Nieuw Amsterdam

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I had a very civilised mid-week lunch with my sister and kiddo at Nieuw Amsterdam.  To cut to the chase, the BBQ meat plate was nothing short of glorious.  It was $24 and came with a meat of choice (we chose the pork chop), coleslaw, pickle, bread and potato salad.  The pork chop was moist and ever so tender, it was reminiscent of a slow cooked piece of meat.  It was drizzled with a slightly sweet BBQ sauce.  The okra in the pickles were also an unexpected but nice touch.

The BBQ Meat plate

To supplement the meat plate we also ordered the eggplant sandwich ($17).  This sounded a bit bland on paper but in life, it was a sizeable sandwich and delicious too.  Stacked with mozzarella, fresh tomato and served with steakhouse chips and Srirachi mayo.  Kiddo was particularly taken to the rocket salad.  It was the first greens I have seen her voluntarily eat for weeks.

A huge eggplant sandwich - split 3 ways

A close up

All in all, Nieuw Amsterdam does not disappoint on the food front.  It also had lovely bar-like ambience.  I can understand why it is such a popular haunt.  

Until next time...

Cafe Paradiso

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I was at Cafe Paradiso with a couple of parents from Kiddo's school.  It's opposite the Rivoli Theatre at Camberwell Junction so in all respects a popular eating joint in prime locale.

I was a bit disappointed with the service.  Being a week night, it wasn't all that busy but we waited an eternity for the drinks to be poured.  One of the parents ended up walking to the counter and asking what the specials were before coming back to the table to recite it back to us as our waitress had gone AWOL.

My disappointment with the service was eclipsed by my disappointment with the food.  I ordered a wagyu burger.  Sounded good in theory.  However it was strangely gritty with each bite.  Try as I may, I could not identify the source of the grit.  I hoped to God it was sand on the lettuce but deep down, part of me was afraid that the grit is from the burger meat itself.  I was operating in denial and ate the burger on auto-pilot. The fries themselves were extremely salty and for once in my life, I did not finish my beloved pomme frites.

A suspiciously gritty wagyu burger

 A few quick pics of what the others had ordered:

Haloumi salad

Risotto

Soup of the day

In short, Cafe Paradiso - I will not be going back.



Until next time...

Treasury Deli & Cafe

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I'll keep this text lite and let the amazing salads at Treasury Deli & Cafe do all the talking.  Treasury Cafe is situated within the Department of Treasury and Finance.  It is open to the public and has a spacious al fresco area over looking city greenery.  Their salads are officially, da bombe.  Continue reading...

Miss Frank - Revisit

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Miss Frank is a short stroll from home and it's a handy place to have around the corner for catch up with friends as it does decent coffee and filling brunches/lunches.  Please see here for previous Miss Frank's post.

For brunch today I ordered the Schnitz Panini and it did not disappoint.  The lemony crumbed chicken breast came with a refreshing fennel slaw.  It was pleasingly jaw dislocatingly huge ($17.50)

And the thick cut chips that came with were seasoned with sea salt and yummy aioli.

My friend M and her little D, shared the Big Breakfast ($19).  It too came in a generous serve with the eggs separate (due to D's egg allergy).  It was a heaping helping of spinach, thick cut bacon, Italian sausage, toast and two sunny side ups.

The above was washed down with coffees and a freshly squeezed OJ for little D.

Whilst the muffins and sweets looked ever so tempting, I had absolutely no tummy real estate left after that ginormous panini.  So for next time...

Madelines at Jells Park

Hello Fellow Nom  Seekers!

Madelines is a cafe situated within the picturesque Jells Park.  Because of it's location it makes it a convenient place for an apres sportif coffee / lunch / brunch.  There is a indoor cafe area as well as an alfresco dining and a even more casual kiosk opening for coffee orders.  Being a cafe in a park, it naturally is bike and scooter friendly.

After a brisk walk in the bracing wind around the lake, we headed to Madelines for coffees and a wee snack.  The staff were very friendly and Kiddo received an activity sheet to keep her occupied.  The wood fire was roaring which was a much needed comfort on a wintery day.

The food service came rather promptly however there was a bit of a wait for the beverages (10 - 15 mins).
We ordered a latte;  hot chocolate for Kiddo;  green tea and their "Meat Platter" ($17) which is more or less an antipasto plate to share.  The Meat Platter came with salami, proscuitto, bococini; semi sun dried tomatoes, marinated eggplant, fetta, rocket salad, grilled capsicums, grisini and lavosh.  It was surprisingly filling with the coffees as a snack between four people.

Latte

Hot chocolate

Green tea

Meat platter

I wouldn't go so far as to say it was the best antipasto plate ever to be constructed or the best coffees/teas brewed.  But the view is magnificent, it's convenient for park goers and it's child friendly which makes Madelines worth visiting.  

Until next time...

Oasis Bakery (Revisit)

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers

I freaking love this place so much I had to take the olds there for brunch.  Well any excuse would do.  I recently lunched at Oasis and absolutely loved their food and more particularly their grocery store.

Continue reading...

Oak Room

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I have a work mate who I consider my 'location scout' for good feeds.  She tipped me off about Oak Room.  It is a small cafe in middle suburbia (Ashburton) which apparently does good coffee.  So I checked it out.

I would normally order a herbal tea as a beverage but hey, when in Rome...I got to try the coffee here.  Well, I tried the decaf coffee here.  As decafs go, it was well made, not scalding and not tepid.  Had enough of a roasted grounds taste.  I like.

I would never turn away from a sourdough, so I also ordered their chicken and avocado sandwich. The sourdough was lightly toasted with a smear of butter on top - a nice touch which I wasn't expecting.  Good sized fillings and not too mayo-y.  The chicken was breast meat which was a good thing.  The coffee and the sandwich were approximately $14.

The Oak Room - worth a look in if you are in that neck of the woods.



Until next time...

Zibbibo, Wellington New Zealand

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Zibbibo is a chic café in the heart of Wellington. Based on some friend’s recommendation, I decided to try it during my last trip to Wellington.  As you enter the restaurant there is bar at the ground level where you can have a few drinks before dinner. Dining is across both ground and first floor.  

For entrée we had the Zibibbo Tapas platter to share.  This was one of the house specialty and was divine with a clever assortment of nibblies. As another share entrée, we ordered the salt and pepper calamari with chili lime dressing.

For mains, I ordered the Special Of The Day, a rotisserie pork at NZ$32 which turned out to be great choice for seriously, who doesn't like a roast pork?

Friend #1 ordered the Pirinoa Lamb Rump ($33.50) which came with olive crushed potatoes and a confit of onion and salsa verde - the verdict was 'yum'.

Friend #2 ordered the Black Angus Beef Fillet ($35.50) which was accompanied by a potato gratin and porcini mustard and red wine jus.  Also declared 'yum'.

Friend #3 ordered the pork belly (drool). This dish came with confit brussel sprouts, smoked Jerusalem Artichoke Puree Honey Oak Crumb.  They are not vegetables I would normally gravitate towards but Zibbibo made them desirable.

We decided on sharing a few side dishes:  beetroot, mushroom and fries.  All $9 each.  

For dessert we had a selection of things to share:  the cheese platter ($16.50), vanilla panacotta, and creme brulee.  All very decadent, nicely presented and delicious ending to a lovely meal.  

Overall a memorable meal and fantastic service.  

Until next time...

Let Me Be Frank

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I was very lucky to be invited out to brunch at a very family and community orientated cafe, Let Me Be Frank.  It had a very relaxed atmosphere with an al fresco area out the front for the kiddies with their trikes.  Inside there was a library where you can borrow a few books to read while enjoying your coffee.  Books and small produce can also be purchased.  What really sealed the deal with the community mindedness was a barrel of chokos at the front door - free to a good home.  The chokos were excess from the cafe's back garden.  

We kicked off with a few beverages:  spiced chai, coffees and a little hot chocolate for kiddo.

The breakfast burger (adult version) came with organic eggs and thick cut bacon and house relish.  A very substantial serve for $8.50

Kiddo had the kiddie's sized version of the breakfast burger.  It was the first time she deigned to eat a fried egg.  Kudos to the chef.

My Mum and Dad ordered the Hungry Frank to share.  This behemoth came with chorizo, hash browns, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, spinach baked beans and bacon.  Yum!  This was $22.50

This was the Avocado and Feta Mash with a corn and quinoa salsa.  We upsized and got it with two poached eggs for $16.  I didn't order this one but the eater was happy.

Lastly, my order.  It was the Healthy Frank:  spinach, fresh tomatoes, herbed cottage cheese and poached eggs.  It was too virtuous for me and I could not resist adding on the rashers of bacon.  These were the thick cut bacon - love!  I also requested for sourdough bread.  It was a healthy (probably not so much the bacon) brunch and very decent serve.

I washed it down with a cup of Earl Grey.

Exterior of Let Me Be Frank

Let Me Be Frank is a wonderful establishment with a good ethos.  Looking forward to going back.



Until next time...