Ios - Katogi

After travelling for a month we had eaten more incredible meals than I could count (at the expense of my waistline), but this particular dinner, our last one the Greek island of Ios, was especially important because it was Allie’s birthday. Of course a fabulous meal was in order and after some pestering of the locals for recommendations we chose Katogi; a tapas style restaurant in town.

Now on the tiny white walled streets of Ios it is one thing to know where a place is on a map and a whole different thing actually getting there. But, after a few loops and some vague directions we finally arrived at Katogi- cleverly hidden among the uniform white buildings and distinguishable only by a colourful chalkboard sign.

Katogi is a charmingly eclectic restaurant full of knick-knacks and fabulously kitsch decorations. The restaurant was bathed in a pink light, illuminating what would usually be stark walls in a warm glow. For those in New Zealand the atmosphere was somewhere between Mexico and Coco’s Cantina, with the quirky-chic waitresses topping it off.

We started of with blueberry bramble cocktails, a delicious gin and jam concoction that we greedily gulped down. Unlike many of the menus we had come across in our travels, which seemed over-eager to cater to every taste with pages and pages full of overwhelming options, Katogi’s simple menu meant we could order (what felt like) almost every dish.

We started with a spicy feta dip with pita bread, and fried smoked cheese, adding to the already alarmingly large amount of cheese we had consumed on the trip so far. The fried smoked cheese was as good as it sounds; surrounded by crunchy cornflakes on the outside and gooey soft and smokey on the inside.

Almost as soon as the last mouthful of cheese had gone the next dishes arrived: slow cooked beef tortilla cones, and pear and cheese ravioli with a dill and carrot sauce. ‘pear and cheese pasta???’ I hear you think – but trust me it was sweet, savoury and just-so-good.

The feast continued with a bowl of chickpeas stewed in tomato and basil, tender grilled lamb morsels, and a grilled sausage dish to remind us of the food back home. The food was coming fast and we could barely keep up as our poor stomachs tried to manage the onslaught.

When we thought we were almost defeated the king prawn saganaki arrived; a dish we had grown to love on our trip through Greece (almost as much as fried cheese). Shrimp saganaki is a genius dish with a spicy tomato sauce dotted with hunks of salty feta surrounding the prawns, and this one had an extra hint of aniseed to top it off.

After we had eaten through every dish and drunk a few jugs of sangria we were almost ready to navigate our way through the confusing streets home, but before we had a chance to leave the waiters rushed toward us in a chorus of happy birthday, and a round (or two…) of delicious warmed shots to celebrate. Much better than cake.

We finally left happy, full and buzzing about one of the best meals we had eaten on our trip.

Golden Dawn

Golden Dawn is a place I have been to on many a night, where I have been mesmerised by artful hipster types and the blaring music. At night time it's easy to spot on the corner of Richmond and Ponsonby Roads, where outside you'll find a steady line of hopeful hipsters, waiting their turn to enter the hidden bar.

Despite only ever sampling the liquid menu at Golden Dawn, I had been told that the food there was incredibly good. So, doing the good samaritan thing we do by testing out food for you hungry readers, Alice and I strolled to Golden Dawn on Sunday afternoon to see if the food lived up to it's reputation.

We walked past heaving Chapel Bar, Mexico, and the ever busy Blue Breeze Inn to arrive at the corner of Richmond Road outside Golden Dawn, where on so many nights we had stood. But all that appeared in front of us was a derelict brick facade and a bit of graffiti. The only thing giving it away being a dark, tucked away entrance and and a tiny sign. It was quite a novelty having more trouble finding something when you're sober!

Once we had made our way through the dark interior we emerged into the gorgeous sun drenched courtyard. It might have been the calming music playing, or maybe the few quiet groups of patrons, but whatever it was, Alice and I felt like we were at some kind of fantastic eating and drinking relaxation retreat.

We started with cocktails, of course, with Alice choosing the 'Fleeting Glimpse' (gin, elderflower, lime, raspberries and cucumber) while I went for a simple Mint Julep. The beers on tap at Golden Dawn are a selection from Hallertau (remember my trip to the Hallertau Brewery?).

Not particularly hungry, but feeling we couldn't bypass the opportunity to ruin any chance of a summer diet, we ordered a couple of plates to share. First was the Casaro Burratta mozzarella, Heirloom tomatoes, chilli and fresh herbs with crusty sourdough. This doesn't sound particularly exciting- nothing more than a caprese salad on paper, but it was outstanding. The mozzarella was the best I have ever had, and I have never known tomatoes to be so good. A very, very good start.

Next up were the prawn buns with preserved lemon, Japanese mayo and chilli. The bread was hot and fluffy, and the taste of the filling was somewhere between the freshness of ceviche, and the creaminess of a prawn cocktail. This dish blew my socks off.

I think it's fairly safe to say we were impressed with the food. I had never thought of Golden Dawn as a daytime destination, let alone a food destination, but it is one of Ponsonby's rare spots that catches the sun, and is the perfect place for a relaxing afternoon drink and a delicious bite to eat. I can't wait to go back to try the rest of the menu!

Keep an eye on their website here as they often have gigs and events on- like this Sunday coming where they're having a Gypsy Fair from 1pm and Jazz from 5pm. Phwoar!

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.