolate mousse and gumboots were on trend. This year at Taste, sunglasses, summer dresses and a slight sunburn were high fashion. Things to see Fisher and Paykel’s Social Kitchen was thoroughly educational and entertaining. I caught the SUMMER OF YUM ice pop session with Our Kitchen (F&P cooking blog) and Dr Feelgood. Hosted by Kelly Gibney from the food blog Bonnie Delicious, I learned some handy tips about ice pops. For example, to stop ice crystals forming, you need to freeze the ice pops as quickly as possible so that ice crystals don’t have enough time to form. This can …

What to eat and see at Taste of Auckland 2015

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Taste of Auckland starts on this Thursday! Running Thursday 5 to Sunday 8 November 2015, this will be their second year at the new location of Western Springs. A haven for foodies, this festival is now in it’s 7th year. Consider it a walking, living, breathing, build-your-own degustation. Tickets are available online or if you prefer to wait and see what the weather is doing, there are also door sales. I haven’t missed a single Taste festival yet. Yup. You could say I’m a fan. Gourmet Hangi For the first time at Taste, there will be a gourmet hangi. Each session a different chef or restaurant team will be offering a gourmet take on the Māori hangi. Be in quick, portions are limited and on first in first serve basis. I grew up in Rotorua where hangi feasts were fairly common but since moving to Auckland 20+ years ago, there’s been a distinct absence of hangi from my life. You can bet I’ll be trying as much gourmet hangi as I can! The Gourmet Hangi will be …

Crispy fried chicken skins and sweet drinks at PappaRich Auckland

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PappaRich is a franchise serving up Malaysian classics across Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and very recently, Auckland. The first New Zealand store was promised for months on social media (I know because I was waiting patiently) and their loyal expat fans were insistent, verging on enraged that their beloved store opening was delayed. I think some people would have rammed the doors down if they thought it would get them a PappaRich meal earlier. Set on Level 1 of the SkyCity Metro complex (aka “IMAX”) on Queen Street in the city, this is a full size restaurant with all the furnishings and bright lighting you might expect from an international franchise. After soft opening for a couple of weeks, I was invited to the official opening a few weeks back where my sister and I, and others including bloggers Cecilia from Ultimate OmNoms and Sheena from As Told By Sheena. I was born in Hong Kong but grew up in New Zealand and I grew up eating Chinese/Malaysian food. So much to the point that I assumed it was Cantonese food …

Fiercely seasonal in the Bombay Hills

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A regular contender at Taste of Auckland, Bracu’s elegant dishes are celebration of quality local produce. Bracu has always been foodie destination on my “one day” list. They also do weddings and even though we visited on a wet spring day, it’s easy to picture a glorious sunny day in the micro-climate of the Bombay Hills. Bracu (pronounced brah-KOO) is set within the 96 hectares of Simunovich Olive Estate who produce olive oils and olive-based beauty products. You can enjoy claybird shooting, archery or even knife throwing if you prefer, before relaxing over food and wine in the idyllic setting of Bracu. Think rolling hills, thousands of olive trees, and country luxury.   Last week, I was invited to sample from the new spring menu at Bracu. Spring must be a dream for chefs, especially when there are items that are so fiercely seasonal. You get to play with these bright and delicate flavours for just a short period of time and if you’re lucky, you get suppliers that have all sorts of weird and …

The Foodbox “Big Bang” giveaway: winner

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Apologies for this later than advertised announcement. With special thanks to Foodbox.co.nz, I am pleased to announce the winner for their Big Bang fruit and vege box (worth $45). We’ve been getting the Big Bang and it really is big. A little too big for 2 adults and rabbit, but it keeps us on our fresh food eating toes. Drawn by Random.org the winner is… **drum roll please!** Kellie Lee   Thanks to all who entered. I loved reading your answers and have some great ideas for coming posts using yummy produce. Check back later today when I announce the winner of the huge Skinfood prize pack. There are still two food-related giveaways up for grabs (Taste of Auckland tickets and a chocolate and cheese prize courtesy of Whitestone Cheese and Wellington Chocolate Factory), make sure you enter them here and here. To keep up with announcements including giveaways, make sure you follow me on Bloglovin’ or Facebook.

Bunny Eats Design turns 5 – Taste of Auckland giveaway

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Taste of Auckland is my favourite, favourite, favourite foodie event. Taste is 7 years old this year and I have been attending religiously every year since inception, including the bonus Taste at The Cloud during RWC year. Obsessed much? Taste of Auckland is coming up in November and tickets are on sale now. With special thanks to Lemongrass Productions, I have two tickets to give away to one lucky reader. To enter, just visit my Instagram account and name one dish I have posted to Instagram recently. Entry form at the bottom of this post. The main drawcard of Taste are the restaurants, each serving up a small menu of tasty morsels. This year there will also be Brew Street, a craft beer special with 10 minute meet the makers talks. The Social Kitchen by Fisher and Paykel is always popular with the festival goers. Nothing quite like an interactive, edible exhibit. You can also look forward to a gourmet hangi. A first in Taste history. Bloggers, reviewers and food pornographers will be happy to learn that Canon will be running a Food Photography workshop during the festival. Tickets: $50 per person including your …

Chinese American kitsch with a twist

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Last night I attended a new pop up at Coco’s Cantina on K Rd. Coco’s Cantina is a rustic Italian kitchen with family-style dining. While the Cocos are galavanting and eating their way through Italy (team building exercise: BOSS LEVEL), the restaurant is being “house sat” by fledgling food businesses Judge Bao and The Pie Piper. I’ve blogged about Judge Bao before and mentioned their friends The Pie Piper who regularly impress foodies at The Street Collective on Ponsonby Road with their bao and pies. On different day, the setting could be called romantic. The lighting was dim with small flowers and candles at the tables. We were seated on long tables and served family-style with a mix of food media present. I fan-girled a little bit but didn’t introduce myself to any of the foodie heroes at the other tables. Um…not there yet. We sampled a range of dishes from Judge Bao’s ambitious pop up menu and ended with slice of pie of our choice from The Pie Piper. We dined as guests of Judge Bao and …

WOOP – a review

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I am pleased to announce a special promotion for my readers. Just use the promo code BUNNYVIP to receive $25 off your WOOP order. I was recently invited by Thomas Dietz to try a new food delivery service in Auckland called WOOP. Thomas is a (former) Parisian, foodie and the entrepreneur responsible for TOMeTTe, those beautifully branded, ready-to-eat French meals we first tried at The Food Show in 2012. Since then, Thomas has launched a new initiative called WOOP (World On A Plate). Branding One thing about both TOMeTTe and WOOP, is the branding is right on point. A flash silver box arrived, the ingredients packed with the skill of a Tetris master. This box can easily fit on a shelf in your fridge – which I would recommend since they’ve packed it so snug it would be hard to beat. Convenience A weekly delivery of 3 meals for two or four people, these feature gourmet meals that take an average of 15 minutes to prepare. Sitting somewhere between cooking from scratch and “heat and eat” meals, much …

Street Eats 2015 – food porn and people watching

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Today is the last day of Restaurant Month. What a month it’s been! On Saturday was Street Eats, a highlight and grand finale event of Restaurant Month. I arrived at Street Eats at 10.30am when it opened, paid $5 admission and set upon documenting and eating my way through the huge selection of delicious food. As I’ve mentioned before, going early is the best way to avoid crowds at Street Eats. I only had to wait in line for 1 dish and since I got there early before the crowds, I even got to chat to some chefs about their dishes. Each restaurant, eatery, pop up and food truck offered between 3 and 5 dishes, all under $10. Shed 10 was filled with restaurants and plenty of seating. In the centre island, drinks could be bought from various wine, cider and beer retailers.  With festive bunting and live music it was set for great atmosphere. Food trucks and pop ups lined the outside space between Shed 10 and The Cloud. I had already eaten at both Mexico and Orleans last week …

Tasty questions with Nom Nom Panda

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Nom Nom Panda is an Auckland food blog with recipes, reviews and news. A great resource for those who enjoy dining out in Auckland. Her cooking adventures are well documented and fairly scientific and tables of findings and information are common with the panda. Nom Nom Panda’s monthly feature Auckland Diner’s Diary is a list of Auckland’s eatery openings, closings and food-related events in Auckland, it’s both an interesting read and a unique historical record of Auckland’s culinary landscape. Below are Nom Nom Panda’s answers to the tasty questions I cooked up for your enjoyment. Describe your blog: Food related musings. News and reviews. My kitchen experiments. What is the most popular post on your blog? It used to the one about Chinese eggettes, but lately it’s been overtaken by Homemade Puffed Rice, even though my creations were not anything like the commercial version. Name your favourite comfort food: It’s hard to pick one thing, but I guess it would probably be a freshly made toasted cheese sandwich. Fat and carbs always make you feel better, right? It even gives the impression that it’s …

Tasty questions with Rice & Kai

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Rice & Kai is a food blog by fellow Aucklander Audrey Young. An adventurous foodie, she is not shy to test out new recipes with bold flavours or textures and to and tackle epic food challenges or dinner parties. Below are her answers to the tasty questions I cooked up for your enjoyment. Describe your blog: The blog documents my food adventures! It’s where I take note of recipes and food ideas I’ve tried that I think other people would be interested in.  I also write a little bit about places I’ve eaten at. What is the most popular post on your blog? Bill Granger’s chocolate chip cookie recipe, followed closely by the deep fried homemade egg tofu recipe. Name your favourite comfort food: Wonton soup!  I love having a big bowl of pork and prawn wontons.  I can eat a scary amount of wontons in one sitting. What did you have for breakfast? I went out with a friend for breakfast this morning.  I had a baby spinach, prosciutto, tomato and blue cheese omelette.  It was good. What is the …

Tasty questions with Lucy Eats

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Lucy Eats is a combination of recipes and reviews by Auckland food blogger Lucy Abraham. She cooks and eats delicious, hearty food and knows a thing or two about Chinese food. Below are her answers to the tasty questions I cooked up for your enjoyment. Describe your blog: I come from a Chinese family where a gathering is not a gathering unless there is an abundance of food. My blog is about food that you can share with loved ones. What is the most popular post on your blog?: Sweet and Spicy Candied Nuts (Click for link). Name your favourite comfort food: I love having chicken and sweet corn soup. I could have a whole pot of it! What did you have for breakfast? A breakfast frittata made from left over roast chicken and chunky roast veggies. What is the most delicious thing you’ve eaten this week? The porridge at The Store, Britomart – it had rhubarb, apple and real honey comb! What are 3 sources of inspiration to you? Instagram, Mindfood magazine, the interesting diets my friends and …

Tasty questions with Leisha Jones, Honeytrap

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Down in St Kevin’s Arcade on the infamous K Rd is a little cafe called Honeytrap. Offering their signature meaty BBQ sandwiches, soups, salads and their popular “shake of the day”, their food always packs a flavour punch. Honeytrap use free range meat and eggs and their sauces and pickles are made in house. I’ve mentioned foodie web-series Club Sandwich a couple of times. What I haven’t mentioned is that Honeytrap are responsible for this sweet little look into the Auckland culinary landscape. You can check out the entire collection of films here on Vimeo. Leisha Jones is the is the owner of Honeytrap and below are her answers to the tasty questions I cooked up for your enjoyment. Describe your restaurant’s food: Comforting. Flavourful. Creative. What is your restaurant’s signature dish? Our BBQ beef brisket sandwich. The beef is braised in the oven for around 8 hours, before being shredded and tossed with our house made BBQ sauce. Then served on a toasted bun, with zucchini pickles (also made in house), and red cabbage slaw with ranch dressing. It has been on the menu …

Tasty questions with Ang Sarap

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Ang Sarap – A Tagalog word for “It’s Delicious” is a recipe blog with stunning photography. Raymund lives in Auckland, New Zealand and is the cook and photographer behind Ang Sarap. He works in IT and enjoys cooking and traveling. Ang Sarap has a huge following and it’s easy to see why. His recipes cover a massive range though he has a special focus on Filipino and Asian flavours. To give you an idea of size, he currently has over 1000 entries accepted onto Foodgawker and Tastespotting combined.  He writes with generosity and honesty about food and dining out. His love for travel is evident through his often exotic recipes. His Food Blogging Tips for Starters is an super thorough guide to starting your own food blog. I *almost* missed out on this post due to Raymund’s travels but was lucky enough to get it in the nick of time. Below are his answers to the tasty questions I cooked up for your enjoyment. Describe your blog: Ang Sarap is mostly about dishes I tried and recreated from different culinary experiences, most of the dishes in my blog are Filipino recipes but not limited …

Tasty questions with Takehiro Ito, Tanuki’s Cave

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Tanuki’s Cave has legendary status in Auckland. Located down under Queen Street it has a bunker-like quality making it a cosy haven for tasty bites and your choice of Asahi, Sapporo or sake. Their yakitori (skewers, cooked over charcoal) comes 2 sticks per order making it perfect for intimate dinners. They have vegetarian and safe options like chicken, steak and pork belly as well as hearts, liver, giblets and tongue for the more adventurous. If you get a chance, try the chicken hearts! The Koala and I celebrated one of our wedding anniversaries at Tanuki’s Cave…meat on sticks and flowing booze for two. It was perfect. A tanuki is a Japanese racoon dog and has significant meaning in Japanese folklore. A great dinner and movie paring for Tanuki’s Cave would be Pom Poko, an animation about Tanuki’s and their magical testicles. Yes, you read that correctly, I said testicles. Did I mention it’s a kid’s movie? Takehiro Ito is the is the Head Chef at Tanuki’s Cave and below are his  answers to the tasty questions I cooked up for your enjoyment. Describe your restaurant’s food: …

Tasty questions with Casual Ramblings

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Casual Ramblings is written by Amy Tam and is a journal and photolog with an appreciation for the finer things in life. Topics include travel, dining out and fashion. Amy also has a review-only blog just called My Dining Journey. Her archive is impressive.  With 161 reviews on Zomato, you can trust Amy has a few solid opinions about dining out in NZ and around the world. Below are her answers to the tasty questions I cooked up for your enjoyment.   Describe your blog: Travel the world. Do what makes you happy. Capture the moment. What is the most popular post on your blog? ​My bag review of the Prada Saffiano Lux Double Zip Tote. Name your favourite comfort food: Mince and Cheese pie (don’t judge me!). What did you have for breakfast? Hard boiled egg and a soy Nespresso coffee. What is the most delicious thing you’ve eaten this week? The melt-in-your-mouth beef brisket from Miss Moonshine in Ponsonby. What is an underrated ingredient? Chickpeas – I go through so many chickpeas at home. I roast a batch over the weekend and eat them as snacks …

Wine AKL, Scarecrow 7 course dinner and Milse

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Last Friday, my friend Miss A and I devoted ourselves to an indulgent evening of wining and dining. There was a wine tasting marathon, a 7 course seafood dinner, cocktails and the night ended at what is easily regarded as the best dessert restaurant in Auckland. We began at 5pm sharp at Wine AKL, a celebration of New Zealand’s wine from 80 vineyards across 2 levels down at Shed 10, Queen’s Wharf a special for Restaurant Month. This was followed by a 7-course dinner of sustainable seafood at Scarecrow on High. There we met a couple of foodies from out of town so we (well, actually Miss A was the instigator) decided to accompany them to Milse for dessert.    Wine AKL Wine AKL started off with a performance by Java Dance Company and with a bang as Bob Campbell (Master of Wine) and wine maker Daniel Le Brun dangerously ceremoniously opened a couple of bottles of the new No. 1  Assemblé (pronounced: a-SOM-blay) which we got to sample.  This was absolutely delicious. We headed upstairs area which was …

Everything you need to know about Street Eats 2015

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Street Eats is a highlight of Restaurant Month and it’s on this coming Saturday. Now in it’s third year, this popular event is cheap, busy and delicious. This is not so much a celebration of “street foods”, but a celebration of restaurants’ take on street foods. If you enjoy eating lots of different types of foods by our local restaurant chefs, this is for you. Being a one day event has seen intense crowds and many sold out stalls. This year they are introducing a $5 entry fee which may cut down crowds. Still, I would recommend going early to avoid missing out. Street Eats Saturday 29 August 2015 10.30am – 8pm Shed 10, Queens Wharf $5 entry (Free entry for supervised children) More info at: http://www.heartofthecity.co.nz/auckland-events/food-and-drink-events/street-eats Tips for Street Eats Bring an appetite but get something quick and fast when you arrive so you don’t get hangry Bring a friend (or two) to share dishes with Entry is $5. Bring cash as some stalls may not accept EFTPOS Expect to spent $25-50 per person depending on your appetite and …