C A K E. I love you like a fat kid loves cake. Let them eat cake. Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me. You are the icing on my cake… These are my all time favourite CAKE quotes, because seriously, who doesn’t love cake?!?
Beruit. A place I had never heard of or travelled to. Turns out it is the largest city and the capital of Lebanon. I know of Lebanese cuisine, but not enough to be an expert. And because of this, I was very excited to try out the latest restaurant on Auckland’s dining scene. Walking in, the decor is rustic, yet stylish and very inviting. We were greeted by the lovely Louise, the manager of Beirut, who gave us an introduction about Beirut and its cuisine, in that they not only serve Lebanese food (i.e. Kibbeh and Fattoush), but a range of Middle Eastern dishes as well, all of which have been modernised. Louise also explained all the dishes on the menu in thorough detail, which was great, but it did make ordering difficult because she made everything sound divine! Beirut’s menu is ideal for sharing, which suited our group of five well. All of the dishes are served on beautiful ceramic plates (from Studio Ceramics in Auckland) and presented well. For starters and mains, we ordered the following: Smoked Yoghurt Labna with citrus burnt ghee, date, chickpea and scorched flatbread. …
As of yesterday, in one months’ time, I will be in Spain. And what better way to celebrate than at Yelp Auckland Elite’s ‘Spanish Fiesta’ event held at The Black Hoof last night! The highlight of the night was definitely the moorish toasted sandwiches filled with jamon (or Spanish cured ham) and melted cheese – I couldn’t get enough of them! We also got to sample mini meatballs, goats cheese croquettes, salted almonds and olives, all of which are on The Black Hoof’s tapas menu. Other highlights included the two huge legs of jamon, carved beautifully by Joan of Iberian Foods. There were two different types of jamon – the first one named ‘Iberico Bellota’ which is an acorn-fed pig and the second one named ‘Iberico Mangalica’ which is Hungarian grain fed pig (if you google them, you will see that they sort of resemble sheep!) Both jamon were scrumptious – salty, soft and they would be perfect in sandwiches or just delicious on their own! To accompany all the delectable delights, Jorge from Casita Miro provided a sherry tasting …
A few Friday’s ago, I attended my first ‘Yelper Party’ in Auckland. It was an AMAZING night! Everything was fabulous, from the venue, to the food, drinks and entertainment – the lovely Miss Bridget Walsh sang and she was brilliant! The event titled ‘So Fresh & So Clean’ was held at Thievery Studio, a space above La Gonda Arcade in K’Road – and what a great venue it was! White walls, spacious areas to move in and out of and overall, the perfect place to showcase delicious foods, drinks, music and crafts. The highlight of the night was definitely the Bluebells Cakery stand. When I heard last minute that they were showcasing at the Yelper party, I was over the moon! I have tried their cupcakes at other events, but haven’t had a chance to get out to their Hillsborough bakery. Karla Goodwin and her team showcased the most delicious array of treats… think salted caramel doughnuts, chocolate brownie, red velvet cupcakes, ginger crunch, peanut brownie cookies and a moist gluten free almond and orange …
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