All posts filed under: dumplings

Cotto – Auckland

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I tried Cotto for the first time last week. I know, I know, I am super late on the bandwagon, but I finally made it… and I am so glad I did! It was everything I imagined and more. Cotto originally opened as a handmade-pasta pop up, but two years later they still occupy the same spot. Why, you may ask? Well, the team behind Cotto serve incredible Italian-inspired food. And some of the most flavourful dishes I have tried in Auckland. And the best part? Ordering 10 plus dishes between four will only cost you around $45, including a cocktail/beer/wine. Such a steal! Their menu is designed to be shared and is split into four sections by price – $5, $15, $20 and $10. Two of our group were vegetarians, but when looking at the menu, all I wanted to eat were the vegetarian dishes so this worked out really well. Everything we ordered was spot on. And full of cheese. Absolutely brilliant, because cheese is life. Below are all the dishes we savoured: $5 Farinata A …

Belly Worship – Auckland

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Neon lights? Check. Cheap and delicious Asian-fusion food? Check. Friendly service? Check. Unlimited corn chips and fizzy and closing time of 2am? Bonus.  You will find all this and more at the newly opened Belly Worship, a Chinese-fusion style restaurant located on Dominion Road. On the menu, there are a range of dishes available – steamed and fried dumplings, taco buns, spicy pancakes, stir-fried noodles, chicken, pork, beef and tofu dishes. The restaurant is not licensed, but they do offer a self-service bar where you pay just $3 for unlimited soft drink, alongside popcorn, corn chips and pretzels. This is a great idea – something to snack on while you wait for the rest of your party. It is also self-service for plates, bowls, cutlery and added sauces.  Between three of us, we ordered quite a feast:  – Spinach Taco Bun with Pork Belly ($7) – Shrimp, Pork and Chive Dumplings ($12) – Litchi Pork ($9.90) – Spicy Pancake ($5), with Duck (+$8) – Bamboo Chicken Wings ($14) – KungFu Kebabs with Fish Tofu and Beef ($16) – Scallion Fried Broccoli …

Auckland’s Best Street Food

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  I absolutely love street food. We are very lucky in Auckland as we are spoilt for choice when it comes to street food. There are many food trucks and stands offering a wide variety – think bao, dumplings, fried chicken, vegan burgers, tacos, sushi in cones, egg waffles, milk and cookies and gelato to name a few. Below, I have rounded up my favourite food trucks and food stands around Auckland, so that you can go out and enjoy them as much as I do! JUDGE BAO Back in 2015, I wrote a blog post – 5 Reasons Why I Love Judge Bao. Everything I wrote in the post remains the same – the owners, Debbie and Jamie are so down to earth, very welcoming and passionate about their product. Their bao is delicious and I enjoy trying their new creations and love seeing them at various food festivals and markets. Judge Bao make soft and fluffy Chinese steamed buns filled with mouthwatering tofu, pork belly or beef (and sometimes fish and chicken), fresh herbs …

Eden Noodles Cafe

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  I tried Eden Noodles Cafe for the first time last Friday. I know, I know, I am super late on the bandwagon. It might be that for a long time, I was put off by the long queues out the door or the fact that I can’t handle extremely spicy food. Anyhow, I finally made it… and I am so glad I did! It was everything I imagined and more. Eden Noodles Cafe is located on Dominion Road in Mount Eden and specialises in Sichuan cuisine. The menu is lengthy, and all dishes are reasonably priced. You can order fresh and handmade dumplings, noodles, soups, wontons, hotpot, rice dishes and Sichuan snacks. Their main drawcard is the Dumplings in Spicy Sauce. Ya Qin Zhang, aka ‘The Dumpling Queen’ makes between 3000-4000 dumplings a day at Eden Noodles Cafe. She can even make them with her eyes closed! Ya Qin Zhang aka ‘The Dumpling Queen’ We ordered a FEAST, because, well, I didn’t want to try only one dish, and it was also my first time trying …

Night Noodle Markets

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Over the weekend, I headed down to Victoria Park to check out the Night Noodle Markets. Held annually, this event celebrates mouthwatering Asian street food from around the country. This year, the Night Noodle Markets are being held over 10 days (Friday 1st to Sunday 10th December). There are 20 street food vendors to choose from, with dishes ranging from $5 to $15 each. I love the variety of the food too – think dumplings, BBQ’d meat, summer rolls, ramen, bao, loaded fries, spicy karaage fried chicken, pakoras, roti rolls, donburi, poke bowls, noodles, gelato, deep fried ice cream and smoothies in pineapples. Check out my foodie highlights below:  Hoy Pinoy – it was my first time trying Hoy Pinoy at this year’s Night Noodle Markets and they did not disappoint! They are a Filipino BBQ vendor, selling juicy pork and chicken on sticks. My favourite is the Inihaw na baboy – BBQ Pork Belly.  House of Dumplings – handmade dumplings in a variety of flavours. My favourites are their Nepalese Spiced Lamb and Korean …

Georgie’s Favourite Foods Party

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Today I turned 26 – woohoo! Over the weekend, I celebrated my birthday. I usually spend the whole year planning it – previous years, I have had a ‘G Party’ where everyone came dressed as something starting with the letter ‘G’, a Hawaiian Luau, complete with a pineapple cake, pina coladas, and luau dancing etc, and last year I had a Mexican Fiesta… it was so much fun! Fast forward to this year, all I wanted to do was go out for breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and dessert. Seeing as it just wasn’t practical, I turned to my food blogger friends for advice. Thanks to Bri, she came up with the brilliant idea of holding a buffet style lunch at my house, featuring all my favourite foods. Introducing, Georgie’s Favourite Foods Party. I am forever grateful for the generous amount of food provided from some of my favourite eateries. Check out what we ate for lunch below, plus something fun we did (DIY ice cream bar), the CAKE, and a fun surprise for my …

Auckland Restaurant Month: Odettes Eatery

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We are now in the last week of Auckland Restaurant Month! This annual event celebrates the central city’s diverse dining scene, offering 26 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! A fellow foodie friend (Bri) recently won a voucher (thanks to Neat Meat) to dine at her restaurant of choice… so last Tuesday night, Bri, Michelle, Genie and I had dinner at Odettes Eatery, where we tried their $40 Restaurant Month Menu – a four course banquet shared between four. Odettes Eatery is located at City Works Depot, and has been on my foodie wishlist for a while. It is a charming eatery, with a relaxed ambience, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Their menu is fresh and creative, drawing on flavours from the Mediterranean and changes seasonally. Two of our party arrived early, so we …

Auckland Restaurant Month: White + Wong’s

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If you’re looking for top-notch Asian fusion food, consistently good service and a buzzing atmosphere, then look no further than White + Wong’s, located on Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. White + Wong’s menu is one of my favourites in Auckland – it’s ‘east meets west’ and takes its inspiration from the street food found in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand. I love the variety of food choices – think raw/cold cuts, noodles, curries, delicious dumplings and buns. Their food is fresh, flavourful and looks exciting on the plate. I first dined at White + Wong’s a few month’s ago – we tried their edamame beans with a killer spicy and sweet sauce, a selection of their dumplings and gua bao, and their refreshing nashi pear iced teas. The service was great and the food was fantastic! Fast forward to earlier this month, I saw that White + Wong’s were doing a special menu for Auckland Restaurant Month. I just had to check it out! So, on Friday night, a fellow foodie friend and I tried out their 3 course menu. It was a pleasant evening, which meant we …

LUCKY STREET

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Recently, my parents moved overseas, which means my sister and I are now fending for ourselves in the kitchen – I was very excited, mainly because of the freedom we would have to cook whatever we fancied! However, after spending many nights chopping vegetables, making marinades, stir-frying meat, cooking rice etc. and then eating very late, I have come to the conclusion that poached eggs on toast, takeaways and food deliveries are simply the best. And my new favourite dinner? Street food, like tacos, dumplings and burgers, delivered straight to your door! Introducing LUCKY STREET, a new weekly meal-kit delivery service, run by taco aficionados Sarah and Otis Frizzell from The Lucky Taco. Launching this Sunday 20 August, LUCKY STREET will offer two “fun, tasty and easy-to-assemble” meal kits which are delivered to your doorstep each week, each including award-winning Lucky Tacos and another dish that will change weekly. The second dish will be from famous food joints, such as cult Korean burger bar Tiger Burger, Brazilian-Japanese sushi from the Temaki Truck, pop-up Miss Changy, Thai eatery Farang Cafe and …

Allan Scott Generations Gewurztraminer matched with Kimchi & Tofu Dumplings

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Two of my favourite winter foods are Kimchi and Dumplings. A staple in Korean cuisine, Kimchi is made from salted and fermented vegetables, in particular napa cabbages and Korean radishes, with added seasonings and chilli. Different variations of dumplings are eaten worldwide. In Auckland, it is easy to find a good dumpling, either in a restaurant, at a cheap eatery, and even in the supermarket. I have eaten plenty, believe you me, but have never actually made my own. Fast forward to last week, I received a bottle of the brand-new Allan Scott Generations Gewürztraminer 2016 from Allan Scott Family Winemakers, which was one of the first independent wineries to establish in Marlborough, New Zealand in 1990. The Allan Scott Generations Gewürztraminer (dubbed ‘G’whizz’ by the Allan Scott team) is the newest addition to their exclusive Generations range, with delicate and floral flavours and aromas – think exotic spices, candied figs, turkish delight and lychees. The G’whizz is divine on its own yet truly brought to life when paired with exotic foods, such as sweet Middle Eastern dishes, …