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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Home-cooked Lobster E- Meen

The other day we were invited to friend's birthday dinner and was treated to a meal of lobster E-meen. I have never cooked lobster before and it looks a lot easier than what it seems.

These yummy buggers relaxing in the sink before becoming our dinner

My friend being a Hong Kongese, used the Hong Kong style E-meen. It looked very different from the Malaysian type....it's thicker and more al dente and the combination of the E-meen with the gorgeous lobster is totally heavenly. The lobsters were so fresh, with sweet juicy flesh and the E-meen totally absorbed all the nice flavours, together with the spring onions and ginger it was perfect !! The sauce is very simple : just oyster sauce, sugar, salt, chinese cooking wine and water....simply perfecto. As you can see from the pictures, there are more lobsters than E-meen...hahaha....sure nice lah. Will try to make this dish on my own when there are fresh lobsters available soon....yummmm!!!

Lastly, a yummy chestnut filled fruit topped cake for dessert to compliment our perfect dinner.

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Sri Puteri's, Panmure

I discovered this cozy place by coincidence during a visit to a real estate agency in Panmure. I've only been to Panmure once for work purpose until I spotted this rare gem, which has made Panmure a place to visit every Sunday for a much needed dose of Malaysian food.

This place has been recommended by Metro magazine and its popularity has skyrocketed since. The restaurant is small and looks dingy but once you are seated by the iconic lady owner with the infamous megawatt smile and warm hospitality, Lily Gomez; it instantly becomes a weekly agenda, if not a ritual.Going there during the warmer periods of the year eases my homesickness, especially with a sip of teh halia ( ginger tea) brewed to perfection.

Sri Puteri's brings that nice multicultural blend being run by Malaysian Indians and Malaysian Chinese. Unlike other Malaysian restaurants that are solely operated by Malaysian Chinese, this place oozes a homeyness as if you are sitting in the kopitiam or mamak. The chefs are Penangites ( people who originated from Penang, Malaysia) who whips out some wicked Char Kuey Teows and their sambal belacan is seriously not for the faint hearted locals who are not accustomed to the Malaysians' love for everything spicy and pungent uumpph.

Last week we went for a lazy Sunday brunch and ordered char kuey teow, nasi lemak , mee yoke and washed it down with teh halia and bandung. S loves bandung but very quickly develop a fondness for this much loved unsung hero of a drink.
This little one sure knows what good food tastes like.....

The char kuey teow ( NZD 8.50) fares well...with a lot of wok hei and is comparable to my usual haunt from the char kuey teow uncle in Mercury Plaza .The most delectable nasi lemak (NZD 10.50) in Auckland but abit stingy with ikan bilis (anchovies) and peanuts.
Hmmm.....teh halia(NZD 2.50).
The mee yoke (NZD 9.50) is not bad but nothing close to SS2 Lim Mee Yoke's.

Sambal belacan with 'uummph'

With such gorgeous food and atmosphere,Sri Puteri's is definitely the place to wrap up a week and anticipate the one ahead....with another visit !

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