So much for my determination to post many and often. I claim a busy life. I claim illness. I claim writer's block.
Sadly, none of it is really all that true. Mostly, it's just procrastination. Sad, yet overwhelmingly true.
So, in this post, I've decided that I will talk about a couple of Whangarei cafe's.
The first is Mokoba.
Mokoba is located in the town basin, right on the waterfront. It has an arts and crafts shop attached, and is located amongst other tourist-type shops and cafes.
The food is cafe-style excellence, and the service is top rate. A personal favourite of mine is the chicken burger, which is strips of grilled chicken breast served with salad, relish, avocado, caramelised onions, all in a panini (instead of the average burger bun), and a side of salad and chips. It's filling and so good, and for the quality of the meal, quite a reasonable price.
Their breakfast menu is tasty, and served until 2pm. With a wide range of salads and desserts, Mokoba has something for all tastes.
Add in the ambience of the waterfront, the arts and crafts, and a level of diners who expect nothing but the best, Mokoba is truly amongst the best that Northland has to offer.
The second cafe is GLE2 (formerly Mocca).
GLE2 is located in the Tarewa centre, directly adjacent to Sporlight. If you didn't know it was there, you likely wouldn't find it.
Personally, I have mixed feelings about this particular cafe.
I enjoy the lunch foods that they have available. Again, they strive for a difference with their burgers, serving them on ciabatta or sour dough (depending on the burger you order). The portion sizes are just the right size to enjoy your meal, but not feel overly sick for having eaten too much.
I have, however, had a few less than wonderful breakfast experiences. Their French Toast was dry and tasteless, and my husband says that his large breakfast, whilst ok, was far from the best he's had.
For the price you pay for their food, you would be forgiven for feeling somewhat ripped off.
The staff, however, is friendly and accommodating, and whilst GLE2 is not one of my absolute favourites, it's certainly not bad if you find yourself somewhat peckish whilst out enjoying a day of shoe shopping and wedding dress planning.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Dicken's of a dick
The few times I had been to Dicken's Inn, I was never really swayed either way as to whether I liked the place, or disliked it. Sometimes it was ok, sometimes it was average.
I did, however, like the fireplace, and the large screen television. Both of them great for watching international rugby games in front of.
However, this coexistence of cordiality between myself and Dicken's Inn came to an abrupt halt one evening when my partner (husband) and I decided we would dine there.
We had a pleasant server, who seated us at a nice table with a view to cater to my tastes (I love people-watching). She took our orders (I think I ordered a fettucine and my husband, well, who knows? I hardly even remember his name some of the time -jokes!), handed them in to the kitchen and trotted off to fetch our drinks.
We waited for about twenty minutes for our dinner, which I think is fairly reasonable. We were, however, the only diners in the restaurant at the time, so who's to say whether dinner should have arrived sooner or not? Actually, it may have been a slightly longer wait, because now that I think back on it, I distinctly remember feeling slightly peevish at how long it was taking, and hoping that the meal is well worth the wait.
Sad to say, it wasn't.
When our meals arrived, I took my first mouthful and nearly choked. There was so much pepper in my dish that it could have made a heard of elephants cry. I took a second mouthful from another part of the dish, and then asked my husband to try a mouthful as well. Each and every time, the verdict was the same. Eye watering amounts of pepper, and choking sounds (I don't handle hot or spicy very well).
We called over the waitress and told her the problem. She went into the kitchen and reported it to the chef, who wasn't very happy that we had sent the food back.
Suffice to say, we refused any replacement dishes, especially when we found out that my husbands dinner was also drowning in pepper.
We took a full refund and walked out the door, to find ourselves somewhere else to dine. To this day, we haven't been back.
Now, to her credit, the server didn't charge us for our drinks. She gave them to us for free to try and make up for the poor experience we had that night. She alone was the shining light in the whole miserable experience.
I think we went and got pizza after that, and I was thrilled, because I love pizza.
I did, however, like the fireplace, and the large screen television. Both of them great for watching international rugby games in front of.
However, this coexistence of cordiality between myself and Dicken's Inn came to an abrupt halt one evening when my partner (husband) and I decided we would dine there.
We had a pleasant server, who seated us at a nice table with a view to cater to my tastes (I love people-watching). She took our orders (I think I ordered a fettucine and my husband, well, who knows? I hardly even remember his name some of the time -jokes!), handed them in to the kitchen and trotted off to fetch our drinks.
We waited for about twenty minutes for our dinner, which I think is fairly reasonable. We were, however, the only diners in the restaurant at the time, so who's to say whether dinner should have arrived sooner or not? Actually, it may have been a slightly longer wait, because now that I think back on it, I distinctly remember feeling slightly peevish at how long it was taking, and hoping that the meal is well worth the wait.
Sad to say, it wasn't.
When our meals arrived, I took my first mouthful and nearly choked. There was so much pepper in my dish that it could have made a heard of elephants cry. I took a second mouthful from another part of the dish, and then asked my husband to try a mouthful as well. Each and every time, the verdict was the same. Eye watering amounts of pepper, and choking sounds (I don't handle hot or spicy very well).
We called over the waitress and told her the problem. She went into the kitchen and reported it to the chef, who wasn't very happy that we had sent the food back.
Suffice to say, we refused any replacement dishes, especially when we found out that my husbands dinner was also drowning in pepper.
We took a full refund and walked out the door, to find ourselves somewhere else to dine. To this day, we haven't been back.
Now, to her credit, the server didn't charge us for our drinks. She gave them to us for free to try and make up for the poor experience we had that night. She alone was the shining light in the whole miserable experience.
I think we went and got pizza after that, and I was thrilled, because I love pizza.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Final salutations, Salut
I wanted to start this blog with one of my more favourite restaurants in Whangarei, Salut. Imagine my despair, then, when I googled "Salut Whagarei" and found that it has closed. So, rather than a blog about the experience that is Salut, I will write about the experience that was.
Salut was located in the Public Trusts building on Bank Street. It was a restaurant/bar/cocktail lounge that offered an ambience unseen in any other of it's type in Whangarei. The owner, Shaun, had come to Whangarei from a successful career of owning similar facilities in Auckland.
My first ever dining experience at Salut showed to me exactly how much attention to detail Shaun liked to pay. His servers were top notch, carrying out every task with a smile, a pleasant attitude, and a willingness to please. Shaun himself, was only too happy to come to the table and have a friendly chat, getting to know his customers personally, and ensuring that everything was, indeed, of the highest quality.
I ordered the eye fillet for dinner, and at a price of around $30, it was expensive for what Whangarei was used to, but in so far as quality dining, it was a more than reasonable price. The meat was tender, flavoursome and thoroughly enjoyable. My date at the time (now my husband) ordered chicken, and he rated it amongst some of the best he'd ever had.
That evening started my love affair with the cocktails that Shaun produced. My husband, having known Shaun as a friend and colleague for many years, had informed me that Shaun was masterful when it came to creating cocktails. My husband lied. Masterful does not even come close to the level of cocktail brilliance that Shaun possesses.
During the many times that I have been to Salut, I have tried their cocktail offerings. My two favourites very quickly became the Chocolate Marguirita, and the Menage a'Trois.
The Chocolate Marguirita was as good as it sounds. It was one of those drinks that you could carry on drinking without realising you were getting well and truly sloshed. With the glass rimmed in lemon juice and chocolate powder, it was titillating, tasty and totally worth the $12 you paid for it.
The Menage a'Trois was a large creamy, fruity cocktail that came in a hurricane glass. It was the kind of cocktail that was intended to be shared, but noone ever tried to come between me and my Menage a'Trois. It ranks on high as one of the best beverages, alcoholic or otherwise, that I have ever tasted.
As well as offering great food, Salut offered top class entertainment. Knowing exactly the right kind of show to put on that would please the crowds, Shaun brought in top class acts from all over the country, to play for the partiers and diners in Salut. With a resident DJ, Salut was also a great place to start your party evening, with the cocktails, the music and the ambience creating the perfect setting to gear up for a night on the town.
Finally, it is one thing to talk about the dining experience, the cocktails and the ambience of a place, but the biggest factor of any fine eating establishment is the hygiene, and let me tell you, the hygiene at Salut was second to none. The restrooms were kept in a clean, sanitary state. Hand soap and toilet paper were always well stocked, and large mirrors, candles, music (yes, music in the restrooms) and flattering lighting always left one walking out of the restroom feeling fresh and clean.
The few glimpses I got of the kitchen in Salut always showed me that the chef and his staff had a good working relationship, and that it was a happy and well-functioning kitchen.
My husband and I have had many wonderful evenings at Salut. The quality and class that Shaun managed to inject into his business will be sorely missed in our little city. Not only that, but the local farmers will feel their pockets a little less full, as Shaun made sure to support the local growers, and stock the kitchen of Salut with produce from in and around the Northland region.
The closing of Salut is huge loss for the dining tastes of the citizens of Whangarei, and Northland alike, and whatever venture Shaun takes up next, I hope that he will always know how much of a wonderful and special place Salut was.
I, for one, will miss it immensely.
Salut was located in the Public Trusts building on Bank Street. It was a restaurant/bar/cocktail lounge that offered an ambience unseen in any other of it's type in Whangarei. The owner, Shaun, had come to Whangarei from a successful career of owning similar facilities in Auckland.
My first ever dining experience at Salut showed to me exactly how much attention to detail Shaun liked to pay. His servers were top notch, carrying out every task with a smile, a pleasant attitude, and a willingness to please. Shaun himself, was only too happy to come to the table and have a friendly chat, getting to know his customers personally, and ensuring that everything was, indeed, of the highest quality.
I ordered the eye fillet for dinner, and at a price of around $30, it was expensive for what Whangarei was used to, but in so far as quality dining, it was a more than reasonable price. The meat was tender, flavoursome and thoroughly enjoyable. My date at the time (now my husband) ordered chicken, and he rated it amongst some of the best he'd ever had.
That evening started my love affair with the cocktails that Shaun produced. My husband, having known Shaun as a friend and colleague for many years, had informed me that Shaun was masterful when it came to creating cocktails. My husband lied. Masterful does not even come close to the level of cocktail brilliance that Shaun possesses.
During the many times that I have been to Salut, I have tried their cocktail offerings. My two favourites very quickly became the Chocolate Marguirita, and the Menage a'Trois.
The Chocolate Marguirita was as good as it sounds. It was one of those drinks that you could carry on drinking without realising you were getting well and truly sloshed. With the glass rimmed in lemon juice and chocolate powder, it was titillating, tasty and totally worth the $12 you paid for it.
The Menage a'Trois was a large creamy, fruity cocktail that came in a hurricane glass. It was the kind of cocktail that was intended to be shared, but noone ever tried to come between me and my Menage a'Trois. It ranks on high as one of the best beverages, alcoholic or otherwise, that I have ever tasted.
As well as offering great food, Salut offered top class entertainment. Knowing exactly the right kind of show to put on that would please the crowds, Shaun brought in top class acts from all over the country, to play for the partiers and diners in Salut. With a resident DJ, Salut was also a great place to start your party evening, with the cocktails, the music and the ambience creating the perfect setting to gear up for a night on the town.
Finally, it is one thing to talk about the dining experience, the cocktails and the ambience of a place, but the biggest factor of any fine eating establishment is the hygiene, and let me tell you, the hygiene at Salut was second to none. The restrooms were kept in a clean, sanitary state. Hand soap and toilet paper were always well stocked, and large mirrors, candles, music (yes, music in the restrooms) and flattering lighting always left one walking out of the restroom feeling fresh and clean.
The few glimpses I got of the kitchen in Salut always showed me that the chef and his staff had a good working relationship, and that it was a happy and well-functioning kitchen.
My husband and I have had many wonderful evenings at Salut. The quality and class that Shaun managed to inject into his business will be sorely missed in our little city. Not only that, but the local farmers will feel their pockets a little less full, as Shaun made sure to support the local growers, and stock the kitchen of Salut with produce from in and around the Northland region.
The closing of Salut is huge loss for the dining tastes of the citizens of Whangarei, and Northland alike, and whatever venture Shaun takes up next, I hope that he will always know how much of a wonderful and special place Salut was.
I, for one, will miss it immensely.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Whangarei, the "city" of eating
My husband and I live in a very sleepy little town called Hikurangi, which is ten minutes north of the "city" of Whangarei, in New Zealand. Now, I'm not trying to be harsh, but "city" really isn't a word that should be used to describe Whangarei. It lacks all the fundamentals that most cities possess. That aside, however, it does have some fairly decent eating spots, if you know where to look.
We eat out far too often to be economically healthy. Part of this is due to a certain apathy towards the kitchen. Part of it is convenience. Part of it is due to work schedules. But mostly, this is in part to laziness.
So, because we eat out so often, I have decided to blog about my eating experiences within Whangarei, so that anyone who wishes to read this, can learn a little about any of the places we've been to and eaten from, and perhaps wish to try those places (or not), based on what is contained within this blog.
So, please, enjoy :)
We eat out far too often to be economically healthy. Part of this is due to a certain apathy towards the kitchen. Part of it is convenience. Part of it is due to work schedules. But mostly, this is in part to laziness.
So, because we eat out so often, I have decided to blog about my eating experiences within Whangarei, so that anyone who wishes to read this, can learn a little about any of the places we've been to and eaten from, and perhaps wish to try those places (or not), based on what is contained within this blog.
So, please, enjoy :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)