Category Archives: Food

Jan 28 2013

4th Annual Rings Beach Food and Drink Festival


The 4th Annual Rings Beach, Coromandel, Food and Drink Festival, Saturday January 26th.

A new beach tradition, originally started to honour a birthday, has now taken a life of it’s own. Hosted at one of the beach homes this is purely a fun affair. Entry is free, and optional.

The rules, where there are any, are that dish is either a “sweet” or a “Savoury” and has to have a matched drink to go with it. It also has to be “Foreign”. So for example you could enter Sushi and Sake, if you dared.

Some things you need to  know about “Rings Beach Life” is that you can’t enter something that you’d reasonably expect to have, so Crayfish, and Scallops would be considered a bit of a no, since they are regularly dived for by various residents.

Similarly there are some traditional things that you shouldn’t enter, a smoked Salmon for instance, as this is one of the centre pieces at the Rings Beach Christmas day gathering, along with Scallops, and Crayfish.

Everyone attending gets to make one vote in each of the 4 categories.

The prizes are awarded in the categories

  • Best Dish –  Savoury
  • Best Dish  - Sweet
  • Most Original
  • Best Overall

It was decided that there would be a new category next year, best cocktail or matched drink, which might turn into a best matched pair award, I hope it doesn’t since the Sangria served with one of the dishes was singularly brilliant!

There were three “Sweet” desserts, A Danish Trifle, a Strawberry gateaux and a Blueberry tartlet. Competition in that category is fierce.

The winner was the Danish Trifle, possibly due to an alcohol content, but it was really tasty

The “Savoury” category had a lot of entrants, in no particular order, and from my poor memory;

  • Marinated Smoked Mussels, matched with a Stoke Smokey Ale
  • Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup, matched with a Scrumpy Punch
  • Lebanese burgers, matched with a vodka cocktail
  • Lamb Tagine, matched with an “El Morocco” cocktail
  • Cucumber Soup and Naan, matched to a Sauvignon Blanc
  • Fish Pie, matched with a Chardonnay
  • Cheese sticks and Sauvignon
  • Jambalaya, matched to a Sauvignon
  • Buffalo Beach beef bourguignon, matched with a Red Wine
  • Pickle Dogs, matched with Budweiser
  • Meatballs and chorizo, matched to a Sangria
  • Possum Eye Pie, matched with a Red Wine
  • and page 45 of the Donna hay cookbook, and a strawberry cocktail

The Winners;

The Jambalaya won the best savoury prize, the Beef bourguignon won the best overall, the possum eye pie won the most original

I ate some of everything and the Possum eye pie was spectacular, the Beef dish was divine, the Danish Trifle was a treat. And whilst I didn’t think the Jambalaya was the best dish there it was very special and tasty and did deserve to win.

The prizes consisted a selection of tiaras, wands and beads from the $2 shop, and there was a special award of a wooden spoon to one voter for being vocal :-)

 

Jan 23 2013

January started with a hiss and a roar


It seems that January has  started with a hiss and roar.

New Years day morning (just after midnight) the Father taxi to recover Daughter from the Police Station where she is reporting a stolen purse. Which means having to deal with not only the trauma of being the victim of a crime, which is horrendous the first time, but the resulting tedium of replacing drivers licences, and bank cards, and student ID‘s.  Lucky though the phone wasn’t stolen, I’m not sure what would have been the worse tragedy.

New Kitten. Having put it off for 4 months we finally succumbed to a new kitten. A gray thing, noisy boisterous and playful. Bit of a challenge for the older cat though. Comes complete with micro-chip technology and is de-sexed no more cute kittens will be possible from this one.

New Year resolutions: The exercise, I’ve started with good intentions. Still find myself over-stepping which mean sore shins. But I’m giving it a full on go, which breaks a sweat, and I’ll be into jogging and interval soon. If only the weight would be as co-operative

Kms Miles Time
4-Jan 5.14 3.17 0:45:34
7-Jan 5.28 3.26 0:46:52
9-Jan 4.68 2.89 0:51:01
10-Jan 5.11 3.15 0:48:28
14-Jan 5.72 3.53 0:48:11
16-Jan 5.52 3.40 0:47:59
19-Jan 6.92 4.27 0:58:41
20-Jan 6.6 4.07 1:00:18
21-Jan 1.05 0.65 0:09:23
21-Jan 5.48 3.38 0:49:21

The Birthday: It’s MrsPdubyahs birthday, and after so many years I’ve run out of things to buy for her. It doesn’t help that she works with ready access to perfumes and cosmetics, or that I work in IT. This means that overall we have all the gadgets and she has all the look nice things already. I’ve tried jewelry, but this year we’ve been selling some of it off as it’s only ever seen the inside of a draw. I’m not bitter that she hates the things I buy her, and I’m sure I’m in for a surprise request any day soon. I will get a card and flowers (petrol station w/glitter sparkles).

Friends: We have a good friend who’s decided it’s time to move to Wellington. This means that should we care to continue to see each other that we would have to fly to Wellington. Which suits us, as we have some family there. Something to look forward to and something to miss.

Family: Son has brought himself a budgerigar. I think this was more his girlfriend than him. Not sure why. the challenge I guess.  Daughter is attending a summer paper at University for Chemistry, that she needs for her further studies, which she’s getting closer on deciding, possibly Nutrition and Psychology, or sports science.

Still to come:

The birthday night out with MrsPdubyah, downtown at a venue TBA, it’s no use me thinking up something, I’ll play dumb and go along with it.

The beach party where we’re expected to take a plate and matching drink “from around the world” so for example Sushi and Sake, if you were a bit lame. The challenge is coming up with something that looks flash and takes 5 minutes to throw together.

Dec 27 2012

The Gentleman’s Fishing Club Summer 2012


The SeaHorse Kontiki got a work out today.

SeaHorse Kontiki

SeaHorse Kontiki

This is the Electric powered Long Line Setting device.

Allows you to set upto 25 baited hooks from the comfort of the beach.

Has an electric motor that you set, using a magnet, to run for 15, 20 or 25 minutes into the yonder. Left for a while you push the rewind button on the motor winder device and it comes back home, hopefully with the fish.

Today we lost two hooks, and bagged us 4 fish, a Gurnard, two little snappers (legal sized) and an fair decent sized fish of about 3.7kg give or take. Hard to know when you’ve hidden the weigh scales.

Bit of a result.

SeaHorse Kontiki
Dec 15 2012

The 12 ways of Christmas – The Dinner


Since I moved from the Northern Hemisphere to the Southern (England to New Zealand) I’ve always struggled with the concept of  Santa, Trees, Snow, and the “full’ Christmas dinner.

There are some things that just are Christmas dinner, so I can set those aside.

The Trifle for dessert.  There’s probably a law or something that requires trifle on christmas day. Can’t abide the stuff myself, but Father-in-law and the children love it.

I made is a mission a few years ago to come up with a dessert suggestion that I thought would be both “common” and at the same time “challenging” to make. The first one I cam up with was  ”Cassata Ice-cream”. Which turned out to be a roaring success.

Pavlova are a challenge to make, but usually end up well, and given the amount of wine you’ve had before you get to pudding then who cares?

Eton Mess. Which has to be the easiest of my suggestions, fruit, cream and meringue, enough to make a man fat.

But back to the timeline. It’s summer, or getting summery in December in New Zealand, and for years we soldiered on with a roast turkey, Ham, potatoes, vegetables, gravy. One year we just said that enough was enough, and that it seemed daft to have a full dinner on a day when there was much to celebrate and enjoy by way of family and friends than to stand in the kitchen and cook.

So we’ve pushed back “dinner” from 6pm to 8pm, and  we’ve had Salmon and potato Salad, We’ve had Scotch Fillet on the BBQ, something a bit “posh” but not the “old way”.  I’ve also been known to make dinner bread rolls.

One year we asked the children what starter they wanted, and one of them suggested prawn cocktail, which we had to have in the traditional way in a wine glass, oh the horror!

But the end is always Trifle, and one other thing.

This year even to change it up a bit more we’re having our traditional family christmas dinner on christmas eve. It’s the only evening when the children are going to be with us as due to work commitments and them needing the money more than me have to head back to the city on Christmas day evening.

Back in the day though the abiding memory I have of christmas Turkey was the one time when Dad had made a big deal about bringing the Turkey home for christmas dinner. He did turn up with one, Feathers and all. A big one. I have no idea where he got it from, or even why he thought it was a good idea.

Ever plucked a turkey on the back doorstep at 7pm at night in the freezing cold?

Christmas dinner at my childhood home would have been an all-in affair, not only the parents  8 children, the dog, but various girlfriends and boyfriends, neighbours and acquaintances. Dinner was served on a roster system, how do you fit that many around a table that seated 6 :-) It would have been a big turkey.

Dec 12 2012

The 12 ways of Christmas – The Festive Treats


There were things that were only ever seen in our house for one month a year. Fleeting things enjoyed because of their rarity in some instances.

The Treats.

As well as the backup tin of Quality Street chocolate in a big tin, the one we didn’t use to decorate the tree we had a number of celebration things in the house for christmas.

Alberta Binford McCloskeySatsuma Oranges individually wrapped in tissue paper. this is how they came from the grocers, it wasn’t a family tradition or any such thing, they were just wrapped. Not all of them, some in the bowl were, and these were the prized ones of the the pickings. For no reason than they were wrapped in tissue. on reflection being winter of course a tropical fruit was a luxury, and presented as such.

Oranges-&-Lemons-Fruit-SlicOrange and Lemon Slices. Sugar coated jelly candies. The blob in the middle was for the Mother, the slices were allocated at one of each per child, perhaps. We seemed to have unlimited boxes of these things, there was always one being opened when anyone visited, perhaps it wa some strange ritual that has since passed into lore. All I can remember is there were always lemon and less orange slices left to sneak during the early evening.

DatesDates. Why we had dates I’ll never know. They came in an an oblong box, and contained a wooden fork to jab them from the box. I still have a vague unease about boxed dates, and how they looked inedible, mouldy even, wrinkled in their box, all sticky and glistening.

ChristmasNutsMixed bag of nuts. Walnuts, Almonds, Filberts (Hazlenuts) and possibly the least liked, Almonds. Hours, or what seemed like hours, cracking nuts and extracting, usually, pieces, of nut from crushed shell. definite win if you could extract an unbroken walnut from a shell.

StockingThe Christmas Stocking. Which contained a selection of chocolate bars that you were supposed to enjoy over a period of time, expected to be longer than an afternoon. Never happened. Don’t recall any trades going on either, my Milky way for your Smarties… none of that.

There were also, and this is going to either ring a bell or ring an alarm bell, Chocolate Smokers Sets. These were a presentation of smoking related things in chocolate form, containing, from memory, An Ash Tray, a Lighter, A pipe, and a packet of chocolate cigarettes that were in a packet that looked like the real thing, each cigarette wrapped in tissue.

Nov 24 2012

Big Night In!


It’s the festive season, when workplace parties begin to kick in, and tonight I find myself with the prospect of being home alone.  MrsPdubyah is off the “Foodstore” down on the viaduct,  for her party, which makes me a bit Jealous to be honest. But I’ll man up and get over it.

Daughter will be here, but she’s turned into a room dweller, and might even be going out, who knows with kids.

So I have a check-list of things to get or make sure I have;

  1. Beer – Selection of
  2. Ribs
  3. Curley Fries
  4. Camembert
  5. Sundry other

No, it’s complete, 5 things are all you need, which is why it’s  a 5 point checklist. Salad might sneak in under “Sundry”, but only if it’s in the coleslaw style. Crackers should come under that as well.

Up to repeat #3 and it keeps sounding better. ...

Up to repeat #3 and it keeps sounding better. #xx #coexist #nofilterneeded #goosebumps #touchingmyself (Photo credit: P. Scott)

Music isn’t a consumable, except for the ears. Tonight

  • The XX – Coexist – just how enjoyable is this album, if you’ve got Spotify give this a crack
  • Heart Attack Alley – Living In Hell

and from the musty box in the Garage….

I could get used to this.

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Nov 3 2012

Restaurant Critic #3 – The Ponsonby Belgium Beer Cafe


The Ponsonby Belgium Beer Cafe was the venue for the big night out, MrsPdubyah and me, and another couple decided to have a bit of a thing, Not withstanding that we had some bar vouchers that would help us enjoy ourselves. Which meant as our start point anything over  $150 and we were paying our own money on the night.

The Ponsonby Belgium Beer Cafe is an awesome place, the staff are brilliant, the beer list is unmatched, and the atmosphere and ambience is second to none. It’s just a nice place to be, drink and to go to.

On the other side it’s on the expensive end of the drinking value scale.

The pub is such a nice place to be in, but where we were sat it was very cold, but I can gloss over that the dining room was set aside for a private function and that we were sat by the front door, so no marks down for that.

The bar is a wonder to behold, every beer in it’s own glass, and I’ve yet to order a beer that that’s not available. It really does have a high standard of customer satisfaction.

And the staff, well they are brilliant, attentive, courteous, polite, knowledgeable and they make you feel like you are the most important people in the bar.

But…. and there is always a but

It isn’t a cheap night out, and the food is good but not great, outstanding, demanding or different, it’s good pub grub indifferently delivered. Pulling my head in it does show as a Cafe not a restaurant, and the beer is the thing that is it’s thing.

Oh and it was busy, very busy, constantly busy, but not crowded. It is popular.

The big night out then, and we had from their menu for food as Entree:-

  • The Seafood Chowder $15 – possibly the star of the night, served in a loaf that had been scooped out, awesomeness, plenty of the seafood and an amazing thing of beauty
  • The bread and the dips $11.00 – it was bread and dips, I sulked at such a poor choice
  • The House Smoked Salmon $15.00 – the ladies shared this, and some of the bread and dips, it’s very rich and very filling – best value for money.

and as  main:-

  • Thai Beef Salad from the light menu $17.00 – also a best value for money selection, soft and tender beer and a hearty serving, looked good, ate great.
  • Shepherd’s Pie $ 23 – looked like it sounds, nothing to write home about, but was a bit good apparently
  • Belgium Sausage $19 – disappointing based on the expectation of something more textured than a spiced sausage, hardly a thing of joy or excitement if this is a Flemish staple
  • Fish and Chips $25.00 – it looked great and there wasn’t much left

So that was $41 + $81 = $122 of food

And for beer and wine (Boys night out of course… payback comes later…)

  • The Ned Sauvignon blanc – Standard glass of Wine – $10  x 4
  • Leffe Brun – 500ml $ 14.00 x 3
  • Leffe Blonde – 500ml $14 x 1
  • Popperings HommelBeir 330ml $15.00 – this was very yeasty to aroma, but aside from that not as spectacular a choice as some, it was new to me, but not a thing that I’d rush back to, but then there are about a bazillion beers to choose from and so that’s not going to be a problem.
  • Grottenbeir Brune 330ml $15.50

and that means the addition of  $126.50 in beer and wine

Not going to quibble the $251 bill from the bar.

It was a atop night out for the $100 dollars we really had to pay, but if it’d been $250 I’d have wondered why we had chosen that venue as a way to celebrate something.

I’d take you there for the experience, wince at the cost of doing so, but talk about it for many years with deep affection and love. If you ever get the change to go, and someone else is paying, or you’re showing off to a new girlfriend or boyfriend this might be for you.

As a celebration of taste opportunity of beer it’s a winner, as pub grub it’s great. As a premium priced beer venue attached to pub grub it falls into a strange place where you’ve had this fabulous drinking thing going on (if you’re a beer drinker an are prepared to experiment) and where your drink is in a different league to the food. They don’t match, there doesn’t appear to be a logical step from the huge beer selection to the food on offer.

The food on offer does not appear to have anything that would make you empathise or connect to Belgium as a place, there is no back story or reason that item “A” would be on the menu that I could discern.

I’m going back though there is about a bazillion beers less the 3 or 4 that I’ve had to get through, and I won’t rest until that happens :-)

Nov 3 2012

Bit of a mistake – Shopping at Farro


I don’t know what came over me, but I went to Farro Fresh, for no reason other than that they do have the  Over the Moon – Triple Cream Brie that I’m a bit of a fan of. Why would you not be!

So MrsPdubyah and MissPdubyah were watching X-Factor on the Mysky and I decided that it would be better if I didn’t.

Road Trip to  to Farro Fresh on Constellation Drive as my safe place.

Bit. Of. A. Mistake. Lot. Of.

I found the cheese, but I didn’t buy it, because their Cheese-o-rorium has some Whitestone Lindis Pass Brie that took my eye instead. And of course having brought the Primo Sopresso Hot Salami I felt that I was on a bit of a roll.

But what put me off my stride straight away was the sign advertising “New Zealand Pineapples 2-for-$5″ except they weren’t’ they were from the Philippines. I can let that slide, no one is really going to think that we’ve grown Pineapples in Winter right?

But having got my small stash of cheese and salami I decided a mooch about the aisles was a thing.

This is where is really started to go wrong.

My “twatdar” starts boinging like a grandfather clock stuck on 12. Mothers who indulge their little Deborah with a bottle of $14.50 rhubarb and lime cordial for instance, which was pretention enough. Then came Mr. and Mrs Mexico. With their shop assistant.

“We’re from Mexico, and in Mexico…” … “In Mexico shops like this”… “Mexican people like us, in Mexico”.. and the poor store boy hadn’t said a word yet. They brought some flour. I don’t think you can get flour in Mexico. Don’t really know, but “in Mexico I love to cook” people were happy.

The queue for the pretzel tasting. “Charlotte it’s cheese and herbs” he said, having tasted a sugar cube chunk. Charlotte sets a low bar for enjoyment clearly.

There is much to admire about the produce at Farro, I’m not knocking the store, but the people that shop there are the sort that would rather shop online and have delivered rather than go to Foodtown let alone Pak n’ Save.

It’s the kind of toy shop for adults enthusiasm that annoys me ” Darling it’s organic butter!” I think missing the point about what “organic” means in it’s real sense. I get that in a food sense it means “without chemicals”. And it’s like shooting fish in a barrel, $7.49 for 100grams of dried fruit in a foil packaging from a company that “loves food”, for instance.

There is a plethora of things that you can’t get in a supermarket and that’s why I enjoy shopping at Farro. But I got to figure out the quite time when raised whispers to an enthralled partner are not de rigueur.

Oh and yes I brought some Quinoa, just like a child in a lolly shop with a gold coin, hook line and sinker…

Sep 20 2012

The one where I pretend to be a Chef


I like food.

A lot.

I like a lot of food.

I like to try new things when I eat out, having the belief that there wouldn’t be anything on a menu that would kill you. There might be a bit that is repulsive, but nothing that should kill you.

Yesterday I added to the collection of gadgets and things with a Paella pan from the nice people at the Paella pan place in Mt.Eden.

I didn’t opt for the Stainless Steel one, the one with the red handles on the advice of the Paella man.

He told me, and I have no reason to doubt him, or I am an easy sell, that there are a couple of things with the steel pans that I need to know.

1) They don’t cook evenly, being steel they don’t have an even heat, and the edges can be cooler than the center.

2) They are higher maintenance, being steel they can show rust, and need to be kept dry and oiled when not in use.

A enamelled Paella Pan

So I went for the Enamelled version, which he assures me has a more even heat and although is less aesthetically pleasing was the superior pan, in his opinion. I picked up some rice, and some instant paella mix that he also recommended and I toddled off. All that I need now is the stock, the seafood and an hour to prepare and eat.And after cooking it will end up in the gadget cupboard.

The Gadget cupboard that contains, amongst other things,

  • Ice-Cream Maker
  • Tortilla Press
  • Pasta Machine
  • Bread Tins
  • mandolin
  • Mortal and Pestle
  • Pizza Stones

There is still  room however for

  • A Tagine
  • Deep Fat Fryer

Oh and if you’re wondering the slow-cooker lives in another cupboard, but not all by itself, it’s with the sandwich press.

Jun 5 2012

Restaurant Critic #2 – Deep Creek Brewing Co.


The Deep Creek Bewing Company, Browns Bay, Auckland. A birthday celebration with the family.

Well I had this : Potjies Kos , this iteration was Lamb Shank in a rich spicy gravy. It was the business. Came with a side of Roasted Potatoes and some vegetables (read Cauliflower and Broccoli). Chef was keen to chat about it , I think it was a new idea he’d had, I’d say he was on to a winner. A Potjies is a small cast-iron pot, like in the picture,they come in all sizes though, mine was the boutique restaurant for show version.

I had me this delight with some of their newly award winning (bronze) Leprechaun’s Belle. An Irish Red Ale.  I wasn’t enamored of this particular beer, pleasing enough but not different enough to make it special. It is however one of the beers they have that I would go to again, being nearer my taste, and not one that disappointed.

I also had me a Little Armoured one. It’s more an Amber Ale, and sits well with me. A bit stronger then that Leprechaun’s Belle.  Well it’s the thing to do.

This is the sort of boutique brewery that you have to work your way through the beers on. Some are quite tart and hoppy some are one the thin end of there taste.  I’m not so sure on the Leprechauns‘s Belle, which although pleasant enough didn’t have the depth of taste that you’d be expecting in an Irish Red Beer.

On the food front others in the family had, by way of food,

Do we like the pub, yes we do, it’s always noisy enough, and has a fair smattering of locals. And it’s close enough for us to be called out local Boutique Brewery.

Do we like the food? Well there were no empty plates at the end of the day.

It’s solid pub food, in a pub setting. It’s good enough but not great, you wouldn’t go there just for the food. Are the beers good, some are some aren’t. I note that you can buy these commercially in supermarkets now, so they’ve gone the whole 9 yards on the business venture.

A good night out, great bar staff, a nice atmosphere, can get busy, does get busy, has an all you can eat rib night on Wednesday, that, it seems, is very popular with the locals.

I’ll be there again sometime in the next couple of weeks.