If you’re looking for a decent meal as well as a few good drinks, you can’t go past Harlem Public. This popular neighborhood bar is well known for it’s gourmet burgers, including one that’s parmesan crusted, and a peanut butter burger with brown sugar bacon (a must-try!). Their food is always so fresh and tasty, I’ve never…
Archives for 2016
Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie from Levain Bakery
If cookies are life to you, then forget the rest: the chocolate chip walnut cookie ($4) from Levain Bakery is the best money can buy. This 6 0unce (!) cookie’s outer edges are crispy, and the semi-sweet chocolate chips melt in your mouth. Even better, a lot of the time you can get the cookies…
Bethells Beach
We really are spoilt for choice when it comes to beaches in New Zealand. I can count 6 that are all within a 10 minute drive from my home in East Auckland. I don’t often make it to the Western beaches as it takes around an hour to get to one, but they sure are worth…
Waffle & Shake Wednesdays at Orleans
Orleans is such a welcome, special gem in the Auckland restaurant scene. Not only is the food different from your usual fare, but it’s also high quality with cajun and creole flavours that truly pop on the palate. The chefs there really know what they’re doing and I would even go as far to say as…
Authentic French Crepes in Ponsonby
Whether you’re after something savoury to eat, or something sweet, Crepes a Go-Go inside Ponsonby Central has you covered. French couple Emmanuelle and Marco arrived in New Zealand in 2009, with the dream to share French street food with kiwis. They started their business as a hole-in-the-wall in Wellington, and after it’s success they then…
Triple Layer Carrot Cake
I’ve been making carrot cakes for years, it’s my Mum’s favourite cake and it’s one of mine. I say ‘one’ because nothing can come between me and my chocolate cake. Since I’ve made so many carrot cakes over the years, I’ve experimented with different ingredients and quantities, and in this recipe I believe I’ve nailed…
Easter Macaroon Nests
Happy Easter everyone! This year I really wanted to make some macaroon nests and fill them with chocolate eggs. They just look so cute and I love pretty much anything with coconut! I experimented with the egg whites. The first batch was a runny disaster, as I didn’t beat the egg whites enough and added…
Little Island Iced Coconut Cream Dessert
I had been eyeing the Little Island dessert range ($8.99 for 475ml tub) in the supermarket for a while and finally decided to grab the mango one and give it a try. Could not have made a better choice! These ice creams are all dairy free, using coconut cream instead of milk. Little Island was…
Mexico in Ellerslie
Executive chef Javier Carmona who is a Spanish-born Australian, previously owned The Codfather fish restaurant in Sydney and has more than 20 years of kitchen experience around the world. When the opportunity arose to get involved with Mexico, Carmona set out on a mission to change kiwis views on Mexican food. The polar opposite of…
Best Ugly Bagels in Newmarket
The first thing you notice when you walk into Best Ugly Bagels in the huge custom-made stone oven, which chef & owner Al Brown had shipped over from Canada. I could see a pile of dough being hand-rolled and then dunked by the batch into a big pot filled with honey-sweetened water, then laid out…