New Zealand Report: Depot Eatery, Auckland

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Today I return to writing my NZ dining series with a review of Depot Eatery, already an Auckland favourite just two years after it was opened in 2011 by Al Brown. Having seen the rave reviews of Depot everywhere, it quickly made my shortlist of places to try. Sure enough, it didn't disappoint - my mum and I loved it so much that we ended up eating here twice during our long weekend getaway.

Depot is buzzing on any given night and its popularity is evident just by looking at the happy crowd inside and the people waiting outside for a table. We were lucky to get seats fairly quickly on both visits, perhaps due to our party size being just two. Seating throughout is bar-style and relaxed, with elevated bar chairs and tables, and they've thoughtfully included bag hooks next to most seats. There is also seating at the bar itself, where you can admire the booze collection on the racks above you while ordering your tipple and food from the super friendly bartenders.

The menu, presented to us by our waitress as a large folded-up sheet of paper in keeping with the chilled-out vibe of Depot (and no doubt because they constantly rotate their offerings), is divided into sections for oysters, small share plates, large share plates, sides, and drinks. Both nights, we ordered a jug of NZ cider to sip as we deliberated on our choices.

Suzuran, Camberwell, Melbourne

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It's already evident from my existing blog posts that I'm a Japanese food devotee. Authentic Japanese food in Melbourne is generally quite pricey and fancy, and sometimes I find myself just wanting a quick, cheap fix. Unfortunately, while there are sushi takeaways all over Melbourne, it's a real struggle to find an authentic one.

Suzuran, an unassuming little place at the northern end of Burke Rd in Camberwell, is welcome relief in Melbourne's sea of faux-Japanese. This is a grocery shop and sushi takeaway run by an all-Japanese team, which becomes apparent as soon as you walk in and hear the Japanese chatter and see the handwritten Japanese signs everywhere.

My family and I dropped in near closing time to pick up some sushi for dinner. The queue of customers even at that hour was a good first sign. A further glance around revealed that for a takeaway shop, Suzuran's roster of sushi and sashimi offerings is pretty impressive. You can order from a long list of platter combinations and/or from the individual piece menu. I noticed rather cool ingredients on the list, such as yuzu and whelk on the individual piece menu. I'm also pleased to report that Suzuran is super vegetarian-friendly; they offer many vegetarian platters and are also happy to do customised vegetarian platters.

The platter menu

Vue de Monde, Rialto Tower, Melbourne CBD

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I'm going to have to finish off my New Zealand miniseries later - exams got in the way of me getting it done earlier - because right now I have a number of people nagging me to post photos from my Vue de Monde experience, not surprisingly!

The Rialto Tower. Vue de Monde sits on the 55th floor.

Last week I had some relatives arriving on a visit from overseas and we had the great privilege of taking a nine-course degustation at Shannon Bennett's famed establishment. Now, normally I'd write a detailed review, but in this case I really don't think it's necessary. Today, I'll just let the photos and videos do most of the talking...

I requested a "good table" due to our overseas visitors, and we were duly treated to one with views of Melbourne's CBD.

 

Pre-appetiser: house-made salt and vinegar chips with macadamia paste

New Zealand Report: Vaniyé (Vaniye), Parnell, Auckland

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Earlier this year, my mum and I visited New Zealand properly for the first time (airport transits don't count as visits!) with a long weekend getaway to Auckland. I know, I know...some of you out there might scratch your heads at the idea of just visiting Auckland. However, (a) I only had a few days' time - not enough to do the whole South Island thing, (b) the flights worked out cheapest, and (c) I have a mate in Auckland, who did a fantastic job showing me his city. And of course, NZ has an excellent reputation when it comes to wining and dining no matter which city you visit. As such, I thought it would be fun to do a miniseries of blog posts to share some of my musings and dining thoughts from my journey. To whet your appetite, here's my favourite photo from my trip:

The view from Devonport towards Auckland CBD

From the Vegicurean's Bar: Maija's Cranberry Bubbly

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Phew! So much has been going on for me lately that I've barely had time to blog, but in honour of this being Saturday night, I'll steal a moment just to share one of my favourite cocktails. Aside from food reviewing and cooking, mixing drinks is also one of my hobbies and similarly, I love digging up unique recipes to try out...

If you've already read my beetroot salad post, you may have noticed me reminiscing over the time I've spent in Finland. One of my favourite aspects of Finnish culture has got to be Finnish design, be it glassware, textiles or fashion. As such, I often drop by the website of Finnish textile legend Marimekko for a bit of a browse. On one such occasion, I stumbled upon an absolutely delightful cocktail recipe in the blog section of the website.

May I present, courtesy of Marimekko: "Maija's Cranberry Bubbly", which has evidently been named in honour of Maija Isola, the designer who first made the company famous half a century ago. It's a relatively simple mix of 1 part vodka, 2 parts cranberry juice, 4 parts champagne, and some frozen berries, but it looks great and is effective.

In keeping with the theme, I mixed my cocktail in this divine apple green glass by renowned Finnish glassware designer iittala. Isn't it just stunning - I brought two of these glasses all the way home from Helsinki to Melbourne! Note that in making the cocktail, I had to replace the cranberries with raspberries because I couldn't find any cranberries at the time.

I think this is a really clever cocktail, particularly because the frozen berries are able to take the place of ice cubes while also adding flavour. If you can't source cranberries, as I said, you can easily replace them with other red berries and it will taste just as wonderful. Just a small tip: I used Yellowglen "Pink" for the champagne part of the drink and most people to whom I've served this cocktail seem to prefer it made with that rather than regular champagne, perhaps because the berry flavours of "Pink" actually enhance the berry goodness of the cocktail. However, your tastes may differ, so I recommend trying both Pink and normal champagne to see which you personally prefer. Either way, with spring well and truly upon us and summer just around the corner, I think this refreshing summery cocktail would be perfect for your next dinner party on the patio :-)

Cocktail recipe HERE. Cheers...or "kippis!", as the Finns would say!

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