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DISCLAIMER

The views expressed in this blog are based entirely on personal tastes and preferences. Please do not take them as professional interpretations.

If you have any comments/suggestions/places you think serve great food, do share with us! Email me at qiuyi_ong@hotmail.com or leave a comment in the tag board. Thanks and cheers to future gastronomical adventures!

MY TO-GO LIST

7ateNine (Eaten!)
Au Jardin (Eaten!)
Au Petit Salut
Buko Nero (Eaten!)
Cugini (Eaten!)
Forlino (Eaten!)
Gunther's
Jaan (Eaten!)
La Strada
Le Bistrot
Nicolas
Pasta Brava (Eaten!)
Sage (Eaten!)
Tatsuya
Tetsu (Eaten!)

I LIKE

Canele
Cugini
Kuriya
Le Figue
LivinGreens
Nanbantei
Ootoya
Original Sin
Pasta Brava
Sage
Tetsu
Valentino

PAST ENTRIES

April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
May 2009
June 2009
July 2009
August 2009
September 2009

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Saturday, November 15, 2008

Giggles Cafe & Grill Restaurant
124 Picton Street, Howick, Auckland, New Zealand
09 534 1199

Dinner was at this Mexican restaurant which was a good 20 minutes drive from the city. Apparently, Cajun and Creole styled dishes are the restaurant's specialties.

The starter was Fresh Mushrooms (NZD$9) which were fried in a spiced batter. The earthy mushroom was easily the size of my fist! I liked the spices used to marinate the mushroom which gave it a kick.

The Grilled Blackened Fish (NZD$20.90) was horrible. It was overcooked and the flesh was so dry and tough. The sweet chilli sauce didn't help matters at all and tasted like the type used by MacDonald's.

The dessert menu was rather limited with the usual choices like sundaes and chocolate cakes. Granny's Hot Apple Pie (NZD$8.90) sounded like a safe choice after the disappointing main. Served with vanilla ice cream, the pie was decent enough but nothing outstanding.
Although the food leaves more to be desired, the service was impeccable. The friendly waitress was very attentive and cleared our plates as soon as we've finished. But that may be due to the fact that the barely half of the restaurant was occupied by diners.

All in all, the food definitely need to be improved upon. I did a google search just now and found out that a diner also complaint that the fish was overcooked and dry in a review. Too bad I only read this after the meal!

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7:16 PM

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Reslau
39 Elliott Street, Auckland Central, New Zealand
09 309 5039

I've been wanting to try this cafe ever since reading about it in a magazine. Finally, today is the day as Ann and Paul joined me for a quick meetup before I leave for Wellington tomorrow.

Choices were pretty limited as we were there after lunchtime. I had the Smoke Salmon Frittata (NZD$5) which packed quite a punch considering its miniscule size! This is the nicest frittata I've ever tried to date. All the flavours came together very well and the generous chunks of smoked salmon were not too salty.

This skinny little cafe only seats 18 diners, on striped poufs and Italian chairs. Food is displayed tantalisingly on a cute little trolley. This is a clear winner and I'm not surprised it won the Best Cafe Award last year. How I wish I can bring this back to Singapore!

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1:57 PM

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Friday, November 14, 2008

Nol Bu Ne Restaurant
Choice Plaza Level 1 & 2, 10 Wellesley St (East), New Zealand
09 307 0188 / 09 373 5828

Exams are finally over, hooray! I haven't been eating out for the past week as there were so many readings to keep me occupied. What better way to celebrate than to go for a good meal? Korean restaurants are plenty in Auckland as there are so many Korean students here. This one is strategically located near to the University and I walk past it everyday.

Today is the 1st time I'm having Korean food after the trip to Korea so many years ago. I ordered the Egg Rolls with Vegetables (NZD$20) as my main since most of the other dishes comprises of rice and noodles. The rolls were cooked perfectly. Firm to the bite with the contrast of crunchy cabbage and carrots.

Flora had the Salmon Bowl (NZD$12) which came with shredded vegetables and pieces of raw salmon topped on rice. I tried the salmon which was fresh enough.

Like almost every other Korean restaurants, there is a free flow of side dishes with every order. Of course, there's the kimchi which must be present at every Korean meal. I didn't really like the taste of it.

The seaweed was our favourite! This was a very simple dish that shone with its well balanced seasonings. We liked it so much that we asked for a refill thrice.

The cubed radishes were quite spicy and nothing spectacular.

There was also cubed potatoes which I thought were rather oily.

When we arrived, I was surprised that the place was already quite full. That was a good sign since I rather eat at a crowded restaurant than an empty one. Another good sign was that most of the people sitting around us were Koreans. I assumed that the food must be pretty authentic for their discerning palates.

I definitely prefer Japanese to Korean food anytime. But I have to admit that Korean food doesn't taste that bad afterall. So long as I can choose mains without rice, I'm willing to give it another go!

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5:30 PM

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Baci Lounge
Level One, Rialto Centre, 163 Broadway, Newmarket, New Zealand
09 529 4360

This post is dedicated to my best friend ever, Ms Noo! I promised her that I would eat a birthday cake for her since I can't be there to celebrate this special day with her.

I couldn't find any molten chocolate cake which Ms Noo wanted so I had to substitute it with a Chocolate Whiskey Cake (NZD$6.50). It's really decadent and the accompanying sour yoghurt balances the sweetness really well.

Happy 20th birthday, best friend! I'll be there to celebrate your 21st and many many more birthdays to come! I love you!

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3:13 PM

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WELCOME!

In ancient Greek mythology, sirens are creatures which have the body of a bird and the head of a woman. They have such sweet voices that sailors who heard their songs were lured into grounding their boats on the rocks on which the nymphs sang.

To me, food are like the sirens in so many ways. Intoxicating, wonderful, beautiful and yet, so very deadly if you let them get the better of you. Food is a big part of my life and it’s meant to be appreciated and savored slowly. I admit that I am extremely particular about what I eat. If it’s not something I want to put in my body, I’d rather not eat. Some people eat to live while others live to eat. I’ve yet to discover which side of the camp I’m in… What about you?

I hope that you will enjoy reading about my food adventures as much as I like writing them. And many thanks to my family and friends who always wait patiently for me to take photos before digging in!

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