PIE

I made a my first fruit pie since moving to New Zealand. It was peach and apricot.

I made this crust but used Olivani instead of butter: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-pie-crust-recipe.html

It worked well, and for the filling I just chopped up a ton of ripe peaches and apricots I picked up from Central Otago, added 1/3 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of flour. It was delicious and everyone at the party loved it, and they hoisted me on their shoulders and carried me around for the rest of the night, cheering and giving me high fives. Served it with vegan vanilla soy ice cream.

AUCKLAND - The Little Bird Unbakery

1a Summer Street, Ponsonby

I normally dislike raw food, but the Unbakery in Ponsonby was really good. I had some sprouted bread with cashew cheese and my travelling companion had the portobello benedict.












Not only was the food delicious, but I'm pretty sure we became fitter and more youthful via these dishes and our proximity to the other clientele. I also had some excellent jasmine tea, and we bought a piece of passionfruit cheesecake to take away. We ate the cheesecake street side with very petite spoons, which we lifted from some coffee chain by the art gallery. The cheesecake was really tasty - light and creamy, but also pretty rich and with a bit of bite.

AUCKLAND - Verona Cafe

169 Karangahape Rd

This was the Miso Pretty salad. It was cheap ($10) and delicious. The tofu was kind of soft on the inside but had a nice, crispy exterior, and the miso dressing was perfect. I should really start making this sort of thing at home. I've basically been eating noodle soup every day for the past three months due to some kind of food ennui. Nothing like a little vacay to resolve a bout of dietary malaise.