Top 5 New Zealand Road Trip Food Products

If you ever travel to New Zealand, chances are you will be doing a lot of driving. The country is much larger than most people realize, and getting from point A to point B is normally a few hours drive.

The country is very spread out. A trip to NZ always ends up being a big long road trip for CK and I, which means we are living out of a car for the majority of the trip. As a result, we have seeked out the best food products that not only keep well, but are also a good source of energy.

Here is a top 5 list of our favorite New Zealand road trip products. These goodies are now the first things we grab when we walk into a NZ grocery store.

Number 5: Seafood in a can. Although I have mussels pictured below (only picture I had), they are actually my least favorite. The best seafood in a can is the sardines in tomato sauce. They are great for sandwiches, and a great source of protein.

Seafood in a Can

Number 4: Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices. These are full of fibre. Each bar is made with wholegrains, rolled oats, and wholegrain meal flour. Our favorite flavor is Anzac: a nice blend of butter and coconut.

Mother Earth Baked Oaty Slices

Number 3: Tasti Raw Snacking Scroggin. If you're not familiar with the term scroggin, it is equivalent to the North American term, trail mix. This particular brand comes in little individually wrapped snack size scroggin bags, and this flavor combination has proven to be the best of the best: almonds, dried apricots, banana chips, cashews, peanuts, and dark chocolate.

Tasti Scroggin

Number 2: Mainland processed cheese. They have different flavors so you can switch it up to avoid boredom. CK and I usually rotate between the regular, black pepper, and smoked flavors. Although the real deal is always better, processed cheese keeps much longer.

Mainland Processed Cheese

And, drum roll pleaseeeeeeeeee..............
Number 1: MacKenzie High Country Bread. This is probably the one product that we cannot go without. This bread ROCKS, and nothing compares. Each loaf comes in a brown paper bag, and there are five flavors to choose from. Our favorite is the Southern Grain.

MacKenzie High Country Bread

If you are ever stuck looking for some good tunes to drive with, check out dDub. They are an awesome Kiwi band whose music style is a combination of reggae and instrumental mixes. Their music is upbeat and catchy, which is great for long drives.

Read More

Emirates Airline Meal - Christchurch to Sydney

As you are reading this, I am on a plane on my way to Vegas. Soon after, I will be in hot and humid Singapore. Yes, way too much fast paced travelling. I have scheduled some posts while I am away so that you don't miss me too much ;-)

Flying with Emirates rocks. I'm not on an Emirates flight this time, but I was a few months back when I flew from Australia to New Zealand. I specifically chose to fly with Emirates solely because of the food they offer. Their airline meals are always exotic and excellent in quality. For my 2.5 hour flight in Economy class from Christchurch to Sydney, I was served an awesome meal that was just as good as some of the business class meals I have had on other airlines.

Right before the meal, a hot refreshing towel, and the menu for the flight was brought to us. The menu was a nice gesture because it helps you get excited for the food to come. For the short flight, we were served an appetizer, main, and dessert.

Our appetizer was the char siew duck served over a bed of Asian style vegetable salad. This was the first time I had ever seen duck being served on a plane! CK found the meat a bit too fatty, but I didn't mind at all. Duck is supposed to be a fatty meat.

Char Siew Duck with Asian Style Vegetable Salad

There were two choices for the main: lamb or salmon.

I ordered the pan fried salmon topped with coconut & lemongrass curry sauce. This was served with pulao rice and stir fried vegetables. The salmon was cooked very nicely, and was surprisingly not overdone. Oh! And the curry sauce. It was delicious! I wanted to lick my plate clean, but I didn't to save my husband the embarassment.

Pan Fried Salmon with a Coconut and Lemongrass Curry Sauce

CK ordered the Moroccan lamb tagine accompanied with a vegetable mash, buttered peas, and roasted potatoes. The lamb was also very nice. I had a bit of food envy at first, but my salmon was too good to share. Both dinners were extremely flavorful, and spiced very nicely.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Dessert was a white chocolate mousse with raspberry coulis.

Other items served with our meal included a bread roll, cheese & biscuits, chocolate, water, and beverage of choice.

Compared to other airlines for the same flight, this was about $40 more expensive at the time. However, the great meal + free magazines + great inflight entertainment make it all worth the extra money paid.

Read More

Jizo Japanese Cafe & Bar, Dunedin

After Moeraki, CK and decided to check out Dunedin. I wasn't sure what to expect because we had heard that Dunedin is a big college town. For me, all I wanted to see was scenery.

Well, we were pleasantly surprised. We did the usual: Otago Peninsula, Lanarch Castle, Albatross Centre....But, our stay turned from nice to awesomely memorable when we accidentally stumbled upon Sandfly Bay. It is approximately 15km east of central Dunedin, and is a bay with large sand dunes and lots of wildlife. We spent a good part of our day here trekking through the sand dunes, and hanging out with the sea lions and penguins. We couldn't believe how close we got to the wildlife and were just absolutely astonished by the whole experience. I'll share more photos at the end of this post.

Bird's Eye View of Sandfly Bay

Sea Lions at Sandfly Bay

After an eventful day in Dunedin, we stopped in at Jizo for a meal. This is a bustling 2-level restaurant that serves no fuss Japanese food. You grab your own menus, pour your own tea from the communal kettle, and order everything at the main counter. Once your food is ready, it is brought to your table by their very efficient wait staff.

To start, CK and I ordered the kushiage tofu: grilled, marinated firm tofu on a stick. This was delicious and the sauce had a nice hint of sweetness to it.

Kushiage Tofu

Next was the tori and vegetable udon. The was a chicken broth. The noodles were a good texture: slightly chewy, and this dish, overall, was mild.

Tori and Vegetable Udon

We thought the Teriyaki tofu sushi looked different, so we ordered it. We were right. It was lightly breaded and fried tofu that sat on top of a ball of rice with a wonderful spicy mayo wedged in between. We really liked this dish.

Teriyaki Tofu Sushi

We also wanted a traditional raw salmon sushi roll, and although there was a lot of rice, it hit the spot.

Raw Salmon Sushi Roll

CK ordered a temaki salmon not realizing what it actually was. This hand roll was giant, and it filled him up quite well.

Temaki Salmon

The spicy raw tuna roll is my default sushi dish. As I've mentioned before, I can't have sushi with ordering a spicy tuna roll. There was a little too much rice for my likings but the sauce and seasoning made up for it.

Spicy Raw Tuna Roll

Overall, we really liked this place and would totally go back (if it wasn't half way across the world). It was casual, cheap, and their sauces were delicious and flavorful. The only thing we didn't love was the fact that there was too much rice in some of the rolls.

Here are some more photos from Sandfly Bay.

Some close ups of the sand dunes:

Sand Dune at Sandfly Bay

CK Climbing a Steep Hill at Sandfly Bay

More Hooker's Sea Lions. I was amazed at how large they were. They could have easily crushed me.

Sea Lion at Sandfly Bay

Sea Lions Sleeping at Sandfly Bay

We actually saw penguins in the wild! We couldn't believe it. CK was excited because penguins are his favorite animal. They are quite shy so we couldn't get too close.

Yellow-eyed Penguins at Sandfly Bay

Jizo Japanese Cafe & Bar
56 Princes Street
Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand
Telephone: 03 479 2692

Read More

Vangionis Trattoria & Bar, Akaroa

When it gets dark out, Vangionis is one of the few places still open in Akaroa. It is a cozy restaurant and bar serving Mediterranean style dishes. They use only fresh ingredients available in New Zealand, and they have an extensive menu ranging from tapas to large plates to pizza. CK and I stopped in one dark, rainy night and enjoyed a lovely dinner together.

I ordered the rabbit in prunes and bacon. It was New Zealand rabbit slow cooked in a thin red wine, thyme, bacon, and prune sauce. The word 'slow cooked' misled me to believe that it was fall off the bone rabbit meat. Unfortunately, you had to work for it.

Rabbit in Prunes and Bacon

My main didn't come with any sides so I ordered the sauteed beetroot to go with my rabbit. This was fresh beetroot sauteed with horseradish and cream. Although different, I can't say I loved it. I liked the horseradish but I didn't care for the cream.

Beetroot Sauteed in Horseradish and Cream

CK ordered their spinaci pizza with spinach, basil paste, garlic, and mozzarella cheese. I really liked their pizza.

Spinaci Pizza

For dessert, we shared the baked Belgian chocolate pudding cake. This was a chocolate cake with a soft centre in the middle. The cake was served with vanilla ice cream.

Baked Belgian Chocolate Pudding Cake

This was a quaint little restaurant and it was nice to have comfort food on a rainy night.

Vangionis Trattoria & Bar
40F Rue Lavaud
Akaroa, Canterbury, New Zealand
Telephone: 03 304 7714

Read More

Akaroa Fish & Chips, Akaroa

This week will be a New Zealand week. I spent some time catching up on my New Zealand posts, and I'm so glad I did because it was nice looking back at the pictures from my awesome trip. I will start this wonderful week with a post about Akoroa.

Akaroa is an unimaginably beautiful little town that is very French influenced. It's a town completely different from the rest of New Zealand. The street signs are in French, the architecture is French, and the overall feel of this place is very French. This is all thanks to Captain Jean François L'Anglois, who bought a piece of the land in 1838.

The drive to Akaroa is breathtaking. There is only one way to get in and one way to get out. The town itself is a beautiful harbour overlooking rugged volcanic hills. Akaroa is also known for their Hector dolphins, the smallest and rarest breed of dolphins there is. They can only be found off the coast of New Zealand, and I was scheduled to swim with them.

Drive to Akaroa

Drive to Akaroa

Unfortunately, it was incredibly rainy and windy on the day of the dolphin swim, and it got cancelled due to bad weather. I was part sad, but part relieved. As much as I wanted to partake in such a thrilling activity, I wasn't prepared to catch a cold over it.

With the entire morning and afternoon free, CK and I decided to head to Akaroa Fish and Chips for brunch. This place was recommended to us by a local in Marlborough Sounds.

Akaroa Fish and Chips

It was a pleasant little fast food joint that served very fresh fish. I ordered their fish burger.  

Fish Burger

Massive pieces of battered blue cod wedged in between a fresh bun with beets, tomato, red onion, lettuce, and tartar sauce. It was delicious!!!

Fish Burger

I honestly fell in love. The fish was fresh, and the condiments were just perfect. It was a beautiful sandwich! CK took a bite and agreed.

CK ordered the regular fish and chips. He was quite indifferent with his meal. He thought the chips were too dry, and the batter of the fish a bit too orangey.

 

We scarfed our food in our compact rental car, and set off for our next adventure.

Akaroa Fish & Chips
59 Beach Road
Akaroa, Canterbury, New Zealand
Telephone: 03 304 7464

Read More

Spotted - Fleurs Place, Moeraki

I'm very excited about this month's Spotted interview.

I not only dined at the famous Fleurs Place, but I got to meet Fleur Sullivan herself. She is somewhat of a culinary celebrity, and any foodie from NZ will know who Fleur is.

As I mentioned in my last post, Fleurs Place became known in other parts of the world when British chef and food writer, Rick Stein, picked Fleurs Place after he was told he could go anywhere in the world to write a travel article. Stein was right on the money. Fleurs Place is a charming restaurant with exceptional food.

This month's Spotted interview is at Fleurs Place, Moeraki, New Zealand.

Where are you from: Waitaki River, New Zealand. Waitaki is the new wine growing area.

Favorite ingredient to cook with: Any food of the region. In this case, it would be fish. I had a restaurant for 20 years before Fleurs and the only reason I created Fleurs restaurant was because of the fresh fish.

Most memorable dining experience: Ham and eggs with a lid on top. It was something different, and even the place was different. The walls were covered with Bohemian Dutch scarves. Another experience was when I was a young person, about 16 or 17. It was at the Waitaki hotel. I had lamb with bones and brains in it. But it was the whole dining experience that made it memorable: the service, the silver, the linens, and the well trained waiters.

Favorite ice cream flavor: Hokey pokey. It is a vanilla ice cream with toffee. There is a shop in Hamden that sells great hokey pokey ice cream.

Your last meal would be: Oh, you would need a very big table, rather laden. Hmm...I would have bluff oysters and some lemon, and...[after much thinking] you don't need much else, really [laughs].

Read More

Fleurs Place, Moeraki

Fleurs Place

Before I tell you about Fleur's Place, I have to make a confession. I turned our New Zealand trip upside down just to have one dinner here. It was completely out of the way, and reflecting back, it didn't make sense logistically.

But, I wanted to go badly, and being the super nice guy my husband is, he re-arranged our entire trip. In the end, we took a 1 day detour to Fleurs Place and luckily, it all worked out. Our meal at Fleurs was fantastic and our visit to Moeraki was heaps of fun.

The word about Fleurs Place first leaked out when British chef and food writer, Rick Stein, wrote about this restaurant. When Rick Stein was told he could go anywhere in the world to write a travel article, he chose Fleurs Place. After reading about it, I wanted to check it out for myself.

When you walk in, you are likely to see Fleur Sullivan sitting at a wooden table working away. She is extremely friendly, and divides her time between working and chatting up her customers.

Fleurs Place

Fleur's Place has a very eclectic feel to it. The reason for this is because every little bit of her restaurant is made of recycled materials and antiques from around New Zealand. For example, the foundation of her building is made of borrowed timber from a building at Kakanui wharf, her staircase comes from an old mansion in Dunedin, and her tables and chairs were found at the Oamaru racecourse.

Things didn't always come so easy for Fleur. She faced many challenges trying to open this restaurant, and there were days where she felt very unsure about the future of the restaurant. It wasn't until the day she witnessed a whale swim close to her restaurant that she knew everything was going to be alright. According to Maori legend, the whale was a good omen.

One reason why her restaurant attracts so many people is the freshness of her fish. The fish come straight off her boat and are still wriggling when they enter her kitchen.

CK and I enjoyed our fresh meal with wonderful live music playing in the background.

Wharf at Fleurs Place

My meal was the flounder with Whitestone cheese rarebit, smoked eel, egg, and salad. This dish is everything Fleur stands for: good food and plenty of it.

A small funny story here. This dish was originally CK's. But, when he saw the eel head sitting on top of his flounder, he freaked out and switched dishes with me. It all worked out in the end because this was my favorite of the two.

Flounder with Whitestone Cheese Rarebit, Smoked Eel, Egg, and Salad

After the switch, CK's meal was the trumpeter fish with caper & lime sauce. The fish was lightly breaded and pan fried, and underneath it was a slew of fresh veggies. The caper & lime sauce was light and incredibly fresh.

Trumpeter with Caper & Lime Sauce

For dessert, the two of us split a Tunisian orange cake with yogurt sorbet. This was a perfect end to a great meal. I loved the citrus in the cake, and the yogurt sorbet paired nicely. I also loved the extra touches: flower petals, dark chocolate, and almond shortbread.

Tunisian Orange Cake with Yogurt Sorbet

I really loved their rustic looking plate and cutlery. Simple and elegant.

After our dinner, I purchased Fleur's book entitled "Fleurs Place". This is a beautiful book detailing Fleurs personal story. It also includes pages and pages of original recipes from both her restaurant and her home.

You can buy her book via fishpond.co.nz

If you are ever in this area, a great attraction is the Moeraki Boulders. They are large, spherical boulders that sit along a stretch of Koekohe Beach. The Moeraki Boulders are on the AA Travel's 101 Must Do Things in New Zealand for Kiwis list.

Moeraki Boulders

Most were easy to climb but the one below was 5 ft high.

Moeraki Boulders

Fleurs Place
At the Old Jetty
Moeraki, Otago, New Zealand
Telephone: 03 439 4480

Read More

The Bridge Takeaways, Kaikoura + Seal Pups

A good place for fresh fish and chips in Kaikoura is The Bridge Takeaways.

This is a small family fish and chip shop that recently switched owners on Sept 29th of this year. I had the pleasure of meeting the new owners while they were at the shop prepping for the hand over.

Daniel, his wife, and brother-in-law were extremely excited for this new project, and made sure the food was cooked to our liking.

The Bridge Takeaways receives fresh fish twice a week and has a large menu offering everything from fish n chips to burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, spring rolls, souvlaki, onion rings, donuts, etc. etc. etc. You get the picture.

We ordered fish and chips off their a la carte menu and got the following fish:
- Tarakihi
- Blue cod
- Grouper Cheeks

Tarakihi fish was new to me. I had no clue what kind of fish it was and ordered it because of its catchy name. It turned out to be this fantastic silky, super buttery white fish that I adored.

Tarakihi Fish

The blue cod was pretty standard and did not disappoint. This is CK's preferred white fish because of its meaty texture.

Last was the grouper cheek. At $2 a piece, we couldn't resist. This was very fresh and even meatier than the blue cod. I wished I had ordered a few more as they were so good.

Grouper Cheek

The highlight of our Kaikoura visit was the Ohau Stream Walk. It is a short walk that led us to a mini waterfall and heaps of baby seal pups swimming and playing. It was the coolest thing to see and it was definitely one of my best experiences while in New Zealand.

Check out these videos we captured.

The first is a video of two seal pups playing. No joke, we were within arms reach of these guys. I wish we had someone jump in front of the camera to show how close we were.

Seal Pups Playing, Kaikoura

The second video is of a bunch of seal pups swimming. Boy, they can really jump.

Seal Pups Swimming, Kaikoura

The Bridge Takeaways
9 West End
Kaikoura, South Island, New Zealand
Telephone: 03 319 6362

Read More