Occidental: TERRIBLE!!

Contrasting the highlights I've had in Auckland was the low point of eating at a Belgian pub called Occidental.  There are several branches of this restaurant across Auckland.  The one I went to is in downtown, just off Queen Street (the city's main street).

Despite being a favourite haunt of Thai International flight crews and appearing in many city guides, this place is over-hyped and serves terrible food.

Here are reasons why:

• DISGUSTING mussels.  Even though it's the restaurant's signature menu, the kitchen team didn't pay enough attention to making it deserve that title.  It was very unpleasant to find that the mussels have not been cleaned properly.  I don't just mean there was some grit and dirt in the shells - that is at least a forgivable offence - I mean the mussels still have mini crustaceans in them that they have semi-digested.  It's like eating a creature along with its last meal.  What's shocking is that it wasn't only the one accidental mussel that had something half-consumed, I had multiple ones in the very same order!!
• The pommes dauphinoise gratinés that accompanied the lamb shank main dish was stone-cold, had no nutmeg and was sickeningly sweet in taste.
• The lamb shank itself was also cold, stiff and very dry.  It also had a distinct smell of stale refrigerator air when you bite into it.
• The sauce that came with the main dish was gloopy, looked more like a watered-down BBQ sauce with chunks of under-cooked onions in it and it was spilled over every part of the plate.
• The vegetables that came with the dish was under-cooked, bland and gave this diner a new understanding of "anglaise".

I whole-heartedly recommend that you AVOID this place, and save yourself the traumatic experience of "dining" there.

Miserable-looking vegetables accompanying stale lamb shank with stone-cold potatoes.  Seconds?  Yes please!  :-P

Oh, the trauma!

The only saving grace of the meal was this.  I mean, if you manage to even screw this up, then you really do need to voluntarily close down.

Good One: more like "great one"

Located in what was once a warehouse in Ponsonby, the Good One coffee shop is famous not only for the brews they make, but also for their large collection of National Geographic magazines.  It is the flagship of the Supreme coffee brand.  Another one under this umbrella is the Supreme Seafarers.  For my blogpost about that coffee shop, please click here.

Overall grade:  4.5/5.0

Unique charms:

• It was once a warehouse, which has been renovated into a coffee shop
• The posters on their walls show the customers the coffee making process
• "Bare bones" industrial, minimalist decor; this style enhances their brand image.
• Free water options: bubbly or still
• There is a coffee tasting room that is open to the public on certain days of the week.  Good for new product test-runs.
• The large National Geographic collection
• Friendly staff

However, if you're someone who doesn't like the cold, you might want to take your coffee back to your office or accommodation, because after all, it is a warehouse, and the high ceilings mean a cooler indoor temperature - almost as cool as it is outdoors.  Nonetheless, don't forget that in summer months, this place would be cooler than outside, because of the very same high ceiling.

Impressive in its own right, but not quite reaching the same level as Kokako due to their lack of food options, but maybe they aren't aiming for that.  For my post about Kokako, please click here.

The National Geographic collection

A poster showing how different styles of coffee are made

The shop's tasting room

Pastries made by little and friday

Fill your own cup

Steel stools and steel tables

Street-side drinking

This is the flagship shop of the Supreme coffee brand

little and friday: no longer little and now everyday

The chain of cute pastry shops called little and friday has a humble beginning.  It was in a small place that only opened on Fridays - hence the name.

Nowadays, the shop has two main branches and the Good One coffee shop in Ponsonby also stocks and sells their products.  little and friday has become a local institution and the lines of people are often long; both for dine-in and take-away.

(For my blogpost about Good One cafe, please click here.)



My impression of the Belmont branch of little and friday is so:


Overall grade:  4.0/5.0

Unique charms:

• Quick and friendly service
• There is a warm-up option available when you order sandwiches and pastries.
• Other places give you a small sign with a number on it so that the service staff knows to which customer they should bring an order.  At little and friday, they have small animal statuettes that are spray-painted yellow.  So instead of "Chocolate croissant for #43," it becomes "Chocolate croissant for the customer with the giraffe."

I had a small lemon meringue pie from here.  The meringue was fluffy and the crust had a bit of crunch to it.  However, I find most Kiwi pastries too mellow.  Normally, I prefer the flavours to be quite distinct.  Even though the New Zealanders don't make it the way I'm used to (as a Thai who studied in USA and France, I prefer bombastic flavours), I must say that overall, I can appreciate the style and flavour profile of a Kiwi baked product.  In that regard, little and friday nailed it.  A local would find the lemon meringue pie very tasty.  Perhaps the same could also be said of a visitor who isn't partial to big flavours.

The shop is in a small corner of a home decoration shop where you can buy things like cutlery.  This is the branch in Belmont.

A very packed vitrine

The mini lemon meringue pie I had.

Kokako: hands-down the best coffee shop in Auckland!

In my opinion, the best coffee shop in Auckland is Kokako.

It is so good that I went there twice during my 10-day sojourn in Auckland.  The first time was on a Sunday morning, and the second time was also in the morning, but of the following Saturday.

Located on the Great North Road in the Grey Lynn neighbourhood, this trendy indie place is neither in the heart of the city nor is it near a famous tourist attraction.  You will have to "go off the beaten path" if you want to visit this coffee spot.  This cafe is loved by Aucklanders, especially by those who live in the surrounding areas.

The cafe is named after a bird species - the Callaeas cinereus - which is one of three species of New Zealand wattlebird.  If you're into bird-watching, this bird is famous for its distinct blue wattles (the parts under the the beak on each side of its face similar to a human's jowl).


Below is my evaluation of the place...


Overall grade:  5.0/5.0

Unique charms:

• Casual, minimalist interior decor
• Casual, friendly service
• Arguably, this place serves the best cold-brew coffee in Auckland
• Breakfast menus are available from an open-kitchen - humble dishes like rhubarb rice porridge start from NZD14.00, while more elaborate ones like scrambled eggs with avocado start from NZD17.90.

Tasting notes of the Ugandan Mt. Elgon brewed coffee which I drank on my second visit:

Nose  earthy, with a hint of red beans

Palate  slightly acidic with a solid earthy backbone even despite a thinner body

Finish  medium-short taste finish, but the aroma lingers at the back of the throat for 20-30 seconds.  The finish has notes of oranges, followed by smokiness.

Also, as I was enjoying the Mt. Elgon coffee and rhubarb rice porridge, I noticed that I was sitting next to David Shearer, the Labour Party MP for the Mt. Albert area.  He was there to enjoy his breakfast and get in touch with his potential constituents after his morning jog (I assume this because he was wearing tracksuit pants with a hoodie).  The September 2014 elections resulted in Mr. Shearer retaining his office.  Out of respect for his privacy, I have not taken any photos of him.

The shop's sign is very indistinct, so it's easy to walk or drive past this cafe without noticing it.

Baked goods, sandwiches and wraps.  A very pretty vitrine, indeed!

This bottle costs NZD5.00, slightly above market prices for cold-brew coffee.

The cafe's open kitchen that prepares extremely tasty menus!

The barista team at work

Just one niche of the dining area of this indie cafe

The Ugandan Mt. Elgon brewed coffee

Rhubarb rice porridge with the cup of Ugandan Mt. Elgon brewed coffee

Bledisloe Cup: Trans-Tasman rugby union rivalry

As former prefect of Cuthbertson House of Geelong Grammar School, I should technically be rooting for the "wallabies" (Australian rugby union national team).  However, while still a student there, Ireland was the team I rooted for in the 2003 Rugby World Cup, and never picked any union or league club to support.

My recent trip to Auckland has shown me "the flip side of the coin" regarding the trans-Tasman rivalry between New Zealand and Australia.  I must admit that the former appeals to me more; the nature, the cuisine, and in particular: the mutual respect and peaceful coexistence of native and settler cultures.

Therefore it was a real treat that my host bought me a ticket to the final match of the annual Bledisloe Cup - a rugby union competition between the two nations Down Under.  My trip happen to coincide with this game and I consider myself fortunate to experience an international match at the place that pretty much every New Zealander considers as "The Temple of Rugby": Eden Park.  In particular, it was because I got to see the pre-match haka by the All Blacks live!

If you don't already know, and are curious, please click on the following link to learn about the differences between rugby league and rugby union.

For those of you who are wondering...  The All Blacks beat the Wallabies by a score of 51-20 and captain Richie McCaw got to lift the Bledisloe Cup yet again.

I still keep the ticket stub in my wallet.

Pre-match report

Betraying my secondary school education - I pledge allegiance to the Silver Fern.

Unfortunately this buggy had to be used.  A fireworks shard cut the forehead of a woman as it fell from the sky.  She was rushed to a hospital.

The tastiest stadium food I've ever had.  The traditional beef pie was actually filled with quality beef chunks in a stew akin to boeuf bourgignon.

Each ticket sold contributes to the Cure Kids charity.  Their symbol is the red clown nose.  They encourage you to wear this during the match.

Richie McCaw lifting the Bledisloe Cup