A whiff of Eritrea in Auckland

The very first time I had African food was during a trip to Vancouver and I fell in love with the flavour, texture and the smell of my fingers after the meal. I was hooked. Since I am back in Auckland, I kept googling and finally found an Eritrean lunch outing through a food tour organiser, Finding Flavours.

This is not just a lunch outing, we are going to be served a meal cooked by an Eritrean family and followed by a coffee ceremony. There were about a dozen other foodies on the day and we were warmly welcomed by Aklilu and his sisters Rahel and Tsehaines in their family home. The smell of the food was making me hungry.After an introduction to the family and Eritrean food and culture, the dishes were presented to us on a table and we were encouraged by the family to eat as much as we like.

The meal starts with injera, a flat bread made from fermented rice flour is the base of a meal much like rice or pasta. The fermentation process created the airy soft texture of the injera.

Derho is a chicken and hard-boiled eggs in curry. The chicken was so tender, it fell off the bones.It was not very spicy, just a little hint of chilli with a nice gingery aftertaste.

Zigni is a lamb curry cooked with the family made from scratch curry paste. Very good too.

Alicha : stir-fried carrots, beans, potatoes ,garlic and onion with spices. It was so delicious that I ate almost half the bowl. No kidding.

Ades is a spicy lentil dish that goes really well with the injera.

Our lovely foodie, oops! I mean guide Lynn from Finding Flavours

Tsehaines & Aklilu generously shared their food and culture with us

Aklilu presented us Hmbasa bread to go with the coffee. Popcorn was also served and it's a common practice to have it before coffee is served.

Freshly baked Hambasa bread to go with the aromatic coffee

Green coffee beans are roasted over charcoal fire by Rahel


The roasted coffee grinds are then transferred to be boiled

If only I can have this coffee every morning..strong but not overpowering with a nice cardamon flavour lingering in your mouth.

We've spent almost 3 hours in the family home and it was one of the warmest occasions that was motivated by food but continued by sharing some of the families' stories in a group of like-minded, well-traveled foodies. I personally think it's a true privilege to share an amazing meal cooked by the people who eat it everyday at home themselves. Nothing can get as authentic as this. The experience was really memorable and kudos to Lynn from Finding Flavours for organising such a special occasion and am looking forward for more to come.

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First race of the year

Just collected my race pack after work last night and going to rise up early tomorrow to run the half marathon with an unwilling knee. Up until last Friday, I was still very uncertain if I should do it because my knee was still in agony but I received a lot encouragement and will show up with the best spirit tomorrow and see how far I can go. On somedays I thought I won't make it but I did and hopefully tomorrow is one of them. Heck, if I really can't go on anymore I will just find the nearest cafe to have my cuppa and get S to pick me up.

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O.P.I No Room For The Blues

A little bit of nail polish talk to kick off August blogging! I got this as a gift for Christmas and loved this shade to bits. It's also one of the best O.P.I shade that I have come across. It goes on beautifully and won't chip for a good 3-4 days without top coat and that means a lot to me

because I cook and wash a fair bit during the week. Coincidentally, I also have a ukulele in almost

the same shade. How matching is that ?

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Mamak in Chancery Square Auckland

I have been longing for a 'Mamak' style restaurant in Auckland for so long and always envious of Sydneysiders for having a very good one. So when I found out from a friend there is one, I was excited and enthusiastic! Mamak refers to Indian Muslims in Malaysia and Mamak style cooking and eateries are very much a big part of the Malaysians' eating / leisure culture because of the convenience , taste and great bang for your buck. Mamak stalls are popular throughout the day and to many Malaysians, the day starts with a Roti Canai or Nasi Lemak washed down with Teh Tarik ( Malaysian Pulled Milk Tea). Roti Canai ( Flaky Bread) is the star of any given mamak stall.

Mamak Malaysian in Chancery Sq is the only establishment that make their own Roti Canai fresh everyday and not reheated frozen ones you get from Asian supermarkets. Sorry to burst your bubble if you think that all the Roti Canai you have been eating all these while is made fresh. Mamak is one of the very few Malaysian eateries that make fresh Roti Canai in their premise. Like all other food, nothing beats freshly made option. I cringe when I read food critics goes on and on about how different they are from one restaurant to another because they are all from the same manufacturer.

Our meal started with a compulsory order of roti canai served with curry chicken. The roti was crispy but moist and has a nice chew unlike frozen ones. The serving was generous too. Definitely worth coming here just for the roti canai. They have roti telur (egg roti) too but they were a little too generous with the eggs and made the bread a little heavy.

A good meal at a Mamak always include a good milo ais which without much guessing means Milo with ice. This is the best milo ais I have tasted in Auckland that's not from a bottle.One might ask "aren't Milo the same everywhere?" No. The Milo in Malaysia is more chocolatey .

Mamak Mee Goreng is tangy and superlicious. It reminds me of the great mee goreng from the Mercury Plaza many many years ago. Good balance of sambal chili and tomatoes. The noodles are nicely covered with gravy but not sticky and gooey. Absolute winner !

I find this sign above their kitchen door hillarious.

Once the wet winter season is over, I will be looking forward to going to Mamak and eat in the courtyard area. The owner is a jolly host this is as close as it gets if you want to have a taste of mamak style food in Auckland, not to mention that they are the only one making Roti Tissue!

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Sunday Brunch at La Cantine du Torchon Ponsonby

I don't know how I came across the idea of visiting this little gem in Ponsonby. It's one of those places that you have driven pass dozens of times but never took notice of and then one day you decide to give it a try and asks yourself afterwards " Why haven't I been here before?" Well, never too late I guess.

La Cantine du Torchon is owned by the same management of as Pastis and Torchon. Pastis is one of my favorite restaurants in town and I find both Torchon and La Cantine du Torchon really good as well.




I ordered a galette (buckwheat crepe) with mushrooms cooked in cream and herb. When the waiter brought the dish to our table, it smelled so good and when I took my first mouthful, I wasn't disappointed at all. It's really good. The crepe was light and there generous amount of mushrooms cooked beautifully in cream and herbs.



S ordered a galette with ratatouille and it was really good although upon seing my dish he'd lost interest in his choice. But to be fair, this dish is also very good.



I love the rustic decor in most restaurants especially if they are original not new furniture pretending to be older than their age.



The cafe has a garden courtyard and more dining space upstairs. Will definitely check out the courtyard in the warmer months.

Coffee is decent although I personally would prefer something stronger.

I have returned twice since my last visit and will continue to be a fan to this great little crepe cafe.

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Revel Cafe, K'rd

When my office was close to K'rd, I never paid much attention to the surroundings except to get my kebab fix from The Turkish Cafe, flat whites from the now defunct Brazil Cafe and sushis from nearby foodcourts. About two weeks back, I felt an urge to check out the new gems in this part of town especially attracted to the idea of going back to Revel for brunch. This place is a real gem for great honest food.

It's always so cosy in here, unlike some cookie cutter style cafes that has sprung up sporadically across Auckland. This place oozes character at every corner.

After staring at the menu board for a wee bit, I chose a vegetarian option of Huevos Rancheros (yes, almost everything hee comes in carnivorous,herbivourous and omnivorous options) which came with two free range sunnyside ups, sweet corn, chilli beans, cheese, salsa and a minty dip. The flavors are very sharp too. I down all these goodness with a good strong Supreme coffee. For $16.50, this meal is pretty good value for money because I struggled to finish all of it and was very full and went on without a dinner, no joke.



S, being the disciplined eater as always went for a homemade muesli. Revel serves the best muesli we've come across so fat. It's a huge portion with rhubarb compote, creamy yoghurt , honey and served in a coconut husk bowl. It had a generous amount of mixed nuts too. Very often when he orders a muesli, he gets just that and milk. On a few occassions, he was shocked that he was given only a small packet of muesli in a bowl and milk ! Revel's muesli has set a new standard of expectation and for only $10, it's a real deal.

After stuffing our faces full, we went for a stroll along K'rd and on the way back to the car, we came across a metal reclaim shop just around the corner from Revel which displayed some really cool larger than life 'models' made from car parts. According to the owner, these beasts weights about 500kg and requires an average 100 hours of assembling !


Last but not least, what a cool sign on a Sunday morning. Yup ! His almighty needs a rest too.

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Oh Windy Welly !

I always complain that S and I don't plan our long weekends well enough and often miss outon enjoying the few public holidays we have in NZ. This year we pull our act together and book ourselves a short trip to Wellington. This is my second trip to Wellington and now I ask myself why haven't we been to Wellington more often before? It's such a lovely city, I could really imagine myself living in Wellington. The beautiful beaches all within a short drive form the city centre, great cafes, quirky shops and beautiful architecture. What struck us most was that the food are so good in Wellington, especially the coffee. We did not come across one mediocre coffee.

Speaking of a good cuppa, we drop in at the well known Fidel Cafe on Cuba St. Lovely food and great coffee , lots of character and loads of delicious baked goods to make your knees go weak!

After walking around town, we decided to drop into Moore Wilsons on Tory St. I am so jealous that Welingtonians are such a lucky bunch where they can come here to shop for food. This is like Nosh multiplied by 100!

Look at all the goodies on display at Moore Wilsons!

Macaron!! Pretty good but not as great as the ones from Ma Cherie

Fresh yummylicious Egg Roti from Roti Chenai for lunch on our first day because it was the first eatery we found that's open on Easter Friday.

We went to the famous Logan Brown for dinner. I read reviews that their Bistro Menu is really good so we went. It's a bit odd to be seated for dinner at 5.30pm . Form the main course I had Slow cooked pork belly with gnocci and S had Pan Roasted Tarakihi with Cauliflower Puree. Both dishes were cooked beautifully but in my own opinion lacks a bit of taste. Sorry I don't have the photos for dessert because it was really good and I forgot to take the photos.

The night was still young so we went to Kaffee Eis on Courtenay Place for some really good ice-cream.

Next morning, we went to Maranui Cafe for breakkie. Look at the stunning view. We were so lucky not having to wait for a table for both times we were here.

Mr S' muesli with generous berry compote and fruits

Grilled haloumi on bagel

I vowed that I will try to make this for Sunday breakfasts, still yet to happen. After a very satisfying breakfast, it's time to board the flight back to Auckland. During this trip, I became hooked on Supreme coffees and when I came back, I try to track down the cafes here that carries its coffee beans. Thankfully, I didn't have to go over the shore to find them. There are Revel on Vinyl and Good One. Time to check all of them out.

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Adidas Auckland Marathon 2011

Last year I completed my first half marathon. Not without a lot of joy, pain and sweat. When I finished my run, I sweared that I will never put myself through such an ordeal again.

This year I signed up for my second half marathon on the first day the entries were open. This time I aim to train smarter and hopefully beat my first PB. For now, I just need to buy a nice new running jacket to motivate myself until that happens.

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The IT from OPI

Summer's over but I am still addicted to bright and pastel nail polishes.Not a bad thing considering that I wear mostly black and grey throughout the year.

I bought the 'IT' colour is one of my latest favorite from OPI. It's amazingly easy to apply and stays on well..ok, only if you are like me who'd do 3 coats . I advise that this color is best with more than 2 coats because it's a little runny. It's super glossy too! If you want something to brighten up your day while typing away, this would be a good choice.

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5 days to Auckland Marathon

I am feeling a little nervous being so close to the Auckland Marathon now. Knowing that I am going to finally do this afer 6 months of preparation is relieving. Just a short post of some great sceneries during one of my training sessions in St. Heliers Bay. It was so breathtaking that I can't resist pulling out my iphone to snap a few shots before continuing my grueling routine. Moments like this reminds me why I would go out for a long run in this beaufiful city.

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