Food Alley
9 Albert Street, Auckland
9373 4917

Dinner was with Florian, Andy and Maggie at a foodcourt in the city. It's voted "Best Food Alley" by the Metro Magazine last year.

I had the Veggie Combo (NZD$9.50) from the Indian stall. There's dhal, mixed vegetables and korma served with garlic naan. It's expensive! And the food was mediocre.

According to Florian, the Thai Chicken Style Chicken Rice was very spicy. His whole face was red by the time he finished it!

The Japanese Yakisoba looks like Chinese stir fry noodles.

I don't think the food here is cheap and good. This confirms my belief that it's hard to find delicious food in foodcourts!

Labels: New Zealand

7:39 PM

Mexicali (2nd Visit)
137 Quay Street, Princes Wharf, Auckland
9307 2419

Su Ling and I went to another outlet of Mexicali for a quick dinner since there's a '2 for 1 Tacos All Day' special on every Tuesday.

The hard-shelled Taco (NZD$6) was delicious! The fresh and crispy corn tortilla was brimming with black beans, vegetables and salsa. We also added guacamole for an additional NZD$1 and it's as good as the one we had at the Newmarket outlet.

I just realised that the mexican food served here are California-styled and may not be as authentic as I thought it was. Since I seem to like Mexican food so much, I shall go to an authentic Mexican cafe soon!

Labels: New Zealand

7:37 PM

Non Solo Pizza
259 Parnell Road, Auckland
9379 5358

I met Su Ling for dinner after buying some groceries at FoodTown. Non Solo Pizza was awarded the 'Best Italian Restaurant' by Metro this year.

There's a beautiful wall mural leading to the restaurant which is hidden inside a non descript alleyway.

Since there's not only pizza, we shared a Ravioli di Pollo (NZD$26.50) as a main. The pasta was just lovely! Cooked al dente, it's filled with a generous amount of minced chicken and spinach. The sauce was delicious too as the sage and rosemary made it really fragrant.

Ambience was excellent but I think they've probably gone too far with the mood lighting since the restaurant was so dim that I could barely see my food! The waiters were very professional yet charismatic though.

As Su Ling wasn't feeling well, dinner was a rather hurried affair. If I have the chance, I'll come back here to try the tiramisu which the Metro judges raved about.

Labels: New Zealand

7:21 PM

Daikoku
1st Floor ASB Bank, Botany Shopping Centre, East Tamaki
9273 8222

Tom recommended this Japanese steak house for lunch. We had the lunch special (NZD$12.80) which was quite value for money.

The salad dressing was tangy and really appetising.

Drinking a bowl of steaming hot miso soup on a cold day was fantastic.

The chef came out personally and prepared our food on the teppan.

It was a performance of sorts as he would show off his skills and tossed the knives in the air to entertain us.

I opted to have the fish instead of the default teppanyaki steak. The fish was very tasty with some burnt crispy bits on it. The fried onions, zucchini and garlic were really fragrant. Presentation of the food was rather ugly though as he just piled the food on our plates.

Dessert was a scoop of vanilla bean and chocolate ice cream. It's actually quite good and creamy, unlike those cheap ones usually served in set lunches.

The staff were very friendly and kept smiling at us. Even the chef made an effort to talk to us as he cooked.

I seldom go to teppanyaki restaurants because the smell will linger on your clothes long after you leave the restaurant. Given a choice, I would rather eat at a normal Japanese restaurant even the food is pretty decent here.

Labels: New Zealand

2:11 PM

Mexicali
9 Nuffield Street, Newmarket, Auckland
9522 0990

Dinner was at this Mexican deli with Su Ling since we were exploring the Newmarket suburb.

We tried the Nachos (NZD$13.50) which was awesome! The tortilla chips were freshly made and layered with beans, cheese, chicken marinated in garlic, lime and zesty spices. The chargrilled chicken was very flavourful. We also added guacamole for an additional NZD$1. It's so creamy and smooth!

We were lucky to get in early as there's a long queue by the time we ordered.

The serving was so generous that even 2 of us couldn't finish it. The deli was awarded the VIVA Gourmet Takeaway Award last year and I think that this is a really value for money place which serves up delicious food!

Labels: New Zealand

7:30 PM

Tasca
Upper Vulcan Lane, Auckland
9309 6300

Su Ling and I decided to have a late lunch at this Spanish tapas bar and restaurant.

Since it was close to dinner time, we shared the Panfried Market Fish Fillets (NZD$23.50) as a main. The fish was really fresh and delicious. It's served on sauteed potatoes, with a lentils and red onions mesculin salad.

I have to commend the staff on their thoughtfulness. Knowing that we were sharing the dish, they had the chef prepare it on 2 plates. This is a 1st for me!

The interior of the restaurant looks very warm and cozy. Since this is so near to school, I think I will come back here again to try its tapas.

Labels: New Zealand

3:54 PM

Chocolate Boutique Cafe
1/323 Parnell Road, Auckland
9377 8550

Before going home, Su Ling and I stopped at this famous New Zealand chocolaterie cafe for some desserts. I like its parisian style structure and it looks so chic.

Initially, I thought the Chocolate Steamed Pudding (NZD$5.50) is similar to the lava cakes that are so common in Singapore. But it's actually really just a pudding drenched in hot fudgey sauce and served with vanilla ice cream. The texture is excellent! It's very smooth and not too sweet.

The Sticky Date Pudding (NZD$5.50) didn't fare as well because it's too sweet. It's served steamingly hot with dates and caramel sauce, topped with hokey pokey ice cream. The 1st few bites were nice but it got overwhelmingly sweet after that.

This cafe is so famous that even Bill Clinton has tried the homemade chocolates before!

The staff told me that no photography was allowed so I had to take the photos discretely from a corner.
The whole shop is totally packed with chocolate products from pralines to jams. Christina, you will really go nuts here. This is so made for you!

Labels: New Zealand

6:55 PM

Cafe Cezanne
296 Ponsonby Road, Auckland
9376 3338

Su Ling and I were attracted to this crowded and unpretentious looking cafe.

Since we were not hungry, we shared a Cajun Chicken Breast Salad (NZD$15). The serving was generous and the presentation was beautiful! There's avocado, banana, pecan nuts with curry yoghurt dressing. Thankfully, the chicken breast was not dry and tough at all.

This place has style. I like the quirky paintings on the wall and the old style brick counter.

The staff were extremely friendly and cheerful! I can see why the place is packed with locals. Great food, reasonable prices and excellent service—what's not to like?

Labels: New Zealand

2:40 PM

LAN Chile Flight LA800

Finally, I arrived in Sydney yesterday night but my next flight to Auckland was in the next morning. So, I spent a night at an inn near the airport before catching the next flight. I was hungry by the time lunch was served.

I requested for a vegetarian meal and it was great! There's asparagus, tomatoes, potatoes and plump mushrooms. I wished I could have 2 servings of it.

My next few posts would probably be more on my life in Auckland and less on food since eating out seems expensive!

Labels: Airplane Meals

11:51 AM

Qantas Flight QF566

Thank God that I’m finally flying out to Sydney. Others were not so lucky and had to wait till tomorrow morning to catch another flight out. I saw the local media interviewing people at the airport so I guess this was a rather major news.

Dinner was stir-fry chicken with rice which I didn’t like and almost didn’t touch.

Dessert was a Trumpet Triple Choc ice cream cone which I’ve never seen in Singapore before. It’s made in New Zealand so I guess they never export it to Singapore.

The chocolate ice cream was creamy enough and there’s a gooey chocolate sauce in the center. It’s really chocolatey—there’s also chocolate chips and toppings on it.

I went back to sleep again after eating. Sounds like a pig, right?

Labels: Airplane Meals

7:47 PM

Monterey’s (2nd Visit)
Sheraton Perth Hotel
207 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia
9224 7777

I’m still stuck at Perth. The delayed flight didn’t take off at midnight. We actually boarded the plane at 1am in the morning and were told to get off again soon after. Apparently, the pilots have clocked in their maximum hours and it would be illegal for them to fly us to Sydney. It was quite dramatic—people were very angry and shouted at the Qantas staff. But there’s really nothing we can do and so, I’m back at the Sheraton Hotel until the next available flight out.

Qantas offered us complimentary full breakfast buffet at Monterey’s which cost AUD$35 (SGD$45.50) per head. I slept till almost 11am and was very hungry when I went down for breakfast. The fruits were very fresh and sweet. I think I ate 2 plates of watermelon, rock melon, grapefruit, pineapple and others.

There’s also natural yoghurt with fruit toppings like apricot and plums and there’s a variety of regional cheese which of course, I didn’t try.

The bread and pastries section was very popular and fresh food was brought out efficiently.

I didn’t try the scrambled egg as I had an omelette at the live cooking station instead.

Labels: Australia

11:22 AM

Monterey’s
Sheraton Perth Hotel
207 Adelaide Terrace, Perth, Western Australia
9224 7777

When I arrived in Perth, I was told that the connecting flight to Sydney will be delayed till midnight. So, Qantas gave complimentary accommodation, dinner and a 3 minute international phone call to all affected passengers. The hotel room was very nice!

Complimentary dinner was buffet at Monterey’s, the restaurant in the hotel. It cost AUD$65 (SGD$84.50) per person (I saw the price when I signed the receipt). I’m glad Qantas is paying the bill.

All the antipasto dishes were very good! I like Tasmanian smoked salmon most of all.

The tomatoes were so fresh that they looked like they’ve just been picked. Each little red gem just burst with sweetness in the mouth.

I kept going back for the raw sardines topped with tomato salsa because they were so fresh and addictive.

The colour of the braised cabbage may turn you off but there’s nothing artificial about the taste. I like the crisp texture and slightly sweet flavor.

Labels: Australia

6:35 PM