All posts tagged: New Zealand

Love My City – Link Up Intro

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As much as I yearn to travel, there’s something wonderful about going out in your own city. Finding new places to eat, enjoying various festivals and events in your local. Sometimes it’s hard to know what’s going on unless you’re committed to looking out for things to do. Jules over at The Kiwi Diaries founded Love My City last month. A monthly blogging event to connect bloggers and share spots and events worth talking about in our cities. I am delighted to host this month’s edition and for more information on how this started, check out the info page here. Rules Your post must contain the words Love My City and logo and the Host name and link to their blogs. Eg: This post is part of the monthly blogging event Love My City, where we share hidden gems and places worth talking about. This month event is hosted by [Host name] at [Blog name] Your entry must link to the hosts blog and to LMC original page. If you want to add an already published post, just make sure …

MiNDFOOD CheeseFest 2015 – The skinny

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This time last week, I had eaten so much cheese my eyes were glazing over. This time last week, I was at the MiINDFOOD CheeseFest having just grazed my way through most of New Zealand’s best cheeses. I was lucky enough to get a trade/media pass which entitled me (and others) to a full hour of tastings and cheesemaker attention before the general public got in. I caught up with Bri DiMattina, local foodie, and blogger. Bri was the winner of the Curds & Whey Champion Home Crafted Cheese and Cheesemaker Award at last year’s CheeseFest. Being my first CheeseFest I was stoked to be cruising around with someone from the exclusive cheese society. Bri gave me some great festival tips and we rubbed shoulders with important people in the cheese and food industry.   I got to chat to one of the judges, Sonia Cousins, whose credentials include Cheese Activist, Cheese Judge, and Cheese Writer. I learned that like professional wine tasters, cheese tasting judges spit. Spit! It came as bit of a shock but Sonia assured me …

5 NZ Wines paired with 5 NZ Cheeses

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I prefer to buy New Zealand cheese and wine. We have such wonderful products here it seems a pity to buy imported. I recently bought some NZ wine from the Advintage Online Wine Store who – like many New Zealand wines – are based in the Hawkes Bay region. Advintage offer a range of wines including wines from NZ, Australia, France, Spain Italy, and USA. What I liked about the Advintage website is you can easily sort wines by price, region and variety. They also have a few useful categories such as SPECIALS, CLASSICS or HIGH ROLLERS depending on how your shopping/drinking style. Prices are per bottle or per case with good savings for both. I found it super cool that their case pricing applies to mixed cases. You don’t have to buy all the same wine take advantage of their case pricing, as long as you buy 12 bottles of any wine, you’ll pay the case rate. I selected five New Zealand wines priced from $18-$22 on Advintage but actually retail at $24-$35 elsewhere. The wines I picked where ones …

Snacks for the win!

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Forget what you thought you knew about bulk food bins, this stuff is is gourmet. Over the summer, I got to sample a few Alison’s Pantry goodies which I shared with anyone who would eat them with me. Funny enough, it’s not so hard to find friends to sample sweet and savoury tidbits. I even roped in a few strangers. Equally at home in your snack drawer or on platters for entertaining over summer. Thanks to Alison’s Pantry, one of you will win a prize pack containing eight different platter products including both sweet and savoury options (Valued at $120). Due to logistics, this prize is only open to New Zealand locals and actual products may vary from samples pictured. To enter, fill in the form at the bottom of this post, including a skill question. Alison’s Pantry offer a bulk food range in New Zealand supermarkets. Great if you just want raw ingredients without the fancy packaging. Endorsed by Dame Alison Holst, the “Mother of New Zealand Cooking”, the range can be found in in …

Auckland Seafood Festival 2015 – food porn and review

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My seafood gobbling friends and I descended on the Auckland Seafood Festival at midday today with hunger in our bellies and a readiness to partake. Being the middle of Auckland Anniversary weekend, the city was BUSY. There was plenty of atmosphere and things to do. There still are. The layout of the venue at Halsey Wharf was quite different this year and the areas felt a little less marked out. No restaurant alley this year, but it was easy to navigate. There was plenty of seating, though the limited shade was snapped up quickly. The lines were short all except for the line for the Oceanz’s crayfish (from $25 for half) which was so long (about 40 bellies deep) we didn’t bother. My favourite dish was one from NSIA a school for hospo students. Pulpo in honey and balsamic, gazpacho caviar, Spanish olive soil, capsicum sofrito ($8). Pulpo is spanish for octopus and this dish was filled with bite size octopi. Quite an adventurous and sophisticated dish, it really paid off. We also tried their …

Sealord Hot Smoked Salmon: Summer Prize Pack Giveaway – COMPETITION CLOSED

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I love a giveaway and this one coincides with Bunny Eats Design reaching 300,000 hits. Yikes! I remember how excited I was when this blog reached 1000 visits, then 10,000 visits. Thanks to Sealord, I have got a summer prize pack to give away. The pack includes a Sealord chilly bag, a stainless steel lunch box, a picnic blanket and vouchers for Sealord’s Manuka Hot Smoked Salmon. Thinking back on the wonderful pre-summer weather we had last weekend, I’m envious of the winner of this prize pack.

Wild Venison

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Meat Pack I made an order with Eketahuna Country Meats last week. The first time I ordered from them, which I blogged about here, we got 20kg of beef in various wonderful cuts. This time I went for their $145 mixed meat pack rather than all beef. Buying this way really pushes my growing edge and forces me to cook with cuts and meats I would never normally buy.

Duck Duck Duck!

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To celebrate 4 years of Bunny Eats Design, I’d like to share a few wonderful things that I’ve gushed about, salivated over and adored. You might have noticed I have a little love affair with duck. Be it duck fat, duck liver or duck legs. If you followed my 31 reviews in 31 days last month, you may have noticed I ordered duck quite a few times last month. Yes, duck and I are old friends (well, the ducks might not think so). With special thanks to Saveur Duck, we are giving away a whole duck to each of 3 prize winners. Now 3 of you can join me on my duck feasting! Due to the logistics of this prize, this competition is only open to Auckland, Hamilton and Wellington residents. To enter, simply fill in the form below.

31. Welcome Eatery

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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. The atmosphere is… A big space with business customers and very cheery staff. Their mantra is “Fast, Fresh & Friendly”. Some nice graphic elements (hand painted lettering) if you are into that sort of thing (I am). Come here for… Big smiles and a big feed. A good place to take clients to for a bite, coffee and a little work. The most interesting thing on the menu… Polenta with bean ragu and goats cheese Unexpectedly wonderful… Braised beef cheek sandwich, juicy and tender. I would come back to try… Some of the nice looking cabinet food. Client meetings with good food. Catering to… Breakfast and lunch office workers. The menu is short but evolving. Healthy and raw options. Heaps of cabinet food. Plenty of vegetarian options. Expect to spend… $10-$20 per person The service is… Overwhelmingly friendly. Very attentive. Avoid if… Friendly strangers frighten you. Welcome Eatery Orion Building, 181 Grafton …

30. Ortolana

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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.   The atmosphere is… An airy, light-filled conservatory space with a bistro/cafe inside. Beautifully designed, the space reflects the food. Ortolana is your cool cousin who went away for a year to study in Italy and came back with big words and designer clothes that made people either roll their eyes or immediately worship her. Come here for… Fancy European style food using fresh ingredients. They claim their food is simple I feel it’s verging on pretentious. The food has a lightness to it that will appeal to clean eaters. A menu worthy of it’s own Google Search or culinary dictionary. Some words feel like they’re made up. Best to close your eyes, point at something and hope it’s a good one. Could be a good place to impress someone. The most interesting thing on the menu… Things I cannot pronounce such as: Nooch Escabeche Stracciatella Gnudi Olio nuovo Fazzoletti Pillus Cotoletta Pangritata Unexpectedly wonderful… …

29. Besos Latinos

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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. The atmosphere is… Latin American art and motifs set the scene: flowers, candles, a water fountain and religious motifs. A big space with exposed brick walls and high ceilings. A hacienda courtyard comes to mind. Mexican artist Cecilia Mijangos, partner Executive Chef Luis Cabrera and their crew bring a uniquely authentic Latin American experience. The music is spot on. A lot fancier than your average taqueria (taco shop). Come here for… South American inspired food. Traditional dishes from Mexico, Chile, Venezuela, Argentina, Peru, Colombia, Cuba, Uruguay, Jamaica , as well as Latin American cocktails, wines and beers. Great for both groups and intimate dinners. The most interesting thing on the menu… Foot long tacos Palitos de Queso – Fried Blue cheese sticks wrapped in pastry stuffed with dried cranberries Venezuelan Arepa – Venezuelan corncake stuffed with cheese and beef or chicken Unexpectedly wonderful… Their classic margaritas Flan Frida Kahlo (creme caramel) …

28. Cafe People

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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. The atmosphere is… Gorgeous artwork by local artist Flox at the entrance. The cafe decor itself is all clean lines and white chairs. Pretty minimal.  Mostly families having brunch when we visited. Come here for… Brunch or lunch. The most interesting thing on the menu… Breakfast salad Croque Monsier Unexpectedly wonderful… Coffee Their baked beans I would come back to try… Moroccan lamb Catering to… Omnis and vegies. Vegetarian and gluten free options available but unmarked. Business lunch crowd, they have a boardroom that can be hired out. Expect to spend… $20-30 per person The service is… Friendly. Avoid if… You have another favourite brunch spot. This place won’t scratch that. Cafe People 38 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby Open 7 days http://www.cafepeople.co.nz  

27. Antoine’s

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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. The atmosphere is… Hushed but homely…if your home is an expensive house in Parnell. Feels posh but comfortable. Music playing at an almost inaudible level. On the evening we visited, there was more staff than diners. Come here for… Nostalgic (1970’s) fine dining with table service. We came to find out why Antoine’s has been in business for over 40 years. The most interesting thing on the menu… Sautéed lamb brains with leek tartare, black pudding, tempura snails and teriyaki vinaigrette Antoine’s tripe served in a cream, sherry, onion and green peppercorn sauce The specials of the day included a dish with a beef tendon spring roll Unexpectedly wonderful… The complimentary bread roll. The hushed, attentive service. Huge portions of meat which were very tender. I would come back to try… Their Chicken, leek and wild mushroom pie…if someone else was paying. I love pies so I’m just curious what a …

26. Maldito Mendez

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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. The atmosphere is… Strangely European for a South American/Latin spot. Come here for… Lots of small tasty snacks to be shared. Fresh food with bright flavours. The most interesting thing on the menu… Confit duck mole Unexpectedly wonderful… Tacos – they are not your average taco I would come back to try… Their ceviche Catering to… The Ponsonby crowd. Omnis and vegetarians. Vegetarian options unmarked. Vegan options available on request. Gluten free status unknown. Expect to spend… $30-$50 per person The service is… Good. Well oiled. Avoid if… You are on a budget. The dishes are small and you’ll probably want 2 or 3 dishes per person. Maldito Mendez Ponsonby Central, 4 Brown Street, Ponsonby, Auckland Open 7 days http://www.mendez.co.nz

25. Ironique

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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. The atmosphere is… Busy with unique decor to the Ironique theme. Lots of ambience. The small front opens up to a seating out back and even more seating outside. Come here for… Breakfast, brunch or lunch. All the usual suspects. They also serve dinner. The most interesting thing on the menu… Fried porridge Marinated squid salad Unexpectedly wonderful… Good coffee I would come back to try… Vegetarian big breakfast Catering to… Everyone. Gluten free and vegetarian options available. Eggs are free range. Expect to spend… $20-$30 per person. The service is… At the counter only. Avoid if… You want something a bit more unusual. Ironique Open 7 days http://ironique.freeiz.com/

24. Masu

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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. The atmosphere is… A warm, honey interior with interesting architecture, several open kitchen areas and bar. Gets busy fast. There has been a lot of hype about Masu so understandably the place is humming. Come here for… 2014 Metro Magazine Restaurant of the Year Supreme Winner 2014 Metro Magazine Best New Restaurant 2014 Metro Magazine Best Smart Dining 2014 Metro Magazine Best Drinks List Finalist 2014 Metro Magazine Best Chef Finalist The most interesting thing on the menu… o-toro (fatty tuna) ise ebi no taco (crayfish, spicy miso taco) 100% japanese black wagyu beef sirloin – $100 per 150 grams Unexpectedly wonderful… Master stock baby back pork ribs, cashew nut, sancho salt. Tiger Tanaka – ginger-infused shochu, salted lychee and fresh ruby grapefruit, softened with sparkling sake. I would come back to try… More cocktails. Catering to… Japanese food lovers. Find diners. There is a dedicated gluten-free menu. Not many …