foodporn

I Accidently Ate Christchurch

I have officially touched back down in Osaka but here are the last of my foodie pictures from NZ.

From top to bottom: hands down the best pizza in Christchurch at Cafe Val, an overdue catch up at the coolest new cafe: Gentle Giant, flavoursome shakshuka from Hello Sunday, local apples, frozen yoghurt (one split into two cos we stingy) and vintage cookbooks on Mother’s Day with my sweet mama at the Riccarton Sunday Market, more coffee (with local almond milk) at Black and White Coffee Cartel and finally, vegetarian black rice sushi (not Japanese) from Bento Riccarton.
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MISH MASH Christchurch Restaurant Review

Mish Mash Eatery and Bar
Corner Manchester Street and St Asaph Street
Telephone: 03 968 4607

A mish mash of different cuisines, cooking styles and cultures. Where else can you enjoy tartare (apparently originally Polish), gnocchi (Italian) and couscous (North African? Middle Eastern?) in one go? That’s right, no where but Mish Mash of course. Though the food itself is no jumble. In fact, I will go as far as to say, it was one of the best I have ever had the pleasure of eating and trust me, I have almost eaten the entire globe. Foodies, prepare your tastebuds to explode!

The menu, by chef Kerry Collins is divided into four parts. There are nine small plates (such as venison tartare with crispy kale, egg yolk, pickled carrot, aioli and warm wholemeal toast and cured salmon with beetroot crisp, cream cheese mousse, pickled onion and capers), eight large plates (pumpkin gnocchi with coriander, chilli, lime and feta); and seven sharing sides, including mint tomato couscous. For dessert, delicacies such a spiced pear filo.

The cultural fusion is also reflected throughout Mish Mash’s decor, with its stunning gold world map feature wall. And also, through the variety of mismatched (yet gorgeous) crockery used.

More on the food, tartare (a savoury dish made from raw meat and a raw egg yolk) is the “trust fall” of the culinary world. If its ingredients are not flawless, it can go very very wrong. But done right, oh boy! When it comes to tartare, texture plays a big roll. The slipperiness of raw meat can feel borderline immoral, almost dangerous yet at the same time, SO good. And by good I mean, melt-in-your-mouth, gimme-gimme-more. At Mish Mash, this silky sensation is enhanced by the gooeyness of the broken yolk and the crunch of the crispy kale, which in my opinion, beets (get it?) every other vegetable in chip form. Mish Mash’s tartare is incredible with the best your taste buds have never experienced, found in each mouthful. You must must must order it if you go. And everything else I ordered, because it was all SAH GUD.

Nothing Beats Persian Food

Nothing. Nada. Nil.

In addition to all of the other food, I have been eating some LEGIT Persian food. And not any Persian food but Persian food made with love by my loving mama and talented sister. And, with local and organic ingredients. Oh my, how I wish you could taste it too!

From top to bottom: Persian breakfast featuring a wholemeal fruit and nut loaf from Vic’s Cafe, khoreshteh gheymeh bademjoon (a lentil, eggplant and beef dish) with saffron rice, salad, yoghurt and pickled vegetables. And last but best of all, ghormesabzi (a green stew made from beef, red kidney beans and a combination of herbs and vegetables). Yum to the freakin’ O.
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Experimenting In Ze Kitchen

Most of the time I don’t follow a recipe. Instead, I experiment and end up pleasantly surprised (most of the time). Below are some of my recent creations. From top to bottom: gluten, refined-sugar and dairy-free walnut and mandarin cake which I made using the juice of two mandarins and which ended up tasting not a smidgen mandariney but still yum according to my mom (that rhymed). Wholemeal turmeric, sundried-tomato and parsley muffins, and today’s lunch: a green salad of broccoli, snap-peas and asparagus, all young and all blanched in hot water for 4 seconds then tossed with raw pumpkin seeds and pistachio nuts before being dressed in lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper.
Oishi katta (it was delicious).  They were delicious.
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Seize The Moment. Remember All Those Women On The ‘Titanic’ Who Waved Off The Dessert Cart.

On the second last day of Christmas, I mean ‘The Parents Visit’ we ate. My healthy waffles (recipe HERE), my vegan thai curry (recipe HERE) and lastly, at Hokkaido (the name of the sushi train) in Tottori.
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Memoirs Of Wannabe Geishas

My tour-guiding is much like my cooking; repetitive LOL I took my parents to the same Kyoto spots that I took my sister and brother-in-law. Alas, it was a different season and still as beautiful if not, more. Golden Pavilion, Kiyomizu Temple and Nishiki Market.

From top to bottom: a basket of treats for the road: healthy raspberry and oat muffins, raw almonds and tangerine, Golden Pavilion, Kyoto parfait consisting of matcha soft-serve, mini matcha donuts (green), chestnut (yellow), mochi (rice flour dumplings – white), corn flakes and red bean paste (anko), Kiyomizu Temple, soba (buckwheat noodle) lunch, gorgeous Japanese crockery and lastly, Nishiki Market with A 100% natural freshly squeezed (as in right there and then) grapefruit, and my dad eating a mini octopus tehe.
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CAKEPORN

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WARNING: faint-hearted foodies, look away NOW!

Sorry Kate Moss but Karren has officially proved you wrong. This epic (to put it mildly) tiramisu cake tastes (and looks) better than skinny feels! It’s a big call, but this tiramisu has got to be the most incredible of its kind, ever! Can someone grab me an emergency sewing kit? Cos I am bursting at the seams (both literally and figuratively) with happiness! Thank you, thank you, thank you Karren! X