.Cronut or Cronot.

Finally!!!  

There is a place in Auckland where you can experience what the rest of the world has been talking about.

It is a cross between croissant and donut. 

It looks like a donut but taste like a croissant with crunchy texture and lightly coated with sugar. 

It is available at Takapuna Beach Cafe but you need to get there early as it will sell out before midday! 

.Big Mac - Macaron Cronut.

Join the Cronut Craze Aucklanders!!!
VL

.Local Fix #2.

Good morning Foodies!  

Welcome to my Local Fix, brunch edition.  Foodies should be familiar with Dominion Road, this popular stretch is well known for its Asian cuisine but there are also plenty of bakeries and cafes to go to for a wake-me-up weekend brunch.  

.La Voie Francaise.

875 Dominion Rd

Literally up the road from our place, this little French Patisserie offers a wide selection of French pastries and sweets.  The Patissier of this bakery is from Japan and have worked alongside Pierre Herme.  So with its strong French connection it is no wonder this humble local was awarded Best Bread by Metro.  It's so popular that their counter is almost cleared out by the lunchtime crowd so make sure you pop in early.

.Vinyl.

218 Dominion Rd

This funky cafe serves up Coffee Supreme coffees and their brunch menu is very different from your usual in that they cater for mexican food lovers, vegans, dairy and gluten free foodies.  I love Vinyl's version of porridge, it's made from brown rice with poached plums and cinnamon.  The taste & texture is unique while it's also a healthy substitute to the oaty kind and not to mention how great you'd feel after eating it.  Vinyl oozes an eclectic vibe, from their alternative house rock to their mix of clientele from young hipsters and bikers to families and elderlies.  It's worth the visit especially if you feel like veering from your same old and with a bunch of friendly staff, affordable prices and most importantly, really really good espresso coffees, why wouldn't you?

.Cereal Killa.

360H Dominion Rd

This place is so popular on the weekends that if you go any later than mid-morning, getting a table is near impossible.  Cereal Killa puts their own twist on standard cafe cuisine like french toast with poached nectarines & coconut passionfruit custard; a bacon omelette with tomato, pesto, parmesan served with a bloody good chutney.  The highlight for me is their signature porridge, a coconut base with pear, ginger, rhubarb and a drizzle of caramel sauce around the edge of the bowl.  Even if you're not a porridge lover, I guarantee you will be by the end of it.  Their barista Lili took out the outstanding coffee establishment/barista award for 2013, which explains why they always deliver topnotch coffees  even when they are super busy plus their take away coffees are served with a little java on top, now that's a nice touch.  So ensure you come early for a table but if you do have to wait why not visit the vintage shop across the road for some home inspiration while you do.

Now enough of me talking, be sure to try it out when you're in the hood.

VL

.Eastern Breeze.

I was somewhat skeptical about going to an "Asian fusion" restaurant, I guess being a purest and thoughts that to have great asian food means going to a traditional Chinese restaurant.  Well I can safely say that the Blue Breeze Inn has blown that theory out of water.

We stepped in The Blue Breeze Inn on a cold Saturday afternoon and were greeted with heavenly aromas drifting from the open plan kitchen.  We were taken to our table and then introduced to our very friendly waiter who was very charming and attentive to our needs.  Looking around, the decor is wonderfully rustic with lovely warm tones of East meets Pacifica and the space is bathed in natural sunlight.

The concept is to order things to share with friends, we found it very hard to decide on what to order as there were so many delicious sounding dishes.  After much debate we decided on the following:

.Barbecued Pork Buns.

 w/ picked cucumbers and coriander

First to come to the table were these morsels of absolutely amazingness! The freshly made steamed buns had a wonderful soft texture and complemented the crispy barbecued pork with just the right amount of hoisin sauce for extra flavor.  They are a must try!!

.Fragrant Aubergines.

 stir friend in Sichuan chilli bean paste, garlic and ginger  

I love a good aubergine dish and this was lovely with a hint of spicy coming from the Sichuan chill bean paste.  The aubergines were perfectly cooked.

.Pork & Black Truffle Soup.

 "Xiao Long Bao" Dumplings

These dumplings were very nice, tho we couldn't taste the truffle as the ginger were the stronger of the 2 flavors.

.South Island Paddle Crab.
stir-Fried in Chilli and Black Bean Paste w/ garlic, ginger and coriander 

This dish is definitely not a first date kind of dish.  Be prepared to dig in with your fingers and eat in a non-ladylike manner.  The colours of this dish were so vibrant and the flavor well balanced.  You will need a bowl of rice to absorb the sauce as it is just too yummy to waste.

.Red Braised Crispy Pork Ribs. 

w/ horseradish caramel and pickled red dates

Wow! Wow! Wow! This dish took me to my happy place! The meat so tender and packed with flavor.  Every bite leaves you wanting more.  Again you will need a bowl of rice to soak up all that delicious gravy.

The Blue Breeze Inn has our grand seal of approval! Each dish took us on a little journey through Asia.  I always say that if everyone at the table is quietly eating then the food must truly be WOW!! Us girls at The Weekend Fix talk alot and well there were many moments where silence descended upon our table during lunch and we looked at each other and just smiled.  A smile of pure food happiness.

We will definitely be back and it will be very soon!

Peace & Love

Mrs BC & PS xx

.Cake Meet Couture.

The very popular and widely coveted cake artist, Bella Cupcakes has been selected as one of the top 5 cakers in Auckland to compete in the inagural Shore City Art of Cake Awards.

The theme of the competition is to create the country's best-dressed cake, inspired by the theme Haute Couture (High Fashion).

"Haute Couture to me is about the beauty of textures, the love and attention to detail, the hours of work put in to make a piece stand out and demand the attention of those around.  This is where I draw my inspiration from." Quote from Bella Cupcakes.

The perfect description befitting to her entry masterpiece...

Show your support and vote for Bella Cupcakes at Shore City in Takapuna, voting closes on the 11th July.

VL

.Macaron Tower.

I love a challenge!  

Building a macaron tower was a challenge that I set for myself to achieve.  As we all know, practice makes perfect so here are a few attempts I made to build a macaron tower.

My first attempt - I used tin foil to cover a polystyrene cup and toothpicks to attach macarons to the tower.  I found this method very difficult to space the macarons nicely on the tower.  

My second attempt - I used melted chocolate to attach macarons to a tin foil covered cylinder made from cardboard.  It worked well but my macarons had too much filling in them so they look very big and they don't fit well together.

My third attempt - I applied the same method as above but this time I filled my macarons with less fillings so they do not look as big and they fit perfectly.  This macaron tower used 98 macarons to build and it took me about 1/2 hour to assemble the tower.  It was extremely rewarding to see my tower holding up and looking great!

Here are my tips for building a macaron tower...

• Use melted chocolate to attach macarons to the tower
• Do not overfill your macarons
• Instead of buying a polystyrene cylinder for the tower, you can roll cardboard into a cylinder shape and filled the hole with scrap paper
• Use tin foil to cover your cylinder

Challenge yourself and give it a go!  

VL

.S'more Fix.

According to Wiki, s'mores are traditional night time campfire treats popular in the United States and Canada consisting of a roasted marshmallow and a layer of chocolate sandwiched between two pieces of Graham Crackers.

I was determined to make this delicious treat but unfortunately New Zealand does not have Graham Crackers so I had to look for a substitute.  I was surprised at the amount of forums out there discussing the perfect substitute for Graham Crackers, I'm guessing there must be a lot of serious s'mores fans out there!!!

I managed to find a substitute that is available in New Zealand supermarket and has similar texture and flavours to Graham Crackers with slightly less calories as this recipe does not require adding an extra piece of chocolate in between your crackers and marshmallow.

What you need:

• Marshmallow
• Chocolate coated digestive biscuits
• Stove or open fire

Three easy steps:

1. Put marshmallow onto a skewer
2. Toast it over the stove or open fire
3. Sandwiche the marshmallow with two digestive biscuits

Ta-dah!!!!!

PERFECT S'MORE!

Enjoy~

VL

.Garden to Fork.

Ortolana

Located at the heart of Britomart Pavilion surrounded by lots of greenery and designer stores that every fashionista loves.  Ortolana's philosophy is 'garden to fork', which means they only serve locally sourced food and their dishes are light, seasonal and fresh from the garden.

When you arrived at the door step of Ortolana, you are guaranteed to be greeted by their friendly staff.  Like all the other Hip Group establishments, it is a walk in style restaurant and the location is perfect as there are plenty of bars around to grab a drink or two while you wait for a table. 

As you are being seated at your table, you will instantly notice that you are at The Hip Group establishment as sparkling water is served and the items on the menu is brief and simple.

Here are our picks...

My favourite old skool drink

.Pimm's No 1.

Kick off with... Piadina

.Air dried pork, straciatella, mustard leaves.

Bring on... The Protein

.Rib eye bistecca, fried green tomatoes, oregano relish.

.Chicken cotoletta, heritage tomatoes, black olives.

.Lamb, parsnip, currant, capers .

.Spatchcock, quinoa, figs, rewarewa. (highly recommended)

.Market fish, garden harvest. (highly recommended)

Finish with... Milse Goodness

.Aged ricotta, granny smith, raw honey comb.

.Crema fritta, rhubarb, macadamia. (highly recommended)

.Gelato bombe alaska. (highly recommended)

The Hip Group has hit the nail on the head again with this eatery as it delivers delicious quality food with a very modest price tag.  It is actually very difficult to find a restaurant that offers such delicious quality food in Auckland with a price tag of less than $30 for their mains.

I have been there a few times and I have yet to experience dining inside the restaurant, but dining outside is just as enjoyable.  And even when the weather is cold, there are plenty of outdoor heaters and blankets to keep you warm.

I would go back to Ortolana any day as you are guaranteed to receive great service and delicious food without having to spend a fortune! 

VL