Enjoy Inn at Greenlane, Auckland

My absentminded hubby decided to book a family get-together yum cha meal at Enjoy Inn, a Chinese restaurant at Greenlane, Auckland. Clearly, he'd forgotten our last meal there almost 5 years ago where I found a sharp and jagged shard of plastic in my food. We approached the manager there whom we knew fairly well from years of patronage. To our disbelief, I was accused of foul play. We paid, left and never stepped foot in the restaurant since. Until today.

We waited half an hour for someone to bring a pot of tea after 3 requests. 4 reminders and an hour later, our plate of deep fried squid arrived. By then, the children were ready to climb the walls from extreme hunger. Oh, and let's not get into the repeated requests for them to serve the yum cha dishes to which I was informed curtly to wait for someone to push the food trolley over.

The carpet was filthy and looked like it hasn't been cleaned in years. The glutinous rice wrapped in lotus leaf dish has gone off and stank to high heavens. I showed it to the duty manager who made a face when she took a sniff but quickly recovered and retorted that it was fine. All she said was that she'd "cancel the order" for the dish but no apology was offered. I wasn't impressed with the plate of limp looking choy sum veggie I'd ordered.

 I took a peek at the kitchen and I'm beyond disgusted by the black gunk on the walls and dirty kitchen.

The panel under the tank broke and all the pumps and pipes are exposed, not to mention filthy.

 They're selling these "fresh" fish to their customers. Imagine eating these fishes from a tank that hasn't been cleaned in years and water filled with faeces from the fishes. Imagine eating these fishes!!

Look at the blackened walls of the tank. I caught a glimpse of "something" swimming in there. The lobsters were drowning in a tank of murky yellow water whereas the fish were swimming in a tank with walls so filthy, you could barely see any living organisms in the water. Can you believe that they received an A grade for cleanliness and hygiene?!

I've learned my lesson well. Never EVER again shall I eat at this disgusting restaurant.

New Zealand 2.5 years later

I drove down Remuera Road with a sense of deja vu as I passed all the familiar landmarks as well as the ancient speed camera encased in a painted white wooden box on the side of the road. I visited all my favorite eateries and shops. Everything stayed the same yet they're different. Two and a half years away in the UK has changed me in many ways. I've gained another perspective and adjusted to another culture. It made me look at New Zealand with a fresh outlook which saddens me somewhat as I know it'll be difficult for me to live in this country which I've called home for almost two decades. My only links to the country are my family and friends who are so very dear to me.

Recession has hit New Zealand rather badly. As I browsed at the many shops in Newmarket, retailers tell me that this is the worst it has ever been. Their inventories aren't moving despite putting up the sale signs a few weeks before Christmas. Crowds are staying away and shops are closing at an alarming rate. I can't believe my eyes when I dropped by at a Countdown supermarket (I couldn't recognize it as they've changed their logo and Foodtown as I know of it is now defunct) at the crazy food prices displayed on the shelves. Food prices have skyrocketed. A 500gm block of butter is now NZD $5.89 and a rockmelon costs NZD $8.50 each! I often pay £1/NZD $2.10 for butter. Toiletries cost at least 2-3 times more than their equivalent in the UK but sadly, the average salary here is amongst the lowest in the developed countries. Don't get me started on the cost of properties here.

The next day, I decided to pay a visit to my favorite department store - DFS (Duty Free Shop) which houses all the major designer brands under one roof. Despite the "end of year sale" banner placed strategically by the main entrance, there were only a handful of customers browsing in the store but the cash registers remained silent. I was thrilled to see some of the lovely sales associates whom I knew from years of shopping at DFS. They informed me rather ruefully that sales have been going downhill since 2008 with this year being the worst it has ever been.

Comfy Neutral Basics Under £100

Now that I'm stocked up to the gills with party dresses, I desperately need some casual and comfy winter clothes. I'm sick of wearing the same sweater dresses over and over again with few options to layer for an alternate look. Since the sale season has started, this is the perfect time for me to pick some basics at bargain prices.

Velvet Ruffle Dress from Matches £78

Velvet Caley Cardigan from Shopbop USD $93

I'd cinch this at the waist with a long thin belt.

Icebreaker Bodyfit Legging from natureshop.co.nz NZD $99

I need something warm and merino wool from Icebreaker does the trick. The legging I bought for Little L has suffered much abuse and  is machine washable.

Gap Merino Wool Cardigan £12.99

Banana Republic Silk Pasha Tee £12.99

Gap Applique Slippers £9.99

Gap Supersoft Textured socks £2.99

Velvet Asymmetric Top from Matches £55

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to family, friends and my readers. Thank you for taking the time to visit my blog!

The French Cafe, Auckland

The French Cafe is an institution in New Zealand. They have won countless awards ever since they opened their doors. This year, they won, yet again, the coveted title "Cuisine Restaurant of the Year". Hubby and I took a client to The French Cafe years ago but sadly, we didn't try their tasting menu. Since it was our 10th year wedding anniversary recently, I decided the momentous occasion required an unforgettable meal.

Unfortunately, due to time constraint, we were only able to try the 6 course tasting menu (which was actually 7 as the first dish is complimentary). Luckily, it was only 6 courses because I was bursting at seams and could barely walk out the door. Conversely, hubby who has a bottomless pit stomach could easily inhale another 4 dishes. If given the choice, I'd always choose simple food served at little hole in the wall type restaurants. I've sat at tiny stools slurping down noodles by the roadside and shared simple peasant-type meals with Chinese officials. I rarely, if ever, frequent fine dining restaurants. Hubby has always prefers quantity over quality though, I think after 10 years of marriage and being dragged somewhat reluctantly to numerous food markets, trattorias, bistros and cafes, he's slowly coming around.

First one up is Amuse Bouchon, a complimentary dish which is a concoction of gazpacho jelly with tomato sorbet and an orange infused wafer. I never thought to marry the flavors together but somehow it worked beautifully.



This was followed by sugar cured salmon with crab, avocado puree, shaved fennel, tiny but sweet orange slices and drizzled with vanilla dressing. I normally avoid raw food but this was delicious! Who would've thought vanilla dressing would go so well with raw salmon?



Hubby's eyes lit up when he saw a dish with meat on it. Caramelised pork belly with seared scallop, celeriac puree and black pudding. I can't fault this dish either.


The next course was apparently the chef's signature dish. Roasted French goats cheese with caramelised onion and beetroot tart with red wine syrup. A beautiful edible Borage flower was placed on top of the cheese.


I couldn't wait to dig into my pan-fried snapper with lobster, asparagus and pea risotto and lobster consomme and iberico ham. My only complaint was that it was slightly too salty. However, it could very well be me as ever since I cut down on the sodium intake, I've been finding food at restaurants too salty. The peas and asparagus were sweet and cooked just right.


To cleanse the palate, green apple sorbet was served. The sorbet was covered with butterscotch foam with apple compote as a base and a sprinkling of spiced bread. The chef and owner, Simon Wright is a master at experimenting and fusing flavors together. I could easily eat another glass of this.


Our last course was chocolate souffle tart with caramel, orange, hazelnut double ice-cream. I'm still dreaming of this delectable dessert. I ordered a cup of flat white and I was surprised to find the coffee over-brewed and bitter. Our ever cheerful and attentive waiter offered to make another but we had to dash for hubby's meeting. All in all, it was an unforgettable culinary experience. Not to be missed!

The French Cafe
210 Symonds St
Auckland
New Zealand
Tel: 09 377 1911

Linh's Vietnamese Beef Pho

I've been craving for a bowl of pho ever since I moved to the U.K. I live hundreds of miles away from the nearest Vietnamese restaurant. The ones I've been to such as the ever popular Song Que at Shoreditch left me walking away unsatisfied. When my mom mentioned that a friend of hers who incidentally is the wife of a fellow colleague of my younger brother's is Vietnamese and makes a mean bowl of Pho, I jumped at the chance to learn.

Linh's life reads like a page from Jung Chang's Wild Swan. During the civil unrest in Vietnam, the 9 year old Linh jumped on the boat, all alone and completely without friends or family and fled the country along with other escapees. They eventually arrived at a refugee camp in Malaysia before managing with much difficulty to procure papers to gain residency in Australia. When I was 9 years old, all I could think of was school, friends and my toys!

Despite her hectic schedule, Linh agreed to drop by to teach my mother and I - Pho 101. She can make this dish with her eyes closed. She guesstimates all the relevant ingredients so it's quite difficult to pinpoint exactly how much in grams.

Ingredients:
Beef bones
2 slabs of beef briskets - 1 to boil, the other sliced thinly raw.
Vietnamese rice noodles
Special pho spices
ginger
onion, sliced thinly
red onion, sliced thinly
carrot
coriander, chopped finely
spring onion, sliced finely
hoisin sauce 
lemon, cut into wedges


Dump approximately 1.3 kgs of meaty beef bones into a big pot.






Pour hot water into the pot and bring it to boil.



When the water has boiled, toss out the water and dump the beef into a big bowl or sink.



Give the bones a rinse under cold water.



Brush to remove scum



Put all the bones back into the pot. Add a slab of beef brisket on top.



Add a bag of special pho spice. It's available at oriental/asian supermarkets.



Toss in a handful of star anise.



Add a couple of slices of cinnamon bark



a carrot, an onion and at least 3 thick unpeeled slices of ginger.



Fill the pot with hot water and boil for at least 4-5 hours but preferably overnight. The longer you boil, the tastier the soup is. From time to time, remove scum and oil from the surface.



Remove beef brisket once it's cooked. Slice very thinly. Meanwhile, remove the other slab of raw brisket from the fridge and slice thinly. Mix sliced red onion, chopped coriander and spring onion. Cut lemons in wedges. Boil vietnamese rice noodles quickly but make sure it doesn't become too soft.



First put the rice noodles in the bowl, followed by a few slices of onion with chopped coriander and spring onions. Add a few pieces of cooked brisket as well as raw thinly sliced brisket. Before pouring the soup into the bowl, ensure that it's boiling hot or else the raw beef slices wouldn't cook. Serve with hoisin sauce and lemon wedges.

Trelise Cooper Kids

Trelise Cooper Kids' store in Newmarket is truly one of its kind. It's akin to stepping into every little girl's idea of a fairy-tale paradise. The racks of whimsical and ultra feminine designs are placed alongside carefully chosen toys. There is an armchair and matching chaise near the play area. There's even a counter at the back of the store selling iced cookies in various shapes.

I bought a beautiful laced tunic during one of their sales several years ago and steadfastly hung on to it even after Little L had outgrown the top. I only reluctantly relinquished it to my niece a few days ago. Little L has her eye on a laced frou frou skirt (surprise, surprise) but I'm enamored with a cotton jersey dress with ruffled hem and sleeves. It's the only dress that I could find appropriate enough for the cold winter in the UK. Since it's summer over here, winter clothes are hard to come by.

The Cupcake Collection

One cannot miss the bright pink counter with all the exquisitely made cupcakes and iced cookies at Riccarton Mall. Since I've been away for so long, I had no idea there are now shops upstairs at the 1st floor. This located at the far end at the foodcourt. Little L who normally isn't a fan of cakes insisted on trying a snowman cupcake. It wasn't bad at all. The baker is certainly an artist. Check out the amazing details and fine workmanship on the cookies! Impressive! They were tons better than the cupcakes made by Primrose Hill or Lola's Kitchen at Selfridges.








This cookie Christmas tree was sold for $150. Having iced cookies myself on numerous occasions, I can imagine the amount of painstaking labor that has gone into making these.


The Cupcake Collection
140 Colombo Street
Beckenham 8023
(03) 332 8432

Or

Foodcourt at Riccarton Mall

Akaroa

Akaroa means long harbor in Maori. It's the largest French settlement in New Zealand. What attracted the French in the 1800s was the lucrative whale trade as the oil from the mammal is used to light the street lamps of Paris. In 1840, 62 French nationals arrived aboard Comte de Paris to settle in two neighboring towns, the other presumably Duvauchelle which is a short 10-15 minute car ride away.


The view as you're driving on Motorway 75 into Akaroa


I've just noticed a sheep lying on its side. Somehow I don't think it's playing dead.




Off to see Hector's dolphins, one of the smallest and rarest in world. The population of Hector's dolphin has dwindled to a mere 8000. The cause of this? Humans.


The Akaroa lighthouse began its life at Akaroa Heads in 1880 but was moved to the township 100 years later where it is currently situated.


Cannon


These gigantic cast iron cauldrons are in fact called try pots. They were initially built into the deck of whaling ships where blubber (fat of the whale) is boiled to make whale oil. These two try pots are located on Beach Rd, right on the waterfront.


Pohutukawa tree or our Kiwi version of Christmas tree. It's native to NZ.


Due to the recent massive earthquake where the epicenter was in Darfield, Canterbury (located less than an hour from Christchurch), a lot of buildings were affected. I saw many that were cordoned off with a warning note stuck on a visible place. Here, the chimney has cracked and is supported by wooden planks.


The jetty at Akaroa where one can be relieved of a massive fortune to see Hector's dolphins.

Lunch was at Bully Hayes which came high recommended by Tripadvisor. It's an alternative from my first choice, Vangionis which only opens for dinner. It's not cheap but that's to be expected in a very touristy town. My fish and chips wasn't bad at all. The service was cheerful and professional despite incessant demands from my traveling companions.


Scone baked in a terracotta pot


Fish and chips


Kiwi burger. Beware it's MASSIVE!


Smoked salmon with kumara mash

We stopped briefly at Barry's Bay cheese factory which is located on Motorway 75, a skip and a hop from Akaroa. I'm ashamed to say that I've seen their cheeses at the supermarket all these time but never really checked to find out where they were made.


Making Gouda cheese.