Wednesday 12 August 2015

Auckland Restaurant Month- Hectors




It’s Restaurant Month here in Auckland. Meaning that a lot of great places are joining in and offering deals to showcase their food.
Hector’s Restaurant, in The Heritage Hotel is a vegan staple.   You can see my review  from a year ago here

If you’re in Auckland, I urge  you to take full advantage of Restaurant Month. What better time to exercise those foodie taste buds? Visit   Heart of the City webpage to find out more about who is taking part.

Anyway, back to Hector’s. Last Friday evening, my partner and I made the impromptu trip to my favourite restaurant in Auckland.
Apparently you are meant to call more than an hour before hand, in order for the chefs to ensure they have all the correct ingredients, to take advantage of the Restaurant Month deal. But they were able to squeeze us in, and we are very grateful for that.

As always, our server was amazing. Herman looked after us, and was incredibly attentive- he gets all the points.
For $55pp you get a 3 course meal off of a set ‘Restaurant Month’ menu- there is a vegan and also a ‘normal’ menu to chose from.




With some vegan wine we got ready for a great meal.

Rockburn Riesling 



Macadamia Cheese and Poached Vegetable Salad with Beet Puree


Anyone who knows me, will tell you I hate salads, making this an odd choice.
  I won't lie, it was the word cheese that swayed me, not salad. Luckily though, there were no leaves in sight and who doesn't love a baby carrot?
I enjoyed this starter, it was light and the flavours were great. The cheese was a bit of a let down, kind of gritty, but I'm glad I chose the salad- try new things and all that.

Truffled Mushroom Tart, Hazelnut Salad, and Balsamic Reduction.
There is that word again, salad. I did eat a bit of it, but I chose this for the tart. I've had this dish before and LOVE IT. It's beautifully made, very flavourful. Ever since becoming vegan, I've had a love affair with mushrooms. They make such a great alternative to meat, so earthy.
This time, it was a bit heavy on the salt, but I haven't had that issue in the past (bear in mind I hate using salt, so I'm quite sensitive to it.)

Chocolate Mousse and Raw Hazelnut Brownie

 Chocolate, brownie, chocolate...and some nuts with freeze dried raspberry. The mousse was very decadent and I wouldn't have wanted more than what was served, as it's quite heavy. As for the raw brownie, it reminded me of soft granola and that is not a bad thing. I really enjoyed the addition of freeze dried raspberries too.

My partner had the fritters (I say my partner had, I did too)
Banana Fritters with Mango Sorbet and Ginger
What a lovely photo of my arm's shadow. 

The fritters  and sorbet weirdly matched the chocolate mousse. But what I really loved about this was the ginger syrup, it went perfectly with the mango sorbet.

 We really enjoyed our evening out at Hectors. it was a great chance to eat some loved food and also try something new. I intend on taking full advantage of what Restaurant Month has to offer Auckland.
So give Restaurant Month a go. You might find a new favourite spot.  



Au Revoir my Lovelies

Rachael x

Sunday 10 May 2015

Pumpkin Soup

I made this over the weekend for part of a 3 course Mothers Day meal. Not to toot my own horn, but it's delicious, and so simple. Perfect for the cold winter.


 Ingredients 
- ½ crown pumpkin, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes 
-4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes 
-3 onions, peeled and chopped up 
-olive oil or vege oil, about 6 tbsp 
-3/4 tsp ground nutmeg 
-1/4 cup white sugar 
-salt and pepper to taste
-vegetable stock . 
- 2 tsp of smoked paprika





METHOD:
1.Sweat the veggies in the oil, nutmeg and sugar on a med to low heat until the pumpkin goes kinda mushy on the outside. 
2. Cover with vegie stock, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer until the veg is cooked. 
3. Let cool a little while then blend the soup in batches and put back into a clean pot and add a little more stock if too thick to thin it out, check seasoning, and add paprika.


And Ta Da, you are done. This freezes great, so make a large batch, split into Tupperware and freeze for a quick lunch.  


Let me know if you give this recipe a go.

Rachael xx

Wednesday 15 April 2015

Stray cat?

Blurry, I know. I'm sorry.
This cat has a tendency to eat all of my cat, Blu's food. 
He comes in through the cat flap, feasts on wet food, and snuggles up on freshly washed clothes. He's living the high life, with no commitment to a family. 

We've caught him numerous times. But no matter how much water you throw at him, how many times you chuck him out, or the dog barks- this cat always finds his way back in. He's persistent, and obviously very carefree- lovely cat qualities. I feel he tosses up the decision like this: 'they have a huge Staffordshire bull/ boxer cross, I really should stay away....buuuut foooood. Yep, I'm going in!' 

Which kind of makes it even more sad. He is obviously desperate, and  there is even a possibility he does have a family. And If he does- he should be taken from them anyway. He is skinny, clearly hungry for loves, and has, what looks like, an infected eye. 

Don't get me wrong, he's a lovely, gentle cat, far more loving than my Blu. I wish we could keep him, but our dog would try to eat him.  

I know it's a long shot, but he is honestly the sweetest cat- even Blu seems to like him. We often find them snuggled up together (maybe they are boyfriends?) if anyone does recognise this cat, please let me know. We are almost at the point of taking him into the vet. 

For good measure, here's Blu. 

Rachael x

Tuesday 17 March 2015

Letting the blog down

Life has been crazy but great. And unfortunately, that means I've been neglecting you. 
I've been traveling loads, and focusing on my job. 
When I started this blog, I was working part time in a job I hated, then made redundant and jobless for months. This blog became a haven for me, a place to express myself when I felt trapped and lost. 
I don't want my efforts with this blog to go to waste, this isn't a goodbye, it's a hello. To you the reader, to the blog itself, and to the me I want to become again-the me that takes the time to do what I love, write.