Showing posts with label date. Show all posts
Showing posts with label date. Show all posts
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Valentines
Someone wasn't very prepared this year.
Trying to get a dinner reservation two days before Valentines Day is really cutting it, in fact we couldn't get a table anywhere.
Our last try was with Cook N With Gas. Of course they were fully booked but they suggested we go for lunch instead as they would be open for late lunches too. Now I know they don't do lunches so they must have meant The Astro Lounge which is part of their restaurant but the food is very different. To be honest, wasn't really impressed with the whole situation but options were running low and theres nothing worse than being a grump on Valentines Day so we decided to give it a go.
I knew where to go, and there were signs pointing where to go, but I almost didn't want to go because I'm the the kind of person who imagines the worse and I did not have high expectations to say the least.
I'm so glad we went. It was very casual but at the same time we felt very calm and relaxed. I'm the kind of person who gets grumpy when it's too hot (amongst a whole lot of other things too) but the shaded dining area in the courtyard was perfect.
Trying to get a dinner reservation two days before Valentines Day is really cutting it, in fact we couldn't get a table anywhere.
Our last try was with Cook N With Gas. Of course they were fully booked but they suggested we go for lunch instead as they would be open for late lunches too. Now I know they don't do lunches so they must have meant The Astro Lounge which is part of their restaurant but the food is very different. To be honest, wasn't really impressed with the whole situation but options were running low and theres nothing worse than being a grump on Valentines Day so we decided to give it a go.
I knew where to go, and there were signs pointing where to go, but I almost didn't want to go because I'm the the kind of person who imagines the worse and I did not have high expectations to say the least.
I'm so glad we went. It was very casual but at the same time we felt very calm and relaxed. I'm the kind of person who gets grumpy when it's too hot (amongst a whole lot of other things too) but the shaded dining area in the courtyard was perfect.
Dining area
Jack ordering food (one of my favourite things in life) at the bar
Relaxing with a cider
The menu was simple and very reasonably priced ranging from $5-$35 so we didn't know if the food would be in very small portions or if we needed to order a lot of dishes, and well, I like to eat myself silly. We (I) decided on the Universal Platter, which had nearly everything except the ceviche and I love ceviche so we got that too. We were going to get another platter with the pickles, bread and cheese but decided to give what we ordered a go first and order more later cause they were open late anyway.
The platter was huge!
Universal Platter
Silver Surfer
Huge is one thing, awesome was the other. The thing is, it's really simple food, but it was really really good food and the accompanying sauces, oh my goodness, I think they make their own, if not I need to know where to get that aioli and tartare, I could drink that stuff. I was expecting bar food, not for there to be so much flavour and mmmm in everything. I actually sat there going mmmm after every few bites (every bite would have been creepy).
Didn't need to order the ceviche in hindsight but still glad we did, it also came with pickled mussels and basil bruschetta. I LOVE ceviche. Did not disappoint!
Presentation of the ceviche and sauces in the little paua shells, so cute and kiwi. Loved it.
So... we finished the food (left a few chips though) and I almost threw up from eating too much, but luckily kept all that goodness in my tummy. It was a great Valentines meal. I didn't need to dress up and go to that fancy dinner after all, all I needed was loose clothing, A LOT OF FOOD and Jack.
Roses for Me
and I got roses... I'm not going to lie, I love getting flowers.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Sweet Treats
Went for a breakfast/dessert date at Strawberry Fare with the girl's from work yesterday as a bit of a treat and because shock horror, none of them had been to the new restaurant before?! I know, how ridiculous! But I got that sorted! and yes the waitress did give us a surprised look when I asked for the dessert menu, do people not eat dessert with breakfast?
French Toast with Fruit
Warm Raspberry Drenched Chocolate Cake
Creme Brûlée
The girls were pretty useless, breakfast and then not finishing their desserts. Admittedly the breakfast was huge but really, it's only like two courses, they definitely would not qualify for my buffet buddy! Looks as if I'll just need to train Jack a little harder...
My french toast was yummy but possibly a little too eggy, very minor though. It was meant to come with bacon but as I mentioned last time, pancakes, waffles and french toast just don't go with bacon... it's weird! Fruit is much healthier, therefore my french toast was much "healthier"!
For my dessert I chose the creme brûlée because the daily tasting plate didn't appeal and even though I love the warm raspberry drenched chocolate cake, I need to be less boring sometimes... not that creme brûlée is the most exciting thing ever, but I really like cracking the sugar topping. When I went last time their tasting plate had a berry creme brûlée and it was delish! This one was just alright, it was better when I mixed the berry coulis with it.
All in all, lunch with the girls was lovely, great to gossip and catch up because seeing each other five days a week is just not enough you know :p But jeepers, wouldn't it be lovely to go on girl dates everyday... one day...
Friday, August 31, 2012
Lone Star
The plan was lunch, chocolate and a "romantic" beach walk. Originally we wanted to try Joe's Garage, but parking was a nightmare (on a Monday?!) so we flagged that and drove across the road to Lone Star.
Salt, Pepper and Sauce
Fries with Aioli
Prawn Star
Salt and Pepper Calamari
I've never been to Lone Star for lunch and to my surprise it was fairly pleasant. There were no noisy crowds, long wait periods for the food or an overactive waiter! The menu was a simplified version of dinner but enough to satisfy.
As usual we had to order fries. If Mc Donald's has taught us anything, it is that YES we want fries with that! They came with aioli, but we were also provided a squirty bottle of tomato sauce, excellent. Fries are fries, they were nice for what they were... okay I loved them, but it's really hard for me not to enjoy fries unless you try to japanify them and fail... moving right along... I ordered the prawn star and Jack, the salt and pepper calamari. We shared of course, one was willingly, the other was begrudgingly because I am SELFISH! There, I said it. Finish.
After lunch it was off to Governor's Bay for chocolate... Unfortunately She Chocolat doesn't open for lunch on Mondays, and because I didn't get my happy chocolate fix I wasn't in the mood for the beach. That and the weather was changing, I get grumpy when it's windy at the beach... So 1 out of 3 isn't normally a pass but it was still a lovely day so I can't really complain.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Shanxi Noodles
Jack is on "holiday" at the moment which means.... dun dun dun... date day!
There are lot's of places on our eating list, but choosing which one to go to today was a no brainer. Shanxi Noodles! I was a little worried it would be closed by the time we got there because a lot of Chinese restaurants don't open on a Monday and/or close at about 2, luckily this was not the case.
There are lot's of places on our eating list, but choosing which one to go to today was a no brainer. Shanxi Noodles! I was a little worried it would be closed by the time we got there because a lot of Chinese restaurants don't open on a Monday and/or close at about 2, luckily this was not the case.
Pretty Setting
Inside
When we got there we were very impressed with the decor. I don't know many Chinese restaurants here that bother too much with first impressions, but wow.
Entrees
Puffs with Spicy Beef
DIY Stuffing
Knife Cut Noodles and Sauces
I loved the menu. It was full of coloured photos and stories. I panicked a little when I realised we had to start ordering because there was just too much to choose from, however Jack took over and did his thing while I started fiddling with everything on the table. Again, I apologise, as I didn't pay too much attention to the names of the dishes, at least it's not engrish (though I could amuse myself with that) so... yeah.
The waitress was lovely and even though I had no idea what they were talking about in Mandarin, when she explained stuff or talked, she did it to the both of us, which was really nice because normally they ignore me and I don't exist, but I existed today and I smiled and nodded at things, probably at the wrong time, but still, I existed!
So, kind of like Zest Noodle House they pull their own noodles, dumplings etc and you can also watch as the chef does his thing through the glass, very cool. I was a little upset that they didn't have hot and sour soup until Jack told me that that was not a traditional Shanxi dish... ah... keeping it authentic then, forgiven, brownie points and I learnt something new today.
Entrees were nice. The puff things looked interesting/strange when they arrived and originally Jack had wanted to order another dish but I think the machinery to make that dish hadn't arrived yet so he settled for this instead and I had so much fun with them! You lift up the puff and they are hollow for you to stuff the filling inside or play finger puppets with! Don't worry, I'm not that embarrassing, I controlled myself... this time.
When we ordered the noodles we were told that the large was large and we wouldn't be able to finish it, is that a challenge I hear?!
We failed :( I was disappointed in myself. There was a lot of noodles. Apparently only one Japanese guy since opening was able to eat and finish the large by himself... Kobayashi? anyway, I'm not sure if the sauces come on the side or Jack asked for them on the side because I think normally you choose only one sauce, but since we ordered the large he chose two so we could have a bit more variety... the black spicy beef sauce was my favourite.
Bathroom Sink
During the meal Jack commented that they had a nice bathroom so after lunch I took my phone in to have a look and take a picture as you do. They had cute Chinese lantern lights, lucky bamboo and mini flower displays on top of the toilets, but what made it extra special was the pretty bathroom sink... I want one of those...
and we've decided that we need to have dinner here and eat with more people so we can order more dishes next time. I'm so excited that we've found a new eating place! Food dates are the best!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Shanghai Bistro
Couldn't be bothered cooking the other night because it was only the two of us so we went out for a little dinner date. I love dates! :)
We were very excited because a new Shanghai restaurant had recently opened, which means..... xiaolongbao! oh yeah! Actually when we got there we noticed the new restaurant next door that looked a whole lot more exciting because they also had buns AND hand pulled noodles! ...but they weren't officially open so we disappointingly had to stick with our original choice...
I can't speak mandarin chinese and sometimes that is a disadvantage because whilst Jack went to scope out the restaurant next door leaving me to get a table, I got pushed in front of twice for a table. I think Jack thought I was pissing around when he came back and everyone was seated except us.
Soup Dumpling
Hot and Sour Soup
Apparently they can only steam 3 dozen xiaolongbao at a time and as we were last to be seated *grumble* we had to wait a bit before we got our dozen because you don't go to a Shanghai restaurant and not order them! They were pretty good and the wait was forgiven.
The hot and sour soup wasn't that bad either but it didn't have woodear fungus and generally just lacking in ingredients but flavours were nearly there.
Sweet and Spicy Fried Tofu
Spicy Chicken Hot Pot
Candy Meatballs
I may have made the candy meatballs name up but I'm sure I heard someone call them that... they were soooooo tender. Apparently if made properly you don't even have to chew because it just melts in your mouth but I think that would be a very high up chef skill, nevertheless these fellas got very close. It was almost weird but a very interesting experience.
The tofu was yummy. I don't normally like tofu but the sauce was really addictive and nice with rice...
Chicken hot pot came with a fiery flame and started spitting spicy juices at us throughout the meal which is fine because oil based foods need to be kept hot and boiling. Lots of chicken, Jack ate a few pieces and I had to finish because he sucks and my goodness every time I scooped around the pot I found more chicken!
Overall the food at Shanghai Bistro was decent but I could not stop thinking about it's neighbor Shanxi Noodles. There were a few things on the menu that we would be interested in trying next time maybe but probably not the following...
Dodgy Looking Duck...
I seriously hope that duck soup does not have a duck head floating in it staring at you. Perhaps they got pictures of food from the internet? Is that appealing to anyone? It's looking at you?!
On a side note, Joyful is officially open today and was going to make a trek out there to get wontons and pan fried dumplings but I spoilt my appetite with some ice cream (two big scoops with whipped cream and chocolate fudge sauce) and too much dinner... and maybe some Godiva chocolates... and a handful of nuts, to be fair are good for me (wontons and dumplings were meant to be supper... see that's why I put on so much weight). I won't be kept away for too long though, they're so much closer now that it might possibly become a weekly thing like the good ole days when dad worked there and brought them back for my sister and I every Friday night after work. I can't wait!
So excited!
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Fast Food in Rotorua
After lunch at Eight *drool* we set out for a long drive down to Rotorua. By the time we got there it was dark, the place we stayed at did not look like the pictures, in fact I was convinced that it was haunted and ended up screaming in the middle of the night when I saw a shadow... which was just the chandelier but yeah... anyway, after we checked in we went for a dip in the thermal pools and had a very disappointing dinner which probably set me towards the bad mood and may have resulted in the whole ghost thing... dinner is very important! It can mess with your head.
The next morning McD's saved the day with their mc muffins, hash brown and free wifi and off we went to explore the beautiful Waimangu Volcanic Valley.
The next morning McD's saved the day with their mc muffins, hash brown and free wifi and off we went to explore the beautiful Waimangu Volcanic Valley.
Beautiful Colours
Steamy
Matcha Pool?
Google maps took us to the wrong place, which turned out to be the right place because we got the names confused and therefore we ended up at Waimangu Volcanic Valley. Wasn't really prepared for a 2-3 hour walk, mentally and physically but at least I wasn't wearing a skirt.
It rained heavily on and off. For two hours we did not see a single soul and with the bubbling steamy water and heavy rain I thought we were going to die... We finally made it to the bus stop after two and a half hours because we had to skip some of the advanced tracks (there were warning signs that said it wasn't recommended for children, elderly and unfit persons... unfit person tick!) and finally people!
Lion Cubs
Rawr!
Photobombed!
Kune Kune
Cutey!
With time to spare the brochures said we could pet lion cubs at Paradise Valley Springs Wildlife Park... who could say no to that?! On the way I joked that the only wildlife they had were lions... I wasn't wrong... nevertheless it was AWESOME! The cubs were so cute but being cubs they got tired easily and lay in their pen for the majority of the time we were there... and the farm animals! Jack did most of the feeding because I was awfully scared they were going to eat my hand and when I tried I looked like that...
EEK!
Yeah... I loved it. Small wildlife park but more hands on. Would love to go back, the animals were sooo cute!
Before the long drive back to Auckland we stopped at Wendy's to refuel. We don't have a Wendy's back home because of the earthquake so it was really a treat.
Wendy's!
Spicy Chicken Burger
BBQ Bacon
The chicken burger was a bit dry but everything else was good... in respect to what we had eaten since the night before. We upsized and I'm not sure how big the drink was but for the three and a half hour drive back I only managed to finish half of it...
oh and we nearly hit a guy in Huntly... to be fair, everyone nearly hit the guy... probably his intention though... but we made it safely back to Auckland in time for dinner and so that ended our mini road trip.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Night Market @ Westfield Glenfield North Shore
So after dinner at Tatsumi we checked into our hotel, sat around for a bit and then ventured off to the night markets for food... and yes we were very full from dinner, but the night markets only happen on the weekends and it was Sunday already!
Wow. There were so many stalls and everything looked and smelled so good. We walked around for a bit to try and walk off dinner (didn't help) and then made the hard decision to settle on a few things to eat.
Wow. There were so many stalls and everything looked and smelled so good. We walked around for a bit to try and walk off dinner (didn't help) and then made the hard decision to settle on a few things to eat.
Crab and Prawn Yaki
Spicy Grilled Squid Legs
Caramel Filled Churro
After Japan day's disastrous takoyaki experience, I wasn't too enthused with these little morsels. However, this stall we found didn't just offer takoyaki, they had crab and prawn "takoyaki"! They were amazing. After eating one of these juicy pillowy balls I remembered I was still extremely full from dinner but I could not let my stomach down!
We should have stopped after the balls but you know... we found a grilled lamb and squid stall. Back home at the lantern festival we got ripped off by the lamb kebab stall so we did not have high expectations but not only were these kebabs cheaper, they were much tastier too! The squid was hard to eat until Jack told me that if I was going to eat street food I was not allowed to be a lady! Got it!
Dessert was a jumbo churro filled with caramel. Jack wanted the cheese filled one but they sold out. I don't normally like caramel but yum... and how do you take a picture of a jumbo churro without it looking dodgy?
Morning in Auckland
We stayed at the Hilton. Get this, we even got a drink from the mini bar! How luxurious. HA HA! It was really nice.
Adidas Horse
and there was a horse in the opposite building to greet us... ?
Friday, June 29, 2012
One Year and Twenty Four Days Later....
Tatsumi. SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!
Being the restaurant we had our awkward first date at, it holds a very special place in our hearts.
Being the restaurant we had our awkward first date at, it holds a very special place in our hearts.
Interior.
When we arrived, a minute after 5.30 because I hadn't mastered google maps yet, it was empty. In hindsight, I probably didn't need to book a month in advance but it's better to be safe than sorry and I probably would do it again because I love this place. It was lovely inside, we were promptly seated and given a drinks menu to study and the table next to us in the photo is where we would later be seated.
Monkey and Dragon.
The reason why we were moved was because Jack had to make it awkward and spill his cocktail all over the table. They were so nice about it though and replaced his drink as well. At Tatsumi they do their own japanese inspired cocktails based on the chinese zodiac and even though we're not monkeys and dragons, they sounded tastier, and they were.
Complimentary Appetiser
Anything that's free makes me happy, even if it's something little, I'm yours. Smoked salmon with avocado in pastry cup. Simple but flavorsome. And FREE!
Fish Carpaccio
We decided to go for the degustation menu and share the choices so we could eat more things but had to add the carpaccio because it's always been our favourite dish and no one does this better than they do. NO ONE!
Assorted Appetizer
First Course. This was awesome. I've never had gooseberry in my life and then Jack broke into his story telling mode about it, long story short, i thought it tasted like tomato but I am wrong. Anyway, left to right, top to bottom, oyster shot in tomato vodka concotion (bloody mary?), marinated fish (Jack loved this), fried fish, edamame beans with lotus root, duck and gooseberry (so tender) and beef tataki.
Pan Seared Scallops
Second Course. With a parsnip puree and miso beurre blanc sauce. Jack was very kind and let me have the extra scallop. We were very behaved and did not lick the sauce.
Variety of Sashimi. Tuna, Salmon and Blue Cod
Tempura Soft Shell Crab
Third Course. Only thing I didn't like about this dish was the goat cheese in the salad, but that's because goat cheese tastes too farmy for me and I haven't quite acquired the taste for it yet. Other than that, delish!
Crispy Skin Salmon Teriyaki
With creamy wasabi mashed potato, portobello, onion rings and blue cheese tortellini. This was very filling despite only being in mini form and the mash was sooo good. I'm ashamed to say that I was actually nearly full after this.
Assorted Tempura
Canterbury Wakanui Blue Beef Steak
Main Course. Tempura is pretty straight forward. The dipping sauce was nice and warm. The beef was accompanied with polenta crisps, a puree, mixed mushrooms (apparently according to Jack) and a pickled ginger shoot which they explained could only be eaten at the fat end but that did not stop Jack from trying.
Assorted Nigiri Sushi
Sushi Course. I discovered that I love scampi. It tastes so much like crayfish. Jack gave me half of his :D then I discovered (so many discoveries that night) that I am possibly allergic to raw scampi and crayfish because my mouth went a bit numb, throat got scratchy and I started swelling around my mouth, not the first time this has happened but I survived, it was very mild and not going to deter me, I want more!
Scampi Miso
Scampi Battle
This was so cute. A little twist to the miso in a teacup and because we're not very mature and to be honest, why wouldn't you?! Scampi battles! I like to think my scampi won.
Green Tea Fondant
Black Sesame Creme Brûlée
Dessert. We got to choose our own desserts and like the good old days, we chose our favourites. As usual Jack shared most of his and I was very stingy with the sharing of my fondant... it was too good! I gave him my candied orange though!
Dinner was a two hour affair and the first hour we were the only ones in the restaurant. When we left another table came. I hope they get busier because they really are a wonderful restaurant and I can not wait to go back to Auckland to eat everything else on the menu with the fish carpaccio as well of course...
They don't have pictures on their website yet but they do have a delicious sounding menu which I frequent weekly, if not daily... definitely worth a visit.
http://www.tatsumi.co.nz
They don't have pictures on their website yet but they do have a delicious sounding menu which I frequent weekly, if not daily... definitely worth a visit.
http://www.tatsumi.co.nz
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