Cardrona Speights Ale House, Mt Eden

We had a very disappointing meal out at Cardrona Speights Ale House in Mt Eden last night.  We have been here in previous years and had good meals, but last night we were there with friends as part of the quiz and it was definitely not flash.

I started with a Porter to drink which I thoroughly enjoyed.  For my main I had the Drunken Steak which I requested to be rare.  The majority of the steak was in fact medium-well and the sauce wasn’t anything special.  Jane had the Pig Hunter, which is a huge pork loin; she enjoyed the dish.  Others at the table had the salmon (described as the most tasteless salmon they had ever had) and a beef salad, that had more kumara than anything.

For dessert I decided to have the Chocolate Mud Cake and Jane had the Cromwell Crumble.  45 minutes after placing our order I went and asked if they were far away and then proceeded to cancel the orders about another 10 minutes later.  We got our refund but they did insist of bringing the desserts anyway and were very apologetic (which was good).  The Mud Cake however came without the fudge sauce but the Crumble was good.

So, all in all not a great night of food and we won’t be back in a hurry.

Shaky Isles - Kingsland, Auckland

We were planning on meeting friends for brunch on Sunday morning, and wanted to go somewhere that had an entertainment book coupon.  We both remembered enjoying coffee at Shaky Isles previously so figured we'd give it a go.

Shaky Isles
492 New North Rd
Kingsland
(parking out the back!)


I do like the environment, and particularly the big outdoor benches.  We sat inside on Sunday - it was reasonbly busy when we arrived, although got progressively busier and noisier during our brunch!  You certainly couldn't say the place has no vibe!


Their menu is a little different to the norm (a good thing!), but delightfully flexible, so if you like your traditional eggs bennie, or scrambled eggs with bacon, you can build pretty much whatever you desire.  Simon and I both had the Bruschetta with scrambled eggs, tomatoes, feta, spinach & basil pesto, Simon also had a side of spicy kransky.  We'd both definitely order this again.  One of our brunch companions had the Crumpet with dates, poached pear & orange ricotta - and a side of poached egg because that's what she felt like! I love that this was no hassle - I do get frustrated with cafes that are unwillingly or incapable of deviating from the exact menu.  And the final meal at our table was the aptly named 'Isle have it all' - aka the big breakfast!  It's safe to say we all enjoyed our meals and would more than happily return.

Simon also had a kiwifruit, mint, lychee, banana smoothie - this was really good and very refreshing.  My long black was great, as was my cappuccino.  Simon wasn't sure about the blend used for his trim latte.  I really appreciated that they use different beans for their different coffees - and you can swap and change here as well if you like.  I'm tempted to order 3 long blacks one day - 1 of each blend, and do a vertical tasting!

In summary:
Love the flexibility of this cafe, the food is great, fresh & delicious, and the coffees seem dependable.  We will return and we will recommend to others.    

Cannellini Bean & Fresh Vege Salad

I had another 'I really don't want to go to the supermarket' day today so had to get creative about dinner. The result was further proof that necessity is indeed the mother of invention. The only meat in the freezer was lamb shanks or a whole free range chicken - and arriving home at 2pm dictacted that these were not options! I did however have 3 cans of cannellini beans! Yay! I love them, Simon's not so sure.

My resulting salad was fresh, vital and delicious. I really enjoyed the different textures - from the crsip fresh veges to the smooth avocado and the meaty cannellini beans.

Cannellini Bean & Fresh Vege Salad

1 small red onion
1 head of baby cos
1/2 red pepper
1 avocado
small handful fresh coriander leaves
1 can cannellini beans - drained
pepper

Dressing
2 T good quality olive oil
2 T lime juice
1 t garlic crushed
1/4 - 1/2 t ginger
salt

• First make the dressing by combining all ingredients in a shaker or jar and shaking. Alter seasoning to taster.
• Build in the bowl in the following order (so the beans and avocado don't smush through the salad):
• very finely sliced red onion
• red pepper cut into thin matchsticks
• cos - I removed the white cores from each leaf then used a plastic lettuce knife (to prevent the leaves from browning) to cut into thin curly bits
• roughly chopped coriander leaves
• freshly cracked black pepper
• pour the dressing through a fine sieve (the garlic will have infused through, and it's better without the lumps!) over the salad and toss at this point
• now add the cannellini beans and the diced avocado and gently mix before serving

Absolutely delicious and nutrionally - well, you can eat this meal and feel truely virtuous!

Mystery Creek Pinot Gris 2006

Mystery Creek Wines is a small vineyard located 10km south of Hamilton, New Zealand.  With grapes from Clevedon (South Auckland) this pale straw coloured wine has very little to the nose and is actually reminiscent of a European white wine (a Chablis perhaps).  To taste it blind, I think I would have picked it as an un-oaked Chardonnay.  It was not at all what I was expecting for a Pinot Gris from this region, and whilst it does not taste like it has been done to the traditional Pinot Gris style it is in fact quite enjoyable.  It has a nice mouth feel, that is not gluggy but has a nice warmth.

Drinking well now.

Burnt Spur Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006

Bizarrely, I smelt oysters to the nose when I first poured this wine.  Jane however didn’t agree, but did note that is was not as grassy as she would expect for a Marlborough Sauvignon.

This is quite a citrus-driven wine (which I did not expect in a Marlborough Sauvignon) and I found I also picked this up more on the nose after a few mouthfuls.

This is a lovely drop that has a nice level of tartness and is drinking well now.

Ristorante Andrea - Mission Bay Auckland

Now that I've learnt how to make my own pasta, including fettuccine, ravioli, cannelloni and lasagne, I tend to me more reluctant to pay for it at a restaurant and will tend to opt for gnocchi which I've not yet learnt how to make! Well, I was very pleased I did order the pasta on Saturday, when I had the pleasure of joining friends at Ristorante Andrea in Mission Bay.

I arrived a little earlier than my friends, and had no idea what name the booking was under, so after a confused conversation with the waitress, I lurked awkwardly on the footpath awaiting their arrival. The waitress soon approached me again and suggested I take a seat out the front while I waited - she was really nice about it and I appreciated being rescued! She continued to joke with us during the evening, along with providing really good service, as did the very Italian gentlemen who was also serving us, prompting us to order before the very large group that was settling in. I appreciated this quite homely feel and felt very welcome and like nothing was a problem.

Shortly after we'd all sat down at our table I commented to my neighbour on the brown paper strips serving as tableclothes. Until we found the jar of crayons and all proceeded to draw, sign and photograph our various masterpieces! Love it!

Anyway, back to the food! I ordered one of the many special pastas - Fettuccine alla Amatriciana. It was absolutely fabulous! A hint of spice, rich tomato, and bursting with flavour right to the very end. I absolutely would order this again.

4 of my companions also ordered pasta dishes, and I believe all enjoyed them. One pizza was ordered, and it looked really good, enough so that I'd go back for pizza as well.

Most of us had desserts, and these weren't quite as rave-worthy as the mains, but by no-means complaint-worthy either. When I return I'm likely to have starters and mains rather than mains & dessert.

In summary: comfortable friendly service, relaxed environment and really good pasta! Next time I'll take Simon, and I'll remember to take food photos.

Moana Park Vineyard Tribute Gewürztraminer 2008

To accompany a spicy chicken dish this evening I opened up a Gewürztraminer from Moana Park in Napier that complemented it nicely.

With a lovely golden robe, this wine is not as strong on Turkish delight / rose water flavours as many Gewürztraminers but the flavours are still there with a nice freshness and with a touch of sweetness.

This is a lovely wine to drink and it is drinking well now.