Monthly Archives: September 2013

VOP: Wow Al Brown you’ve done it again with Federal Deli

Posted on September 23, 2013 | 1 comment

VOP: Wow Al Brown you’ve done it again with Federal Deli

We’ve ventured outside Ponsonby again – this time to try Al Brown’s new Federal Deli. And we loved it. Sunday night was probably a good time to try it as we had no problem getting a table. Super friendly and attentive service with the water poured literally as we sat down.

For starters we shared amongst 4 of us MEAT SCHTICKS (pea & pastrami croquettes w/ habanero mayo) and SMOKED KAHAWAI CAKES (w/ NZ wasabi & lime mayo) – plenty to go around. And the water kept coming!

For mains we shared SPIT-ROAST CHICKEN (half bird) and VEAL SCHNITZEL (w/ sage & lemon) – again enough for 4. The schnitzel was the best I’ve tasted. And the water kept coming!!

Fed 3

And for dessert we shared NY CHEESECAKE and LEMON MERINGUE PIE. And still the water kept coming!!!

Couldn’t fault anything. It’s casual but efficient, that is, the good part of efficient.

We’ll be back there for breakfast soonest. Well why wouldn’t you with these yummies on offer:

MORNING GLORY breakfast salad w/ haloumi, portobello, poached egg & dukkah GRIDDLE CAKES blueberry buttermilk pancakes w/ cinnamon butter & strudel crunch LATKES crispy potato w/ salmon lox, crème fraiche & dill TREYF pickled pork, poached eggs & horseradish hollandaise on rye SMOKED HASH smoked mullet w/ fresh herbs & poached eggs MISH-MASH pastrami hash w/ poached egg

And finally they’ve got these wicked postcards with a brilliant tag line: Raising Auckland’s cholesterol since 7am

Fed 1

What’s not to love. Well worth crossing the border for!!

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Posted in Drink, Food

Don’t you just love Japanese

Posted on September 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

We are always on the lookout for good Japanese restaurants and we are reasonably well served in Ponsonby. At the more “cheap & cheerful” end we have been regulars at Tomo at Three Lamps. Our latest favourite however is Yuzu at 145 Ponsonby Road (next to Chapel) and we were there last Friday night. Yuzu has a bit more ambiance than Tomo much of which is provided by the wonderful Jane and her team.

They do a great take on okonomiyaki (seafood pancake) and our favourites are the any of the tempura, teriyaki chicken donburi and chicken katsu – all very yummy and reasonably priced.

Okonomiyaki & tempura prawns

Perfect for a quick bite – lovely service and very reasonably priced.

PS Can’t wait for Ponsonby market day this Saturday Sept 21st

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Mexico invades Ponsonby – and we can’t wait

Posted on September 11, 2013 | Leave a comment

But I’m a step ahead of myself. We had a family dinner at Mexico Takapuna last night. What fun we had and the food was well, mexican and yummy. We were a party of 10 so were able to do the $30 per head set menu. The food started coming and kept coming – pickled vegetables and house made corn chips n salsa to be washed down with the first margaritas and sangria. Then through the fried chicken (leaves the Colonel for dead), corn, leek & quinoa croqueta, beef skirt & potato skewers and awesome quesadillas before the individual orders of soft shell tacos – pork belly for me of course with others having the fish, chicken and crispy squid – all were scrummy. And finally, a selection of shared salads. Boy what a feed as we used to say in the old days haha.

We’d taken our own dessert – a birthday cake which the very helpful staff popped some candles onto and presented at just the right moment for Deb. It capped a fun night in a great setting with tasty food – hard to beat.

mexico

They’ve done a great job in setting up this very authentic mexican experience and now they’re coming to Ponsonby – this month – just along from Juliette Hogan. Can’t wait.

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