If I said that I had forgotten about this blog, I would be lying. Heh. No excuses really. To be quite frank, I've been taking photos of places here and there, but for a while I sort of lost the will to write. Ironically, I was more onto it when I had less time on my hands....
But I'm back. And hopefully I'll be able to update more frequently! On a random note, this weather we're having in Auckland is terrible. To whom it may concern, please don't rain on my graduation day!
Elliott Stables Epicurean Village
www.elliott-stables.co.nz
One of my favourite places to go to (to eat) is at Elliott Stables. Located right next to Atrium on Elliott, Elliott Stables has a mix of eateries and specialty food/drink stores (oh... and a florist). Each eatery is quite different, and the same can be said for its specialty stores. I think it has become one of my favourite places to go to, as the feel and atmosphere is quite different from most places you can find in Auckland. It could almost be described as a luxurious food court, but it isn't quite a food court.
You can order from any of the eateries in the village and choose to either eat inside the chosen eatery, or outside in the Village Common. It is a pretty ideal place when you're out with a group of people and everyone wants to eat from different places. The menus can be found outside each eatery; so you can have a browse, make an order, sit at your table, and wait for your food to be delivered to you.
I haven't tried every place – I hope to accomplish that before I leave NZ in September. The one downside to Elliott Stables is that it's not exactly the cheapest place to go to for a feed (hence "luxurious" and the fact that it is located in the city). But it is a nice place to go to for a quick feed before or after a movie at the cinemas!
The first thing I had ever ordered was actually a glass of wine from Bruschetteria (heh) and a galette from Torchon French Creperie. If I'm feeling rather indecisive, I tend to eventually decide on Torchon as if it's like a default since I know its gonna be good.
The chicken and mushroom galette with a cream and white wine sauce ($13.50 without chicken, $15.50 with chicken) is my go-to crepe, but there's always an inconsistency with regards to the sauce. Sometimes they're quite generous (re: see above), sometimes they're not (thus becoming a bit dry...). The egg, ham, and cheese galette is tasty, but the amount of cheese makes it rather rich. Their dessert crepes are really good as well. You can't go wrong with an apple and cinnamon crepe!
If you want Italian food, you can go right next door to DeNiro Ristorante. I must admit that I've only ever ordered pasta, but that's because they offer a lunch special of $10 pasta. :)
I tend to go for the Chicken Fettuccine or the Fettuccine Alfredo, since I normally don't eat pasta sauces with a cheese content if I eat pasta at home. Their serving size is pretty reasonable and it tastes good too! They could probably try and cut down the amount of sauce that they give you (not the mushrooms or bacon/chicken though), because white sauces can be rather rich sometimes. Oh, and more mushrooms for mushroom-addicts like myself, please? (Yes, I have a problem).
Feel like Spanish food? To the left of DeNiro is El Faro Restaurant + Tapas Bar. I recently tried their tapas menu and it was pretty good! The tapas that I tried (below) were the chicken wings and beef with green olives. If you're really keen on robust flavours, then you should give it a try. Next time, I'll definitely try the other tapas that they have on their menu. Meat tapas are usually $8 and vegetarian tapas are $6, but you can opt to order two tapas of your choice with a soft drink for $12.
Another dish that I've had from El Faro was the Churros con Chocolate ($8), which was their only dessert option on the menu. If you've never heard of it before, they're essentially spanish doughnuts which can be dipped in hot melted chocolate (and sprinkled cinnamon on top!) Drool....*RU#*U$@#(#. It is extremely rich and I would recommend sharing it with others, like I did (well mainly because Military Man bought it for all of us to share, heh). I did feel guilty about eating one doughnut though...
On the left side of Elliott Stables there is Frankies Wurstbude, a European gourmet sausage house. I went there once last year with Rapper T, and I'm still angry about my mustard choice! I selected English Mustard for one of my sauces and it felt like it was karma one way or another for something bad that I had probably done....I now know that I was actually wanting American Mustard....sheesh. I opted for a sausage in a fresh bread roll ($10.50). You can choose the type of sausage and the type of bread roll, and can choose as many toppings and sauces as you want. I think the English Mustard ruined my experience (sorry, tongue) even though the French Toulouse sausage was pretty good. However, I wish the whole thing hadn't been as lukewarm as it was – a warm bread roll never hurt anyone! I also tried their chips ($4 for a side, $6 for a basket) and they were pretty good. You can never go wrong with chicken salt! At least I think it was chicken salt...
For a Japanese fix, you can go to Samurai Sushi. I haven't tried their food yet, mainly because the prices slightly scare me... There is Bruschetteria (more Italian), Reslau (café), Besos Latinos (Latin American food, as the name slightly suggests), and Brasilicum (just opened recently, and apparently specialise in vegan food).
The Kapiti Store is right next to the left entrance of Elliott Stables, and they have some of the best ice-cream around. My favourite ice cream flavour is their Spicy Apple Crumble ice cream (ooooooh my god), while the Black Doris Plum and Créme Fraiche, and Blueberry Muffin flavours are a close second and third. The first time I had their plum ice cream was actually on an Air New Zealand flight from Melbourne to Auckland. No screaming babies on my flight could upset me that day....
Next update: birthday blog! Brunch at Mecca (Nuffield St) and cake (Gateau House). Mmmmm....
