Tang's Soup, Royal Oak

I have been to this little cafe close to my place for 2 times and it was a great find because this place is really small but cosy,and the best thing about it is that parking spots are aplenty which is rather rare in Auckland central.

I pass by this cafe when commuting to and from work everyday and only until recently that I gave it a thought. From the outside, it looks really dingy, located amongst a small stretch of shops in a run down building.


The shop is of the size of an average living room of an apartment but it is very neat and clean with a few round marble tables and chairs.
Their specialty is double-boiled soups and some special Cantonese style desserts like Egg Pudding , Milk Pudding and Tong Sui. Since it was a very hot afternoon, we decided not to order any soups and just settle for some simple lunch.


Special marinated chicken feet. I don't eat chicken feet but my friends adore them and according to them this dish is only average because they prefer the chicken feet softer but the taste is quite good. I won't know because I only picked out some carrot shreds.

Steamed rice with preserved meat .This is a simple but appetizing dish served in a small wooden barrel. The meat are steamed on top of white rice and cabbage, giving the rice and cabbage a nice taste.

Steamed pork ribs with black beans on rice

This dish is alright but could have been better if there were more black beans.

Steamed spicy chicken and pork ribs on rice

I enjoyed this dish the most because of the nice fragrant spicy sauce and the succulent chicken meat. Since we ordered mostly rice dishes, at least this one is much more interesting than the others.

Steamed pork with shrimp paste on rice noodles

This is my first time trying the chinese 'belacan' , the shrimp paste. It tastes quite fishy but not as fishy as belacan....tastes more like salted fish. The pork is really tender and tastes good with the shrimp paste but maybe I am so used to eating the rice noodles (chee cheong fun) with sweet sauce in KL, it takes a little more effort for me to comprehend this.

We were quite full after all the food but S would order desserts every time they are offered. So he ordered a Egg Pudding and loved it.

The egg pudding is really smooth and sweetness is just right

Look at how smooth it is inside!!

It was a lovely lunch outing but I personally prefer to come here at night or on cooler days so that I can have the soups.

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Jade Terrace Restaurant, Howick

Went for a dinner last week to send off friends who are going home to HK for 2 months . Wish I was the one going off for a holiday now instead, anyways, we decided to go for lobsters and headed to Jade Terrace that evening.

Seafood Fatt Putt...I would say that this dish is only average because we were expecting the basket to be made of yam but instead, it was made with fried egg noodles. It's still pretty good but is still not as good as it would be with yam because once the noodles soften, it just seem to me like fried seafood egg noddles.

Egg tofu with seafood and fish roe

Sorry for the blur photos....it's difficult to make a good shot with all the monkeys at our table who are immensely impatient with sparing me some time to take a photo that touched our table. I have to fend off some oncoming chopsticks before I can at least take a photo of each dish.

Eight lobsters for seven people....aaahhh.....pure indulgence!

Actually, I think these are crayfishes, the smaller cousins of lobster as these fellas look smaller but the waitress told us they are 'lobsters' ( loong har).....oh well....they are still from the same family so as long as they are yummy....

These little yummy fellas are steamed with garlic and chinese cooking wine on a bed of mung bean noodles ( Fun Si) . It's really fresh but it could have been better if the chef would have been a little less generous with the cooking wine. I had only one and couldn't even swallow another gulp of water anymore. Now I regret that we've ordered so many dishes too.Fried Kang Kung with fermented tofu ( Fu Yu)

Steamed Orange Roughy Fish with Mui Choy

The fish is the last to arrive but still was not neglected because it was really fresh and tastes remarkably good. The fish we got was pretty big....weighing at least 2 kgs. The orange roughy fish is one that I have seen many times at the seasfood market but never thought of trying it because the fish is very huge and ugly and its body looks like some decomposed body but having tried this dish, it will totally change my perception of it. I will definitely buy it the next time I see one again.

Overall, we had an enjoyable evening of food but our night out was short-lived because of the deafening noise from another function in the restaurant. The food here is good but not great but I would say we good a good deal for our money's worth....the bill came out to be a little below NZD 300, pretty good deal.

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BACI , Rialto -Newmarket

Was craving for a brownie after dinner the other night. The weather was superb....warm and not windy at all. The thing about Auckland is that most cafes and shops are closed by 5pm or 6pm, leaving with little choice. There aren't a lot to begin with anyway.

So, to ease my craving for brownies without the prospect of getting one of those dry flakey ones from the supermarket, Baci was a clear choice for the location and also the opening hours.

I ordered a chocolate brownie, a mochaccino and S had apple walnut cake and a iced chocolate.
I like the Apple Walnut cake that S picked....it's pretty moist with generous amount of apples and walnuts but not too sweet either. I doubt that Baci made their own cakes....they probably bought it off somewhere. At NZ$ 6, it's rather steep but since they are the only one open at that hour....i should just count my blessing.
My brownies was great....but I think since my craving for it was so strong that I probably will agree with anything to looks like a chocolate brownie. Chocolate sauce is great but would have been better if they would have served it with vanilla ice-cream instead of whipped cream from a bottle. In Malaysia, most of the time when you order a cake they will garnish it with some fruit or chocolate sauce but I realise that here they give you whipped cream with every kind of cake. It was the same in Germany. When I was living there,they give you that every time, but that would cost an extra o.5 euro or more. Vielen Dank!

The drink was nice but unfortunately the picture didn't turn out well and I was a little impatient to drink it up.

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Indian Lamb Curry

Ever since I moved back to NZ last year, I am missing my dosage of Nasi Kandar from Kayu Nasi Kandar, Cheow Yang dearly. For some reason, I can't help but to believe that there's a certain truth that the cas-cas added into mamak food is some form of addictive like heroin. You keep wanting more and more....and you go back time and time again to feed your addiction.

Anyways, the thoughts of Nasi Kandar haunts and torture the living daylight out of me. The very thought of that nice blend of spices that cook the meat and rice makes me salivate incontrollably and the more I think of it, the louder I hear it calling my name. Therefore, I have no choice but to cook something similar but simplified to ease my pain.

I usually order lamb or beef curry with many other dishes like chicken,sotong (squid), fried egg,etc....but since I've been stripped of the luxury of having it as and when I wish, I have no choice but to cook a simplified version to curb my craving.

I bought some lamb shoulder chops, living in NZ, you are quite spoilt by the quality of lamb and beef as compared to Malaysia.Although the locals here know that the better lamb and beef are exported to the UK, but if you are willing to pay a couple more bucks buying from a good butchery or gourmet food store, you will get yourself very good meat. But even buying from the supermarket is not a bad choice a long as you pick a nice cut and they are fresh.

What I did was, adding some brinjals and lady fingers into my lamb curry....and then be very generous with my Baba's curry powder, star anise, ginger, cardamons, fennel powder, cumin powder, cinnamon and cloves. The lamb requires a short cooking time so cooking the whole dish requires less than 1 hour.

I also made some simplified version of Nasi Briyani with coconut milk, cloves and star anise. And to top it off with some poppadoms that I got from the Indian store.

The result?? Pretty decent meal for a Nasi Kandar amateur :) but at least it help in curbing my craving for a Nasi Kandar from Kayu Nasi Kandar which requires a 12 hours flight. Hmmm.....when is Kayu Nasi Kandar going to open a branch here in Auckland since they already opened in Melbourne, Brisbane and UK?? I hope you are reading this Mr Sirajuddin (MD of Kayu Nasi Kandar)!!! If you do, I volunteer to work for free !!!

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Zap 4

It has been a mystery for us of where do Thais go to get authentic good value Thai food in Auckland. One could easily spot a Thai eatery lacing the city of Auckland, most with stunning decor but pales in authenticity. Often, you find that Thai food in Auckland is on the sweet side and are only mostly available for fine dining.

So when my Thai friend recommended Zap 4 to me, I couldn't contain my excitement of finally having some well-deserved Thai food in a place where the food is cooked by Thais and eaten by Thais.

Wow!! Assured by the Royal Thai Goverment.......don't play play!!

Zap 4 is located on the dingy Commerce Street and not very appealing from the outside or if you have not heard about them. It looks like one of these forgotten food courts in the city with rows of rectangular canteen style tables and chairs and a counter where you order and pay your food.

Curry Puff with Sweet Chilli Sauce (NZ$ 7)

Our entree was the Curry Puffs .....it tastes like some frozen curry puffs you get in from the shops. The filling is a bit too sweet for my liking and I didn't enjoy it too much because I am very spoilt by the Karipaps at home with generous potatoes and curry chicken filling.

Pad Ped Beef (NZ$ 10)

The first dish that arrived was the Pad Ped Beef which is a spicy stir fried beef with phizom, green pepper seeds, bamboo and carrots. It the flavour is rather mild but gives more uummpph after you have swallowed it, that you get that tingle in your throat and tongue....it was very well cooked that none of the ingredient overshadowed the other...taking their turns to evoke your taste buds.

Curry Roasted Duck ( NZ$ 14)

I simply adore curries, and being a big fan of roast duck, this dish has won my attention amongst the long list of offerings at Zap 4. Unlike the version that I have tasted in another Thai restaurant that I went to couple of weeks ago, this one is a lot nicer because not

Pad Prik Grapoan (NZ$ 10)

My Thai friend ordered Pad Prik Grapoan; hot thai chilli stirfried with onion, basil and french beans. I personally think that this dish is the most interesting for the night. It may look like an ordinary stir fry but it packs more flavours than its looks. Would definitely go for it again during my next visit.

Chicken Nam Tok (NZ$ 10)

Nam Tok is a Northeast Thailand dish cooked with bbq meat with ground rice, chilli, lemon juice, spring onion and coriander. I have to say that this is the most ordinary dish of the night although it is rather good. Maybe because that I generally don't enjoy eating chicken breast that is why I didn't like this dish too much but I could imagine that if this would be pork or beef it would be much better just for the fact that these meats has more flavour than chicken breast. Perhaps, even if it was chicken thigh meat it would have been better.

I read in NZ Herald that there's a Zap 2 on Dominion Road. My Thai friends told me that they are the same as Zap 4, only with nicer decor for a proper sit down dinner. It's good to know because I am really looking forward to another trip for Thai food now that I have found something decent and not another cookie cutter Thai restaurants in Auckland serving overpriced food served by waitresses with ADHD.

Zap 4
6 Commerce St
Auckland City
10.30am to 9.00pm

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Divali Festival 2007,Britomart, Auckland 26-28 October 2007

This is the second time Divali Festival is being held in Auckland and fortunately, I made it this time having missed it last year before moving back from KL. In Malaysia, we would call it Deepavali but the Indians calls it Divali. As usual, I will try not to miss any good chances where food is present.

The weather was not very forgiving but overall pleasant on Sunday after a failed attempt to go on Saturday during the sudden downpour.Unlike the famed Lantern Festival which is held during the Chap Goh Mei ( last day of Chinese New Year) in Albert Park every year, the Divali Festival saw a smaller but rather impressive crowd, mostly local Indian migrants. Divali Fest is fast becoming a must see yearly agenda for many Aucklanders and also tourists alike.

Compared to the Lantern Festival, which is fiercely popular amongst the locals where you will see more Pakehas ( Europeans) than Chinese, Divali Fest is drawing the Indian crowd more than the Pakehas. Good sign for authentic Indian food.
Pakoras, samosas, dhal, rice....etc.....

Indian sweets

An indian friend bought this dish, if not mistaken is called Bhel Puri. He told us that you either love it or hate it. The little round puris are very light and crispy. What you do is you crack open a little hole and fill it with the spiced peas and potatoes......
and then you dunk it into the tamarind base sauce and dip a little chutney and ready to eat. It tastes sour followed by a rather sharp tingle on my tongue. Love? Hmm...not exactly but I would eat it again for sure!
Idli burger, the idli is similar to putu pirings we get at home. Here, it is made into a burger form with coconut and spices filling.

so fast and intricate...too bad it takes 4 weeks to wash off otherwise i would have gotten one too...

Same performers for every festival here

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Sichuan Cuisine : Feng Lin Restaurant, Howick

Howick is a melting pot of gatronomic diversity and with its unofficial title of Chinatown of Auckland, it certainly has some hidden kitchen bad-boys to live up to its unsurpassed concentration of great offerings of authentic mainland Chinese food and ardent followings.

we really had our 'sik san' ( eating spirit) when we decided to have dinner there last night despite a few failed attempts to even wedge our foot into its door. This place is usually booked out on weekends and reservations are a must to avoid eating McDs.La Zhi Xhia (Spicy Prawns)

The first dish we got was the La Zhi Xhia, it was a simple yet flavorful large prawns stir fried with Sichuan chili oil and some veges.....it certainly look more spicy than it really is. It's a very appetising first dish with the burst of freshness with the slight hint of sweetness.

Cold Marinated Beef Omasum and Beef Shin

This dish was really appetising and should have been the first to be served. I like that there's always plenty of coriander and spring onions in Sichuan dishes...it enhances the aromatic chili oil that is used widely in its dishes.

Cumin Lamb
Spiced BBQ Lamb...nice but a bit too dry
Fried Man Tou...super yummy!!! perfect texture!!
Spiced pork mince with eggplants....cannot see eggplants cos it's at the bottom...more meat than eggplant.
Long boiled duck with chinese ham soup....very clear but tasty!

Feng Lin is a new haunt for my craving of yummy authentic Chinese food and stay tuned for the my next trip!

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