Nasi Lemak at Angie's Kitchen

Traditional Malaysian Food From The Heart - reads the tagline of Angie's Kitchen, located on 17 Mount Street, Auckland Central (ph: 09 368 1618). One of the two places to have significantly upped my food enjoyment in Auckland in the past year, Angie's Kitchen delivers the authenticity one appears to be promised from the H-A-T-I. It's a strange solitary two-storey block sandwiched in between student accommodation apartments; it used to house another much-loved food institution, the Mount Street bakery.

This is the Nasi Lemak; the rice has a blue tinge served with two types of sambal, roasted peanuts and the chicken curry or beef rendang. (Mr.Paris, take note!) Over the ten years or so I have spent in New Zealand, this has to be the most effective method yet of staving off food depression. Most of us in Auckland understand that you need to travel to the outskirts for the real stuff so I understand any reservations/sceptcisim applied here: so I will emphasize this is really good, not just by CBD standards. The prawn noodles (Hokkien Mee) & Assam Laksa are fantastic too. I take my hat off to JB HI FI for the initial recommendation, my life in Auckland has changed for it.

Fishmonger, Kohimarama

Happy New Year to all! Fast forward a few weeks, Weird Dude and I have become firm friends with our shared love of food. Last week, we went to the Fishmonger at St Helier's Bay, where Weird Dude insists, the Best Fish and Chips can be found. We ordered and took a very short walk down to the beach to eat our meal.

Here is my Shrimp and Corn Fritter with Rangitoto Island in the background: this was a sign of things to come - tasting a little on the floury side, not as crisply pan-fried as it could have been; it just didnt feel properly warmed up.

Battered Fish & Chips. Whilst we were ordering in the shop, another couple had asked if the fish was "fresh" - seeing we were in the middle of the Christmas/New Year break, "freshness" was a rather tall order - and were told honestly that the fish were pre-frozen for this period. That wasn't what let this meal down, it just tasted as though our order had sat uncollected for 15 minutes, it looked right but it just wasn't crisp or warm enough - the chips had soggy-ied by the time we sat down on the beach. This is too soon, a matter of minutes, for a takeaway meal to decline so seriously in quality.

Weird Dude with Fish Burger. I tried this and thought it was the best thing that we ordered - it tasted fresh, good balance of ingredients. Weird Dude was less convinced.

We hypothesized that the disappointing meal might have had to do with the fact that they were understaffed (common issue for this period), possibly stressed out with longer cooking times required for frozen stock, or quite likely, that they had missed our order and it had been ready to go for a while before we were called to collect it. I am definitely not dismissing Weird Dude's claim that this is where the best Fish & Chips is to be had, the time period sandwiched in between two stretches of statutory holidays is not the best to judge a place by. It was not their best - we were pretty disappointed and proceeded to have a sulk at the beach.

Voila, Sandringham Road

I hate to follow up a deliciously devastating review with a bland praise-heaping one but we had a pretty good meal at the Moroccan-French cafe in Sandringham, so sorry for snores... but there was this weird dude who insisted on sitting at the same table as me. Pictured here is his demonstration of coffee coinosseur stirmanship. He was also wearing a sweatshirt that resembled a grey marshmallow. When people dress like confectionery, it's hard to say no.
This was my Eggs Benedict with Salmon on a Spinach-filled gallete. Your eyes do not deceive you, that is a salmon steak resting on the parcel with poached egg and hollandaise heaped on top - an unusual and welcome luxury in a land of paltry salmon shavings.

Weird Dude's breakfast of mushroom/caramellized onion filled omelette, a thoughtful balance of the savoury and sweet.

Exquisite lemon tart, big enough for two.

My Long Black, their coffee is supplied by Supreme, an Auckland-based roaster; the owner told us they had been through several suppliers until they settled with Supreme. Great service, the pastry here deserves definite props - this place is filled to the brim and then some on weekends so visit on a weekday if you can.

Home Cooking, Dryden Street

From the folks at Dryden Estate, Pasta Bake - Cheesy is My Friend in Winter. Cheesy is Perfection. Cheesy is Good Tasting. Cheesy is Expensive.


This make me hungry and Sad this is not what I am having dinner tonight. All I want is Cheesy Goodeness.

Lady Leah introduces us to Pizza - Kate made these with bases and all, supremely yum.

Pambazos at the Mexican Maya Company, Ponsonby International Foodcourt, Auckland

By the time I thought to document the Pambazos, I was halfway through my meal - this was the first time I'd tried it. We had to wait an extra long time so I paid no mind when I dug in, the pambazos' 'buns' are deep-fried with potatoes and salsa in the middle, accompanied by salad, salsa and rice. All for the grand sum of NZ$10.51. I mention this because I've often thought the Mexican place to be a bit on the steep side, this dish totally disproved that though.

Close-up of deep-fried bun with sour cream and fresh chopped coriander. Beware the flash glareifying

And in between the buns, yummy potatoey, cheesy, lettucey.

Pyramid of rice drizzled with sour cream and garnished with coriander.

My friend, Beans, finishing up an identical order. Note the empty plates, a good sign of a good meal.

Steaming Hut, Basement Food Court, BNZ Tower 125 Queen St, Auckland

So last Wednesday, I was working a different shift than usual and determined as hell to have some steamed buns love at 10am. Which are about one of the only boast-worthy things round here - I paid up in cash (NO EFTPOS at STEAMING HUT) $4.50 for my usual, four 'vegetarian' buns in a bamboo basket, a quinoa-like porridge, a saucer of pickles for porridge-eaters only! and the delectable Bark Sauce (commonly known as chilli oil but Bark is way more visually appropriate ) I believe this meal might have gone up $0.50 since I went away, but still a steal, still a steal....

Puff Buns invite you to eat them please!

Mhmm Bark, bark in oil, I spills you all over my fingers as I feed some into my buns.

It is most popular Bun V4, filled with chives, vermicelli, egg, garlic, shrimp - hence its pseudo 'vegetarian'ness. Bad breath almost certainly guaranteed. Pashing can get awkward post-bun. No complaints here. Soz shrimpz tho.

Aforementioned Bark makes appearance atop Bun 2. There are usually a variety of 4 'vege' buns but because I showed up at 10am, only two types were ready. Bun 2 contains cabbage, bean sprouts, shitakes and is actually a vegetarian bun!

Bunga Raya, New Lynn, Auckland NZ #2

Assam Snapper in all its glory - a beautiful fish with a beautiful gravy. Someone posed the question if this version was better than KK's (our other favorite Malaysian restaurant in Epsom), I think Fab put it best when he said that it was a different kettle of fish, different consistency, different kind of gravy - they weren't exactly comparable to each other. But he personally preferred KK's coconut-rich thicker gravy, but the lemongrass was fresher at Bunga Raya's? I don't know how his palate distinguishes this but hail Fab. I really enjoy both myself.

More fish. Tummy satisfaction tick. I'm definitely going back to try the lunch menu. If you're in Auckland, check it out; bookings essential - 2/3062 Great North Road, ph 8278666. If you care, Peter Calder digs it too http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=304&objectid=10467883

Bunga Raya, New Lynn, Auckland NZ

The highlight of my Easter was dining at this Malaysian restaurant out in New Lynn with Liyen, Fab, Lydia & Tahi - thanks my fellow rakyat for tucking in with me.

Above is the XO Squid, deep-fried with XO Sauce and dried chillies.

Scrumptious batter. I think Tahi tried one of the dried chillies, on purpose, and started suffering and sweating profusely.

Plum Sauce Chicken with pickled vegetables. I know Plum Sauce Chicken seems like such an Ang Mor compromise when you are desperate for Rasa Malaysia - but this was a seriously good dish. The chicken was perfectly fried, ultra-good sauce and well-complemented by the pickled cabbage/carrot. And yes I ate chicken even though I'm in NZ but once I am in a Malaysian restaurant, it is technically Malaysia by culinary definition.

Eggplant Sambal, good texture. I reheated the leftovers at my workplace cafetaria three days after the dinner and it was still yummy - pungent though for a sterile cafetaria.