Doragon Bowl Ramen and Donburi Restaurant, Balmoral, Auckland

When a new restaurant opens in the fabled Dominion Road precinct, it’s hard not to get excited, - chances of excellent food are high. Doragon Bowl opened early March; and in this era of social marketing, it may come as a no surprise that I read about it on twitter.

Dumpling Club members came to check out the place a couple of weeks ago. The tradition of Japanese eatery wait staff calling out an exuberant welcome when customers enter has well and truly taken hold in Auckland. Though I have to admit, it’s a bit disconcerting when every few minutes three staff yell out ‘Irasshaimase!’

The ramen menu is extensive, but essentially, there are four base options: soy, miso, shiyo (salt) or curry. You choose your type of ramen (Doragon, Vegetarian, Hokkai, Tonkotsu) and add on various toppings. The soy base was not available when we visited. There is also a range of donburi (rice) dishes and side dishes to share.

Hobsonville Point Farmers Market, Auckland

The Hobsonville Point Farmers Market (cnr Hastings Road and Buckley Avenue) is housed in a converted ex airforce supply shed (Shed No.5). There is plenty of parking nearby, and the joy of having an indoor market is evident in the last few weekends with the (welcomed) intermittent rain. Although the market is opened on both days of the weekend, I prefer to visit on Sunday when there are more stallholders, and the place hums with activity.

There is something about this market which just strikes all the right notes. The stallholders are so convivial and the place has a perceptible community vibe. It’s a good size; you can spend 15mins here and get everything you need, or you can make it a destination and meander for a while, stop for a bite and a coffee, and laze in the landscaped gardens.

Roasted cauliflower with garlicky breadcrumbs and parmesan

This has to be one of the most delicious ways to eat cauliflower. Soft, buttery cauliflower with the crunch of garlicky breadcrumbs and complex saltiness of parmagiano-reggiano. I have eaten a whole bowl of this for dinner and nothing else. Okay, I may have succumbed to ice-cream later….

I have seen this recipe in several cookbooks and on multiple sites, and have adapted quantities to my liking. Use coarse breadcrumbs, or if you are like me, and can never get through a ciabatta without half of it going rock hard, whiz it in a food processor and make some (expensive) breadcrumbs.

I like to use yellow or purple cauliflower (just note that lemon juice discolours purple cauliflower) to keep things interesting; they are available at most greengrocers these days. You could use a combination of different coloured caulis, or even broccoflower for a change.

Silo Sessions: Rice and Beans Festival 2013

If there were such a thing as a sexy cuisine, Latin American food would win hands down. Smokey meats, fruity cocktails and eating with your fingers in the warm balmy weather; Latin food just celebrates good times. Mexican food is taking Auckland by storm, and the rest of Latin American cuisine cannot be far behind.

The Rice and Beans Festival was held at Silo Park by the waterfront on 23rd February and tagged as an afternoon of Caribbean and Latin American food and music 'extravaganza'. I am a total pleb when it comes to music, but being a slave to new flavours, I was excited to come down and partake of the edible offerings.

Well, there were mostly disappointments and a few delights. I don't know what your interpretation of extravaganza is; but there were about a dozen stalls selling food and drinks. I get it that most of us haven’t been to the motherland of Latin American cuisine, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t tell a pretty average taco from a great one. And there were quite a few average tacos.

Café Abyssinia, Mt Roskill, Auckland

Yes, you read that right. Ethiopian food has arrived in Auckland. Café Abyssinia opened its doors several months ago and you could hear the collective rumble of delight from local foodies. I shouldn’t have been surprised when Dumpling Club members requested this for our next outing; several of our well-travelled members have eaten at Ethiopian restaurants in the US and Australia and raved about the cuisine.

Café Abyssinia is located in the new Tulja Centre at 190 Stoddard Road in Mt Roskill, a suburb known for its ethnic diversity. Tulja Centre has a stark, almost clinical look, punctuated by kitsch plastic trees festooned with fairy lights for flowers. It's just so random; I can’t wait to come here in the evening to see them in their glory. The décor at Café Abyssinia is just as cheerful, luckily in a more elegant manner, and evokes the colours of the Ethiopian flag,. 

The menu focuses on traditional fare, with 9 different (and variations of) mainly stews (wot) or sautéed (tibs) dishes, all served on enjera, a spongey sourdough flatbread. There is also a raw beef dish (reminiscent of tartare) called kifto. Most of the dishes are available at a special price of $10 for lunch, where you get 1 and a half massive enjera per person.

Green Bean Casserole

I attended my first ever Thanksgiving Dinner at my American friend, E’s house last year, and among the delicious array of traditional foods she served, was a green bean casserole. The fresh, still crunchy green beans and creamy mushroom sauce were a great combination. I was surprised to find out later that this Thanksgiving stalwart was invented by a staff at Campbell’s Soup Company in 1955 to market condensed mushroom soup, which apparently was a very common pantry item. (it reminds me, I haven't had Campbell's mushroom soup in a very, very long time). The original recipe calls for canned or frozen green beans, canned fried onions (I can’t even imagine how this would taste) and the aforementioned condensed mushroom soup.

Luckily, E was happy to share her recipe. I had wanted to use beans from my veggie garden, but Sam got to them first; I only manage to rescue 5 lonely beans from my 10 plants. I have to figure out how to fence my tiny veggie patch in a way that will keep Sam out but still allow me to maneuver around it or just grow vegetables he doesn't like the taste of. 

This is made with chicken broth, but to turn it into a vegetarian meal, replace with vegetable stock. The dish also reheats well in the microwave. The recipe below is for 10 portions, halve for smaller group.

Parkside Café, Mt Albert, Auckland

Vietnamese food is appearing all over Auckland, or perhaps I’ve only started noticing them. Most places are cheap, tasty and pretty decent, just like how street food should be. My experience at an upmarket version, Café Hanoi, left little to be desired, overwrought, under-flavoured, expensive food. All flash and not nearly enough substance, and to my astonishment, it garnered accolades in the media. When another posh-ish Vietnamese place opened on the scene, I was hesitant to say the least.

But its location won me over. Anything in Mt Albert has to be good, it’s not on the tourist track, and few people from out of zone, apart from fervent chowhounds, make their way there.

Parkside Café serves typical café food during the day, but come 5:30pm, this place transmogrifies into an intimate Vietnamese restaurant. The staff appear to be mostly Vietnamese which is a great sign. The menu is well edited but entirely in English; I wished they had included the Vietnamese names, as I find menus the best way to learn a little of the language of where the cuisine is from.