All posts filed under: Cocktails

Andy’s Burgers & Bar – with Robots!

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Andy’s Burgers and Bar are back! I was recently invited to dine at the newly refurbished Andy’s Burgers & Bar, so I took along two of my burger and cocktail loving friends to check it out. Located in the SkyCity complex, Andy’s Burgers & Bar have a slick new fit out (love the geometric tiles!), an updated menu and a new QR code ordering system. And the best part? Robots!!! Friendly service robots (namely Bella & Buzz) who bring your order right to your table. We really enjoyed our night at Andy’s Burgers & Bar and can guarantee everyone will love something on their menu, whether it be their EPIC burgers, famous wings, or loaded nachos with a side of Mac ‘n’ cheese. Although the restaurant is connected to the main gaming floor, and it does get noisy due to the live sport on the big screens, don’t be put off by this. This casual burger joint serves tasty burgers, excellent cocktails (or a Traffic Light Float for the young ones), plus the service is …

5 Reasons Why I Love Hello Beasty

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If you haven’t been to Hello Beasty yet, then you are seriously missing out! I must admit, I’m very late to the party, but thanks to my boyfriend’s love for the restaurant, we had a date night here recently… it was everything I imagined and more. Here are five reasons why I love Hello Beasty and why you should visit pronto! 1. The Service, Ambience and Layout. From the moment we walked in, service was welcoming and friendly, not to mention, excellent throughout the night, with the usual things I look out for – drinks and food arriving promptly, water glasses topped up regularly, and wait staff attentive and always on hand to explain the dishes and make suggestions. Kudos to Emma Rogan, co-owner (along with award-winning chef and husband, Stu Rogan) who was running front of house the night we were there – she was friendly, professional and lovely to chat with. We were seated in Hello Beasty’s open-air courtyard overlooking Market Square – the best spot in my opinion and great for people …

Mexico’s New Spring Menu

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You can probably tell from my social media that I absolutely love dining at Mexico. Read more about Mexico here, here and here. It is one of my favourite eateries in Auckland, for its vibrant and fresh Mexican cuisine, extensive tequila list and super funky and delicious Frida’s margaritas.  Two weeks’ ago, Mexico launched their new Spring Menu and it is full of new dishes, new flavours and features fresh, locally sourced seafood and free range proteins. The best part? They have added a whole new Fried Chicken section, namely “Mexico Frita” which includes their original Fried Chicken, and the new Savoury and Spicy Popcorn Fried Chicken. Plus, Fried Cauliflower for the plant based amigos. YUM. Ceviche has returned in their “Specialities” section, and also features three new dishes – Cumin Spicy Crispy Squid, Crispy Fried Chicken Burger and Slow Cooked Pork Belly Skewers. Drooling yet?! And for all you margarita lovers, there are new Frida’s Margaritas flavours, including Watermelon and Green Apple, Blueberry and Yuzu and Pineapple and Ginger. Between six of us, we …

#NZContentCollective Margarita Masterclass with Mexico

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Last Thursday night, #NZContentCollective and I hosted a Margarita Masterclass at Mexico in Britomart.  One of my other loves (besides food) is T E Q U I L A! I mostly like it straight, and of course, in Margaritas – my favourite cocktail! Since travelling around Mexico two years ago (including visiting the Jose Cuervo Distillery in the town of Tequila and learning about the history and how it is made), my passion for all things Mexican (hello calaveras!) has grown and I am an even bigger fan of the spirit.  So, when the opportunity arose to collaborate with Mexico by organising a Margarita Masterclass with Herradura and El Jimador Tequila, we were in! Plus, the idea of becoming a master in the fine art of making and consuming margaritas simultaneously sounded like our type of evening, so why not share it with 37 other like-minded people, namely content creators, bloggers, foodies, and business owners! On a chilly Thursday night, we arrived at Mexico in Britomart and were led upstairs to their super cool Mexican-style …

Something & Social – Newmarket

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READY. SET. SOCIAL. Last Saturday, Laura, Evo and I enjoyed ‘Bottomless & Social’ at Something & Social, an all-day modern bar and eatery, brought to you by the team behind the award-winning Pilkington’s, located in Westfield Newmarket’s Rooftop on Broadway. ‘Bottomless & Social’ is Something & Social’s NEW Bottomless Brunch, which kicked off last weekend and is running every Saturday and Sunday… for 6 W E E K S! For the brunch, we were seated in their courtyard – the sun was shining, live music playing the the atmosphere was fantastic. Tickets are reasonably priced at $45 and include a 2 Hour Bottomless Package, with five drink options to choose from:  Grapefruit Splash (Squealing Pig Pinot Gris, Grapefruit and Lime Juice) English Rose (Sparkling Rose and Elderflower Syrup) Estrella Damm Beer Moscow Mule Vodka Cocktail  Cranberry Vodka Cocktail The crowd favourite was the Moscow Mule! It was perfectly balanced and we loved drinking this in the sun! We also loved the fact that you can drink any of the above during your brunch – you are not …

Mexico’s New Winter Menu

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Last week, Mexico launched their new Winter Menu… and it is full of new changes! Their new Winter Menu style includes two new sections – Mucha Carne, literally translating to ‘a lot of meat’ which includes four bigger dishes designed for sharing, including:  Agave & coffee braised pork ribs, capsicum mojo, habanero chili and agave mole; Barbacoa rubbed beef, chimichurri, crispy shallots and pickled vegetables; Guajillo chicken, pineapple salsa, candied sesame seeds and coriander; and Xocolate braised beef short rib, butternut pumpkin mojo, pink peppercorns and sango. PLUS, an all-new Sides section, designed to add a little something extra to the table. Your choice of Red Rice, Cos Salad, Broccoli Florets, Crumbed Portobello Mushrooms, Green Beans and Fried Patatas – YUM.  Mexico’s Winter Menu also features three new Frida’s Margaritas flavours – Blueberry & Lavender, Pineapple & Orange and Raspberry & Yuzu. Plus, new beers, wines, sangrias and an updated Tequila menu (with an added Mezcal section), and if you are the sober driver for the night, your choice of three new Sodas.  Between three of …

Little Bird Unbakery

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Attention Little Bird Organics and The Unbakery lovers, the HYPE is real… Little Bird Unbakery is now open for dinner! At last year’s Taste of Auckland, the festival’s first dedicated vegan restaurant, Little Bird Organics, announced they were trialling out four dishes which could potentially go on the menu of their new dinner offering at their Ponsonby Unbakery! Think Smoked Watermelon Sashimi, Hemp Tacos with BBQ Cauliflower and Kimchee Slider with Gochujang Black Bean Patty. Yum! Fast forward to two weeks ago, Little Bird Unbakery opened for dinners, and I can see it becoming a very popular place! It is somewhere where you can enjoy a wholesome plant-based delicious meal… and feel great afterwards.  The idea of their new dinner offering is to showcase seasonal organic bites, meals and desserts (all dairy-free, gluten-free and vegan), paired with an all-natural wine list, organic cocktails and craft beer. The menu will change and grow over the coming weeks, depending on the seasonal produce available and feedback from the public. Little Bird Unbakery have only just obtained their liquor license this …

A Weekend in Wellington

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It was my birthday a few weeks’ ago, so I decided to spend a weekend in Wellington. Here’s what we got up to on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Enjoy! FRIDAY We arrived in Wellington around 1pm and thankfully, it was a nice sunny day! Uber seemed a tempting way to get to our hotel, but instead we caught the Airport bus to the “Wellington Railway Station” ($12 one way). The trip only takes about 20 minutes, but somehow we missed our stop, and ended up on the motorway, driving to Petone! Never fear, we had planned to visit Petone in the afternoon. Ravenous, we headed to Kilim for a late lunch. Kilim is a family owned restaurant (there is also a branch in Napier which we have been to) and they do great Turkish fare. We ordered their Doner Kebab with chicken and Iskender Meal with falafel, which also comes with a generous amount of rice, hummus, beetroot dip, mixed salad, tabbouleh and Turkish bread. Both meals were filling, delicious and reasonably priced. Highly recommend …

American Express Restaurant Month: SOUL goes NOLA

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Food lovers rejoice because American Express Restaurant Month is here! From 1-31 August, American Express Restaurant Month celebrates Auckland CBD’s diverse dining scene, offering 25 unique dining events and the chance to experience over 100 special menus, priced at $25, $40 and $55+. It is also a great opportunity to step outside the box and eat odd – try a food you wouldn’t normally eat and have a whole lot of fun doing it! Last Sunday, a friend and I were invited to dine at SOUL. In honor of Restaurant Month this year, SOUL goes NOLA! They have a limited edition menu which is inspired by the colours, textures, flavours and food trends of New Orleans! The SOUL goes NOLA menu will be available until 26 August for both lunch and dinner, for just $40 per person for a two-course meal or $50 including dessert. It’s bold, it’s funky, it’s pure southern deliciousness! We indulged in their $50 three course lunch, matched with their Restaurant Month special cocktail featuring house-made limoncello, fig and thyme cocktail and two Church Road wines – McDonald …

Orleans – Britomart

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I have visited Orleans on a few occasions – mainly for their Waffles with Fried Chicken and Maple Chili Syrup (a special lunch deal on Wednesdays, which, by the way, is awesome) and at night when they have live jazz music. You can also sit at their bar and have cocktails and small plates, or go there for a delicious Southern meal, complete with dessert. Orleans, located on Customs Street East in Britomart, does all this and more. A few weekend’s ago, I met a friend for drinks and small plates – we were there to check out Orleans’ new menu and were super excited to try some different dishes, as opposed to just ordering fried chicken and waffles.  Firstly, the drinks. Orleans serve an extensive range of drinks – they have an excellent cocktail menu, plus serve bourbon cocktails, Hardshakes (milkshakes with liquor), wines by the glass, bubbles and a few beers. On the night my friend and I dined at Orleans, they had a special cocktail of the week – ‘Kill Bill Vol. 2‘. I …