Review: Blue Breeze Inn, Ponsonby Central

If you have been a fan of Moochowchow, you will love the new Blue Breeze Inn that has recently opened in Ponsonby Central. I found out about the latest brainchild from the geniuses who brought Moochowchow via The Denizen and was excited to try it out. Moochowchow is one of my favourite place to eat in Auckland (strangely enough I have never posted anything about them) and I am eager to let them take my taste buds on another culinary adventure.

We got off to a late start on a very disgusting Saturday with non-stop tropical like rain. I was adamant not to let the weather to dampen my Saturday mood so I decided on a little perk me up and go to Blue Breeze Inn. Actually, it's more like I thought there will be better chance of getting a table on a day like this. So we traipse in and found a table for two immediately. We were greeted by the friendly owner of Moochowchow and he remembered my hubby and then took us to a nice table for two at the end of the restaurant. Since we arrive in between lunch and dinner service, only a limited selection from the menu is available. Fine by me because the waitress has warned me when I rang but decided not to book a table because I was told we could easily have a seat at the bar. I like being unorganised on weekends. We ordered Dandan Noodles, Bang Bang Chicken and some steamed asian greens. The food here is a fusion of Chinese cooking with Pacifican ingredients  but I find it leans more more towards Chinese flavours.

Dandan noodles($26) came with a braised beef shin brothe with generous amount of mushrooms and tender beef shin. It's not the typical Dandan noodles that is lrepared with sichuan peppers to numb your tongue. It was rather mild with a sweet undernote of black glutinous rice vinegar and a hint of star anise and other spices. The broth is honest,luscious and truly nousirshing on a cold and wet day. I do find it a tad too sweet, just a tad. The noodles were delicious.

Bang Bang Chicken- how could you not order a dish with a name like that? I think half of the people ordered it just because it sounds fun. The flavours are really nicely balanced with a good hint of soy sauce, chilli oil, sesame oil and coriander but I find the price of $18 for a small snack of the size a little steep. It looks like a lot on the photo but it really wasn't that much. It's a lovely dish but not a must order.

The service and decor are fantastic although I felt a little claustrophobic being squished in a tiny corner but you get used to it after 10 minutes. Not an ideal place for large group because the space is tiny. Do check out the bathroom. The door swings open, just missing the sink by a fraction of a centimetre,impressive! There is bar seating where you can watch chef Che Barrington and his team of young and energetic staff working away in the kitchen. It's awesome. 

I will be back for sure to try out their full menu before deciding if I like this place as much as Moochowchow. The atmosphere is great with some lovely Hawaiian tunes and you forget that you are in the middle of winter for a while. The next time I will make sure I get a seat at the bar and marvel at all the ingredients and cooking that goes on. 

Blue Breeze Inn

146 Ponsonby Road

09-3600303

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My week in NYC- Eating pork buns at Momofuku

One of the most important tasks that I had on my recent trip was to have a meal at David Chang's Momofuku for its uber famous Pork Bao which has generated a cult following. I was dreaming day and night and told all my friends that I must eat at a Pork Bao at Momofuku. And so I did. It was a rainy Monday afternoon in NYC as we headed into East Village for the much anticipated meal. Maybe it's the rain, we got in just before 12pm and got 2 seats right away in a cozy corner. You can imagine how excited I was being there. Kids get excited in Disneyland, I get excited in a noodle bar! My parents will be so proud of me.

We ordered 2 sets of pork buns with hoisin sauce, scallions and cucumber, a noodle and salad to share with hopes of squeezing in some dessert later. When the buns arrived at the table, I held them tight as if they were my first born. The buns were so light and fluffy; it's like no other buns I have ever eaten before and the chunky pieces of  pork are thick and juicy with the gelatinous pork fat melting in your mouth with each bite. The meat was tender and flavourful but I could really do with a little more hoi sin sauce.

As you can see the buns are not very big but after 2 pieces I was half full. Disappointing. I would have liked to eat some desserts .

Before going to NYC, I have read some negative reviews about the noodle at Momofuku. I thought I should give it a try and have my own opinion about it. I have to agree that the Spicy Miso Ramen is nothing to write home about. There is no spicyness in the soup which was bordering on bland but I did like the textures of all the elements particularly the noodles which was al dente.

Fava bean -freekeh salad with feta cheese was refreshing and pleasant but not something that I would reorder.

The decor is very simplistic but cosy and you don't feel cramped in. Probably not a child-friendly place but that's a noodle bar for you. It's meant to be a quick bite for lunch or a quick catch up after work.

After our meals, I was too full to stomach the dessert although I really really wanted to give it a try.
Was it worth the effort to track this place down? Yes. The pork buns are phenomenal and if you have a company of four or more, you can try to go to try out the famous fried chicken and peking duck from Momofuku Ssam Bar which requires at least 4 people with healthy appetites.
Anyway if you are into the new craze of Asian fusion food, you may want to give this place a try. The prices are very reasonable for its status, service and quality.

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 first ave
btwn 10 and 11th street
New York 10003

If you are in the US, it helps to have the Yelp app. It takes the guesswork out of finding the next meal and most of the time you will know what you are getting yourself into. We have had some incredible meals with the help of Yelp.

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Why I wasn't blogging ?

I had a tremendous surprise coming back from my holiday when I found out that I had a surge of visits to my blog! It's a bit of a relief because I have been writing this blog for a couple of years now and I do enjoy sharing my own experience and learning from others and it would be a shame if no one wants to read it any more!

So, why I wasn't blogging for more than a month? I have been travelling to Asia, Europe and North America and I had the best intention to do so but I only had my ipad with me during this trip and the blogger app is a real pain to blog and to top it off, I was getting very flaky wifi. I will remember to update my twitter instead next time. If you are on twitter, please say hi.

Just a quick update , here are some photos of my food adventure in Kuala Lumpur. I have tons of photos that needs uploading but please be patient with me until I post more about my recent trip.

Claypot Loh Shee Fun in Petaling Street 

 Frog legs 

 Nasi Lemak Ayam Goreng

 Roasted Pork Braised Egg Noodles aka Siu Yok Mee in Petaling Street - best dish I have eaten in Kuala Lumpur

Live turtle and eels. I didn't eat the turtles.

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