Honeytrap

Last week I said goodbye to some of my very best friends as they left for their OEs. The three girls; Alice, Jamie, and Allie had seen to a never ending stream of goodbye lunches and dinners in the week before they left, but as far as the rest of us girls were concerned this lunch was the most important.

Being located just around the corner from the area that Sarah and I work, we chose Honeytrap on   K'Road for our meal. I had been following the Honeytrap Facebook page for what felt like forever but had never made it here, so I was thrilled to finally check it out.

Honeytrap is hidden away in St Kevin's Arcade, and we burrowed ourselves into the place even further taking the little tables in the loft above the kitchen.

Like the place itself, the menu at Honeytrap is small and eclectic, but fabulous in every way.

I chose the Vietnamese chicken sandwich, while the others chose beef brisket and caesar sandwiches. They look like fairly ordinary burgers, but I assure you that they are packed full of flavour, and feel like they aren't too bad for you either.

They also do shakes, and change these up week on week to some new fabulous flavour. When we visited it was delicious banoffee pie on offer (although, I probably would prefer a slice of banoffee pie instead.... drool drool drool)

As our plates were cleared and our lunch breaks dwindled to an end we said our final goodbyes, a few tears started flowing, and it was suddenly time to part ways. 

Luckily my tears were spared as I am off in a few weeks myself, and will be just behind them (but more on that later).

Girls, if you are reading this from wherever in Europe you may be I hope you're having an amazing time so far (and see you soon!)

Nice Day

Tucked away in the middle of the city on Durham Lane is a small, but very cool coffee shop. Now those that you who read this blog often will know that I don't drink much coffee- but on this day I made an exception (and I'm glad I did).

Nice Day cafe has a small selection of pastries, to serve along side their delicious supreme coffee. And for those who have time to sit down and take a moment out of their busy working day there is a small and sweet courtyard where you can relax in the sunshine and read the paper.

It is a small cafe, but it works so well in the space, and really adds a splash of charm to a forgotten city lane. Next time a coffee craving hits you in town pop along to Nice Day and give it a try.

Depot

Before Al Brown conquered the world (well, at least Auckland) with his fabulous bagels, he captured the Auckland food scene with his flagship restaurant and oyster bar Depot. Suddenly, cheap cuts of steak, wine in tumbler glasses, and fish sliders became the height of fashion.

Depot has been around for a few years, but you'll still find lines out the door on any busy night. But on this Tuesday night James and I lucked in and were granted a seat right away- boo yah!

We started with the complimentary flatbread and a jug of Moa beer to share. We had some tough decisions with the menu, but the one thing we can always agree on are the snapper sliders. These are remarkable delicious, and set off perfectly with a pickled lemon mayo and watercress.

The other dishes that made the cut were the lamb ribs with skordalia (thick puree) and cumin paprika oil, along with the skirt steak with tabacco onions, iceberg wedge and habanero mustard. The rib meat literally falls off the bone as you pick up each piece, and the skirt steak- a notoriously tough cut of meat is beautifully tender and tasty. Although they're delicious, both of the meat dishes we tried were quite rich, so I would recommend grabbing a salad on the side, or mixing it up with some more of the seafood dishes on offer.

The food at Depot is consistently good, and showcases the best of NZ produce and seafood. The service is great, the setting casual and the prices are very reasonable. Unfortunately you can't book at Depot so it's not ideal for large groups, but it's my favourite easy date night haunt and impresses me every single time (I'm sure the sliders are brainwashing me).

Britomart Country Club

I'm writing this at the end of the weekend, warm from a few days in the sun, and very happy after a lot of good eating and drinking.

The whole weekend would be one very long blog post, so I'll take you through Saturday afternoon when James and I decided to head down to Britomart. Apart from the odd Saturday night where my camera is best left at home, I hadn't had a proper look around Britomart in a long time, and was pretty amazed at the change it has undergone. Bursting with some awesome shops like Karen Walker, Black Box, Lululemon, Kate Sylvester, and Nike to name a few, Britomart is very cool, and very dangerous territory straight after pay day...

After a mosey around the shops and a rest in the sun, a cold drink was calling (screaming) our names. There are a whole lot of amazing bars down there, but my watering hole of choice is Britomart Country Club, known to most of us as BCC. The bar is covered, but has a great indoor-outdoor feel, and is the perfect place to whittle away a summer afternoon. You can even have a game of minigolf or petanque while you sip on your cocktail.

In the name of summer, I chose cocktails while James stuck it out with beer. I managed to make my way through a fair chunk of the menu (hey, we were there for at least a few hours), and in the end my favourite was the Victorian Mojito: an amazingly refreshing mixture of Bombay Sapphire, lime, apple juice, soda and mint. The best mojito I've ever had, no bull.

After a few more cocktails it was time to eat, and we chose our dishes from the tapas menu. The dishes were small, but well priced, and all very tasty. We had the rich and creamy Spanish croquettes, sticky BBQ spare ribs, and my favourite: the crispy fried chicken.

With full bellies, and a bit of a fuzzy head, it was time to catch the last of the afternoon sun and head home.

Britomart, you have re-captured my heart, and I will be back for more sun and more cocktails very, very soon.

Hotel DeBrett: High Tea with The Caker

Last weekend the girls and I put on our heels and pink lipstick, and popped into Hotel DeBrett for High Tea with The Caker. The tea was part of Auckland Restaurant Month, and we had been looking forward to it all week.

Tucked away on High Street in the CBD, Hotel DeBrett is a beautiful boutique hotel with a reputation for a fantastic kitchen. We climbed up the winding staircase and emerged into an atrium full of lunching ladies (and some lucky men) with tables piled high of tea and cake.

After settling down with a glass of Cloudy Bay Pelorous NV, we chose our tea from the extensive menu and settled down into the squashy chairs.

 When the food arrived we were all taken aback with the delicacy and detailing of the sweet treats. We spent the first while admiring the platters until our hunger won out and it was all swiftly demolished- just because we were at high tea didn't mean we were going to hold back!

Not only were we treated to incredible treats by Jordan Ronde a.k.a The Caker, she even made a guest appearance and was signing copies of her recipe book.

Hotel DeBrett is a gorgeous place to visit for high tea for a calm oasis in the middle of the city. High Tea with The Caker was a one off event, but the Hotel hosts a high tea every Saturday and Sunday afternoon- details here. Go on, treat yourself!