I love my burgers. Sometimes, when you’re really hungry (or hangry!) the only thing that will satisfy that hunger is a good, juicy burger. Such was the case last Friday, when I had an optometrist appointment at 12. By 1pm I was hangry. Watch out! I knew just what was in order. A big, tasty burger from Burger Burger. Auckland now has 3 locations, in Ponsonby, Newmarket & Takapuna. I was already in Newmarket, so it was the natural choice. Situated on York Street, this location is in a prime position, where the entrance is off a small alley only for foot traffic. Surrounded by greenery and pretty flowers, I really appreciate how they decorated the space. Retro artwork adorns the walls, with cheeky speech bubbles depicting the thoughts of those on the canvas.
delicious
Mint Cakery
I’d been wanting to try Mint Cakery for quite some time, but never made the trek to Point Chevalier. Ellerslie is much closer to where my mother lives, so now I’m back home until the end of December, I knew I had to pay the new space a visit.
Mint Cakery now has a much larger space after moving from Point Chevalier, its home for the past 2.5 years, to Ellerslie. At 40 square metres, the new cafe dwarfs the previous one at only 18 square metres.
Mint Cakery is owned by Michelle Bevan, who started out selling her cakes at the Mt Albert Market. Michelle and her partner Darren Jarrett also own Table Talk, a cafe in Remuera.
Browned Butter Pecan Cookies
I’m back in New Zealand for the next 2 months, which means I get to escape the dreaded New York winter for a little bit. I had told my Mum I was only coming back for November, but I surprised her at a family lunch with a card that revealed the secret. It was definitely…
Blue Majik Bowl
Agavi Organic Juice Bar now has 2 locations in Manhattan: the original in the East Village, and the newly opened location in Chelsea, at the Terminal Stores. After a scenic stroll along the Hudson River, I was in need of a pick-me-up, and Agavi Organic Juice Bar fit the bill.
Pumpkin Pie from Little Pie Company
I don’t know about you, but I’m extremely happy to revel in all the intoxicating flavours of Fall. Pumpkin, spice, and maple everything. If you love pumpkin pie, you can’t go wrong with the one from Little Pie Company. Wonderfully silky, with just the right amount of spice, this pumpkin pie will have you coming back for seconds (and maybe thirds!).
To celebrate Halloween, Little Pie Company is having a ‘Spooktacular Halloween Fright Night’. On Tuesday, October 30th, there will be pumpkin decorating all day (11am to 8pm), and a pumpkin decorating contest where the winner takes home a special prize. There will also be games, sweet treats and a Spooktacular Photo Op with Little Pie’s Interactive Picture Window. All participants will receive a goodie bag.
Maple Glazed Snickerdoodles
I’m holding onto Summer for as long as I can, but I’m also excited for all the Fall baking. Like these maple-glazed snickerdoodles! Not only do these cookies have all the cinnamon-sugar goodness, they also have a scrumptious maple glaze.
These cookies are great if you’re looking for something fast to bake: they require zero chill time and are done baking in 10 minutes.
If you’re wondering what the difference is between snickerdoodles and sugar cookies, it’s the cream of tartar. While it’s used in many recipes as a stabiliser, cream of tartar serves to add a distinct tanginess to snickerdoodles. It also causes a chemical reaction with the baking soda, giving the cookie a chewier texture.
Cherry Poppy Seed Loaf
Is anybody else in disbelief that the summer is drawing to an end?! I feel like it only just started. Summer is definitely my favourite of all the seasons. I live for the beach, swimming pools and dining al fresco. I couldn’t let the summer pass without baking a cherry recipe. Cherries are one of my most-loved summer fruits and I can never get enough of cherry desserts. I love this cherry poppy seed loaf because it’s not overly sweet and has a lovely lemony flavour that goes so well with the poppy seeds. The sugar and lemon zest are rubbed together with your fingers to release the oil in the zest, which in turn gives a richer lemon flavour. This cake is just the thing to use up the last of your summer cherries. If you don’t have fresh cherries, you can substitute frozen ones. You could also use different fruits in this recipe, such as plums or raspberries.
Fresh Ingredients from Poke Bowl
If you’re looking for a fast, yet healthy meal, you should check out Poke Bowl. You can create your own bowl with a big array of toppings or choose a combination from the menu.
For the base I chose zoodles (zucchini noodles), topped with fresh salmon and spicy salmon, scallions, cucumber, red onion, edamame, mango, masago, crispy onion, rice puffs, mushrooms and spicy ponzu. I highly recommend the spicy ponzu when you’re choosing your sauce, it’s so tasty! Everything tasted so fresh and delicious, I really enjoyed my meal here.
August’s Cronut: Key Lime & Dulce De Leche
If you love key lime as much as I do, then you should definitely get one (or two!) of Dominique Ansel’s famous Cronuts this August. Filled with key lime ganache and dulce de leche ganache, this cronut is intense! This is literally a pairing of two of my favourite flavours ever, so I couldn’t miss…
Chip NYC
Chip NYC opened their first location in Astoria, Queens while I was home in New Zealand. I kept seeing photos and videos of their cookies pop up in my feed constantly, and I couldn’t wait to get back to NYC to try them. Chip NYC offers four flavors that are baked in small batches throughout the day so you know you’re getting a fresh cookie. The flavors are rotated each day, so if you’re after a particular cookie, it’s best to call ahead to make sure they have it that day. Cookies are $3.50 each or buy 5 and get one free. The day I went there, they had S’mores, White Chocolate & Macadamia, Cookies ‘n Cream and Chocolate Walnut. Since I quite often get the Chocolate Walnut from Levain Bakery, I decided to omit that one & go with the other three flavors.