Posts Tagged ‘NZ Bloggers’

19
Jul
2015

Vegetarian Takeaways – Living Lazy in Auckland

categories: My Big Little City, Restaurants, Vegetarian

Regardless of whether you are vegetarian or not, sometimes it’s good to know which places have some delicious options for those who want a few more meat-free options! Although I’m all for whipping up delicious meals at home, there are weekends where Edd and I will eat only takeaways and pretend that it’s just to avoid making a mess with dishes. We can be pretty lazy, and so have a few of our favourite vegetarian takeaways!

Asian/Indian

Wok Express – This is a cheap and cheerful, full of flavour takeaway joint that has stores in Ponsonby as well as our local Kingsland. They do everything, from Teriyaki to Thai Curries, Stir Fries and Noodles and everything in between. The variety is great for when there are people over who feel like different things, but its not the most authentic Asian you can find. They do tofu in most of their dishes but also do a fake chicken option for some. Wok Express also do a great range of healthier options, options that are cooked with coconut oil, or dishes with no oil or carbs. Our picks: Teriyaki Tofu and the Green Curry with Tofu (have both to create a confusing yet delicious eating experience).

Soul Thai – If you want good quality, down-right delicious Thai food, Soul Thai is reliably excellent. It’s not the cheapest but you get what you pay for. There are tofu options for most of their dishes and everything always has a really generous amount of vegies. We always end up over-ordering so that we have leftovers the next day. Our picks: Rich red curry and the spicy thai noodles

Both of the above do delivery, which is awesome and automatically means I love them for letting me embrace my inner laziness, but be prepared to wait up to an hour, especially on Friday/Weekend evenings.

Paradise – We are lucky enough to live walking distance from the plethora of incredible Indian restaurants that Sandringham plays host to, a lot of them are 100% vegetarian which is awesome. Despite this, our favourite remains Paradise, which whilst not all vegetarian does have a whole bunch of incredible options for the vegetable/paneer inclined. They’re always ridiculously busy which is a sign of how great their food is, but also means that if possible order before hand to save the wait. Our Pick – Paneer Butter Masala (rich and creamy but still packed with so much flavour) along with a vegetable biryani and a garlic cheese naan! Expect to have leftovers.

Burgers

Burger Wisconsin – Halloumi burger, enough said? This chain isn’t very common around Auckland, but we love the vegetarian options offered at our local Mt Albert store. They have a few different vege-friendly burgers, and also an option to build your own. Our picks – the Vegetarian Delux (satay sauce, falafel and camembert) for Edd and the Halloumi burger for yours truly (with caramelised onions and coriander lime mayo -omg yum).

Burger Fuel – For those who prefer to customise, Burger Fuel not only has a couple of delicious vegetarian patties as well as a tofu option, the website is ideal for creating the most specific customised orders that I’m sure the staff must hate. They also do ridiculously delicious soy shakes for Vegans who miss a good milkshake. Some people think Burger Fuel can be over-rated, I think its delicious, fresh, and worth every cent. Also, their aioli is heaven and I could put it on everything. Our Picks – Customise away and create your perfect burger. Treat yourself to some of their moto-bites and a caramel soy-shake while your at it, and then laugh as your flatmates make themselves dinner.

Murder Burger – There are so many delicious burger places, but I’ll limit myself to 3. Despite the name, Murder Burger do 2 vegetarian options; a falafel patty or a Mexican flavoured bean patty with avocado. Both are full of flavour and the staff are always really friendly. We go to the Dominion Rd store and you never have to wait long for the food. We’ve also never had any mistakes with our orders which is a good thing. Not as much room for obvious customisation with Murder Burger, but I’m sure the staff would be happy to accommodate. Our Pick – The BBB (black bean pattie, roasted red pepers and homemade guac).

Pizza

Hells Pizza – One of the best option for vegetarian/vegan pizza lovers. They not only have delicious vegetarian options like caramelised onion, mushroom and blue cheese, they also have a quorn meat alternative for most of their chicken pizzas. 1 step even better, for those who have successfully managed to cut dairy cheese out of their lives, Hells offer a vegan dairy-free mozarella option, which is pretty awesome. I don’t know what it’s like because cheese still has a rather large place in my heart. They have also just added a delicious range of gelatos, just in case you don’t over-stuff yourself with pizza, wedges and crumbed camembert. Our Pick – Sinister (refried beans, guacamole, jalapenos, salsa etc) with cheese along with some cajun spiced wedges, and finished off with a Feijoa gelato. Perfection, delivered to your door.

Image from this post, which is perfect if you want to create your pizza at home!

Pizza is always a great option for fast, easy vegetarian takeaways. For something a bit special I love Papa’s Pizzeria (Sandringham/Kingsland) or Pane e Vino (Ponsonby) which do delicious, authentic pizza and pasta. Dominos is something people love to hate but I gotta say that their pizza is cheap and cheerful, and customisable to a T! The fact that I can have one of my favourite meat pizzas but swap out the meat for mushrooms or fresh tomatoes is a big advantage! I have no shame in my love for their margherita pizza either.

What are your favourite options for those nights when cooking just seems like a ridiculous dream that you had when doing the food shop?

Let me know if you want more of these posts outlining some of my favourite eating options in Auckland! I’ve already done a lot of research towards it by accident…

07
Jul
2015

Restaurant Review: Winter Menu with Aria

categories: Restaurants

There are times where blogging really does have its little perks. Wednesday night was one of those times, where Edd and I were invited along with a bunch of amazing bloggers to sample the winter menu of Aria. First and foremost, we were invited to try the winter menu and see what we thought. This means that we did not pay for the meals, however we were not paid for our time or opinions and were under no obligation to put up a review.

The photos were too good (thanks Edd!) to not feature on the blog, and as always all opinons and words are my own.

Aria is the rather secretive restaurant in the Crowne Plaza Hotel. A place that I have walked past every day for the last two years without realising there was an exquisite restaurant located inside. Funny that.

Auckland is a city that in my opinion is blessed with a plethora of incredible eating options, ranging from cheap, hole-in-the wall eateries, to extravagant dining experiences where the money you pay can be steep, but the food you eat is another level of delicious.

Don’t read any further on an empty stomach..or, well preferably do but don’t say I didn’t warn you.

(more…)

30
Jun
2015

June in Review

categories: General/Life

So we find our cold, tired selves at the end of another month. It’s easy to look back and feel like nothing happened (and okay, often for me not much as happened seeing as my idea of a big weekend is leaving the house more than once for food). In some kind of effort to look back and give meaning to June, here is a little recap of what went on (it’s not as exciting as a recap by Beyonce, but mine has more cats so…).

Highlights: Edd being a ridiculously wonderful human being and making a shitty week into something special with beer, burgers, flowers, popcorn, chocolate and jurassic park. Amazing. Also, Jurassic World. Omg. Yes. I was like a kid in a very aggressive dino-themed candy store.

Lowlights: A bit of stress coming at me from a few different angles this month, communication has been lacking and I haven’t been mindful of how this is impacting on me. Next month I aim to try and be more open and honest in my own communication, and make sure that I am putting my energy into the things that bring happiness to my day.

Blogpost: My favourite blogpost for June on myfoxycorner was on why I decided to go vegetarian, and I ‘m pretty excited to keep sharing more vegetarian related content on myfoxycorner. I also found a new beautiful blog called The Little Foxes,and this incredible recipe for pan-fried avocado tacos has been playing on my mind since.

Book: Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson, my first science-fiction novel in a while and I am totally absorbed in it. Look forward to the review which will be posted in July some time.

Food: Vegan Sheperd(ess) pie with lentils and vegies and all sorts of delicious stuff. Its easy, nutritious and makes heaps of left-overs so I’m pretty pleased to have it enter my meal repertoire! June has involved a lot of lentils actually…new favourite food group?

Music: Sufjan Stevens. Holy angel of music. This guy is heavenly, like some kind of magical cross between Kings of Convenience, Ben Howard, Fleet Foxes (basically all those folky, gorgeous sounds rolled up into one very humble artist).

June on Instagram

June was the month where I discovered how ridiculously delicious Federal Deli is. Their bottomless coffee (or bumless as we prefer to call it) and the Green Peace Bagel, with fresh fennel and dukkha, is my perfect brunch.
Edd and I have been cutting down on eggs and dairy and this coconut chocolate milk is heaven for any vegan/dairy intolerant, chocolate milk loving individual, just don’t look to closely at the price tag.
Auckland Fair took place this month, and although the crowds were a little bit intense, I managed to pick up a few gifts (for myself :/) including my new favourite fox necklace.
Merlin’s amazing eye roll action echoes a bit of my frustration during this month. He gets it from his mum. Here’s to July being less eye-rolls and more smiles (no matter how forced).
Another brunch date, this time at Shakey Isles where we bravely sat outside during the rain. This place does amazing coffee and serves generous amounts of haloumi (if it says haloumi on the menu please don’t give me two tiny slices or I’ll cry into my soy latte).
Making time for some self-care, this combo from Lush is my absolute favourite for a relaxing, fruity bath. These also are easy to split over at least two baths, getting more for your precious $$.
I went along to a gorgeous launch for Dr Hauschka’s Night Serum, but instead of instagramming the event like any good blogger, I posted yet another picture of winter trees. Sorry.
Jelly tip chocolate. Enough said.
Mr 7 is such a natural selfie taker. Someone get this boy an iphone.

(Follow along)

What’s coming up? Well July is pretty busy with our first #CocktailClub on at Chinoiserie (make sure you get a ticket!), but I’m also looking forward to finishing my first crochet scarf (hopefully) and working on my lack of any jogging skills. Jogging doesn’t even involve skill, and yet I am so terrible at it that I need some kind of beginners course to running on a treadmill without looking like a total fool.

What was your favourite thing about June?

Lizzy x

29
May
2015

Friday’s letters: Silver Linings

categories: Friday's Letters

Dear Merlin: I know it’s probably just cause your freezing, but I love how cuddly you have been. Thanks for being my purring hot water bottle and for giving me countless play wounds.

Dear Crochet: I’m getting there, but it feels like I am taking the tiniest baby steps possible. I feel like a baby would probably learn how to crochet faster than me. Not giving up, I just may be some time

Dear Florence and the Machine: I have been looking forward to your new album for months. This weekend is going to have one very satisfying soundtrack.

Dear Brother: I still remember when you were just a baby and I felt this instant connection with you and your chubby cheeks. You’ll always be my baby brother, even though you are now far taller than me, and have become such an incredible young man. Love you, no matter what.

Dear Colleagues (who buy me flowers when I break down at work): I don’t know if you realise how special you are.

Dear Orange is the New Black: you are just as amazing as everyone says you are, and I’m struggling to stick to my no-TV bingeing rule.

Dear Muscle Class: being in so much pain has never felt so satisfying as after a Saturday morning class. See you tomorrow at 8am, il be the sweaty, puffy one at the back lifting the smallest weights but making the biggest deal over it.

Dear Self: Your allowed a bad day every once in a while, when you eat some crappy slice full of sugar and then get into bed and refuse to come out. Give yourself a break, take some time out, acknowledge that some days can suck, some things aren’t solved by a silver lining and certain situations are supposed to make you cry. Life isn’t a Pinterest quote 100% of the time.

Dear UK: I miss you and your stony beaches, and your moody skies.

19
Feb
2015

Becoming a Dumpling Master

categories: Brunch Club

On Sunday last week #brunchclub hosted our very first Taste of Asia dumpling class, thanks to the generous folks at Contiki and also thanks to the amazing skills of our teacher, Sachie (from Sachie’s kitchen).

It was one of my favourite #brunchclub events, despite not technically revolving around brunch. Turns out I am great at making vegetarian dumplings. Super great. Like, you should invite me to your house to cook you and your friends dumplings great. Okay I exaggerate slightly, I may have taken quite a while to get used to the pinch and seal method and almost burnt a whole pan of delicious dumplings. But still, it was delicious.

Mine looked nearly this pretty. Nearly.

We were split into teams to compete in a variety of tasks, most importantly, dumpling deliciousness. Sachie was an amazing teacher and was absolutely hilarious. If you are looking for amazing cooking classes for a corporate event or group event then go no further. I couldn’t have improved the set up at all.

The whole event sped by and before long we were stuffed full of perfectly cooked dumplings and chatting about travel to Asia with the friendly Contiki staff.

I think the photos do a pretty great job at showing how much fun everyone had. Enjoy.

Starting off easy with some origami. Easy in that I couldn’t do it at all.

Sometimes when I am paying attention super well I end up looking rather bored. Awkward.

Deep fried cheese filled dumplings. HEAVEN

Overall it was an amazing day, organised well and executed perfectly. It wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible help of Contiki and Sachie’s Kitchen, so thanks to them both. A big thanks to my amazing other half, Edd, for his beautiful photos. Don’t worry, we paid him in dumplings.