31 March 2013

Bites & Bobs 31.3.13


Bites




Bracu - I haven’t been here in while, but it won’t be so long until the next visit.  Bracu is nestled among the olive groves at Simunovich Olive Estate & Mikey Newlands is now the head chef, serving up some wonderful seasonal food.  The occasion was the Boizel Winemaker’s Dinner.  5 courses matched with champagne. It was a quite wonderful evening.  The stand out dish for me Xiao Long Bao of Pigs Trotter & Crayfish, yes pigs trotter.  The perfect balance of delicate & rich. A crayfish dumpling topped with the pigs trotter, not so scary as all slow cooked down to to deliver deep & rich against the delicate crayfish.  And this all sat in a pool of savoury broth.



Sabato Cuisine Artisan Awards Cooking Class with Fiona Smith.  This was my treat post 6 weeks of healthy living & what a treat it was.  We ate wonderful food, drank quite beautiful Marisco wines & I left with a bag of delicious loot! 

To start chorizos Garcia tart with piquillos & olives on homemade puff pastry.  Fiona made it look so easy I will have to give it a try.  Next up a flavourful & satisfying salad with farro, smoked yoghurt* & preserved lemons alongside oregano & J.Friend & Co wild thyme honey seared Akaroa salmon.  And of course there was dessert; a gin & Quina Fina Tonic cake.

*Zany Zeus smoked yoghurt....utterly utterly wonderful.  I don’t think I can really express how good this stuff is.  Cool & delicately smoked with manuka. LOVE!

For all the Cuisine Artisan Winner head over here



The Hamptons - pop up dining in the city.  The fresh, brightest ceviche & Salash chorizo & salami on the meat platter.  Traditional Serbian & wonderfully spicy as it should be.  I recommend having a little in one's fridge at all times to spice things up.



Ortolana, Britomart - a little sunlit oasis in the heart of the city.  Ortolana’s philosophy is garden to table with all food locally sourced.

Little Bird Organics Unbakery - all raw, all beautiful, all taste. 


Milse, Britomart - Can’t wait to try here.  Milse will be a dessert restuarant...what is not to love?? 3, 5 & 7 course dessert degustations will be on offer alongside all sorts of other sweet treats. The chef is Brian Campbell & I had this delectable concoction of his at Art Dego....so bring it on!


Cook the Books ...Making cheese.  Another night at Cook the Books & ricotta, queso fresco & paneer were all rustled up, in really no time at all.  If you want to learn how easy it is to whip a batch of fresh cheese for a fraction of the cost of the bought stuff check it out.


I want to make this salad over at Cookie & Kate. The perfect dish to balance Easter & an excess of chocolate & hot cross buns.

Bobs


Seeing: Royal New Zealand Ballet - Made to Move.  3 original works to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The Anatomy of a Passing Cloud, inspired by the Pacific, a fusion of classical, contemporary & Polynesian dance. The second work Of Days more classical & simple & just beautiful.  To finish the crazy Bier Halle. Laughter, lederhosen, a nerd, a flirtatious golden Cuckoo , studs, flirts among the cast of this funny & quite riotous show. If you do get the chance check it out.

Beautiful Autumn.

Watching: Django Unchained....I finally watched it.  Flamboyant, over the top Tarantino. I loved it.

Watching: Banshee on Soho... a little like Tarantino & over the top from the Alan Ball, the Six Feet Under & True Blood creator so you get the picture. If you like a little dark & weird then you will love Banshee.

Got this for Easter instead of egg from Mum & Dad.




And I found these beauties...one of the pleasures of Autumn.







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