Winter is about to get a whole lot tastier (or should we say toastier?) as the seventh annual Great New Zealand Toastie Takeover kicks off this week.
With a mouthwatering line-up of toasted sandwiches on offer, the showcase sees an impressive 170 eateries from across Aotearoa serving up their own unique take on this iconic Kiwi snack.
Open to all New Zealand eateries, this year’s participants range from sandwich specialists to city bistros, breweries and food trucks, with a winery, a butchery and the nation’s best bread makers also in the mix.
Making us extra hungry is the delicious looking 'Smokey Mooloo' from Jimmy Coops Lakehouse in Taupo (pictured). For more info head to toastietakeover.com.
Francophiles and North Shore locals are in for a très bien treat with the opening of Bon Pinard, a new French wine bar in Birkenhead.
Husband-and-wife team Jordan and Sarah Macdonald are behind the new opening, with the couple's other hospo babies Duo and Osteria Uno just a couple of doors down on historic Hinemoa Street.
With the name Bon Pinard translating to ‘good wine’ in French slang, the focus here is on small snack-style plates, French-inspired cocktails and a mostly French, European and New Zealand wine list.
Perfect for an after-work aperitif or a leisurely afternoon or evening with friends, it’s also the ideal spot at which to savour a crisp white burgundy or a big Central Otago red before moving on to a delightful dinner next door.
For more info head to www.bonpinard.co.nz
Get ready for the best summer ever burger lovers, with the inaugural Burger Nation 2024 set to kick off this week.
Celebrating the best burgers that Aotearoa has to offer, the month-long showcase sees more than 250 eateries around the country serving up their own unique take on this most humble of culinary heroes. And with organisers out to reclaim the essence of what makes a great burger, the celebration sees everyone from classic takeaway joints, to beach-side food trucks and city bistros taking part.
Perched high above the city centre, Auckland’s premier luxury bar destination Bar Albert has a new summer offering.
Already the summit of sophistication with world-class drinks, sky-high glamour and the best views over Tāmaki Makaurau, the sophisticated speakeasy-inspired bar has unveiled a tantalizing new cocktail menu, whisky tastings and new Sunset Sessions, making it the place to be for the season ahead.
Bringing an international flair to the crafting of the bar’s exceptional drinks, master mixologist and Bar Manager Johan Cabrera - with an extensive bar background both here and in France - says the new menu is a fusion of local and global flavours, with a focus on independent small batch producers and locally sourced, fresh ingredients.
Already blessed with a strong line-up of eateries, Birkenhead locals now have a new casual Italian at which to satisfy their pasta and vino cravings.
Osteria Uno opens tomorrow on historic Hinemoa Street. Beside bustling café and bistro Duo, fans will recognise some familiar faces, with Duo owners Jordan and Sarah Macdonald taking over the adjacent space for their latest venture.
Open five nights a week and seating 40 inside and 10 more out front, Osteria Uno aims for elevated but approachable Italian. The menu is simple and seasonal, with handmade pasta as the star of the show.
The wait is over for Ben & Jerry’s and Tony’s Chocolonely lovers as an indulgent new collab hits Kiwi shelves just in time for summer.
In a match made in changemaker heaven, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s has joined forces with Tony’s Chocolonely, the chocolate-making impact company, in its mission to end modern slavery and child labour in the chocolate industry.
Hitting chillers in New Zealand from mid-October is Ben & Jerry’s Chocolatey Love A-Fair, a decadent new ice cream based on Tony’s milk chocolate caramel sea salt, and featuring chocolatey ice cream full of salted caramel swirls, caramel chunks and sea salt fudge chunks.
Also set to tickle those tastebuds are two new Tony’s bars inspired by Ben & Jerry’s fan favourites: Dark Milk Brownie, a moreish combination of dark milk chocolate and brownie pieces; and White Strawberry Cheesecake, with white cheesecake-style chocolate, sticky strawberries and crumbly cookie pieces.
If you’re serious about burgers and partial to a superior pickle, then get set to salivate over these new Angus Beef + Pickle burgers from Taranaki’s Green Meadows Beef.
Teaming up with McClure’s Pickles, Green Meadows Beef have taken their classic burger patties, made with 100% pure, grass-fed and free-range Taranaki Angus beef, and added sweet and tangy McClure’s Bread & Butter pickles.
The result? Succulent, tender beef burger patties, with a subtle pickle flavour and a dash of garlic and dill.
Those in the know have enjoyed the excellent artisanal sourdough goods on offer at pop-up micro-bakery Rüdi’s in Whangamata these past few summers.
Now Hamiltonians are in luck, with Rüdi’s opening its first permanent store in central Kirikiriroa come late August.
Situated in the CBD’s Riverbank Lane, the opening sees talented artisanal baker Stefan Kelly-Zander and wife Fern serving up their artisanal sourdough breads, sweet and savoury viennoiserie and top notch Eighthirty coffee, in a compact space alongside a community of like-minded local retailers and cafes.
Pioneering a category of drinks to solve the ‘what to drink when you’re not drinking’ dilemma, Seedlip is served in some of the world’s – and New Zealand’s – best cocktail bars and can be bought locally at supermarkets and at Smith & Caugheys, Farro Fresh, Glengarry and cookandnelson.com.
Here’s where to find some of the most sensational Seedlip cocktails on offer around Auckland this winter.
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