Tuesday 19 February 2013

Hospobaby on Holiday



Maxwell road Hawker centre- Ice Kachong!



I hate airplane food. If you are travelling to anywhere in Asia (cattle class) your likely meal choices will be a) chicken with soy sauce or b) fish with soy sauce. Travel with a toddler and your meal experience will be transformed. Flying to Singapore and then to Bali, hospobaby got the best meals. Spaghetti with meatballs, chicken nuggets, penne with cheese, chips, yogurt, chocolate, biscuits, juice, ice cream…. everything a kid and in our case adults want. We hoped she would be asleep at meal times so we could try some of her delicious fare.
No signboard restaurant- waiting for Chilli crab
Once in Singapore we couldn’t wait to try the renowned hawker markets. We had heard of the famous chilli crab and once we figured out how ordering at the market worked, we got stuck in. Satays, chilli crab, steamed rice and cold sugar cane juice. Hospobaby loved the succulent crabmeat and the sweet and spicy sauce.

East coast Hawker centre
Chilli Crab

I stood in a line at the legendary Tian Tian Hainanese chicken rice stall in Maxwell hawker centre for 20 minutes and I must say that the simple roast chicken and rice with hot sauce was well worth it. The markets felt festive on Boxing Day. Communal dining has its own charm and I wish there was more of it in New Zealand.

Serious shoppers have serious appetites; the food courts in the malls were my saviors. I could lure hospobaby and her dad again and again into shopping with the promise of good food. The tastiest Vietnamese Banh mi bale sandwiches, Japanese wagyu burgers, Indonesian fried chicken, murtabak, beef rendang, dumplings and hand pulled noodles, Zoya was experiencing food from cultures she had never come across. I must admit we couldn’t get hospobaby to eat out every meal; she also had some home cooked food to help her along the way as we were lucky to be staying with whanau.
Balinese Crispy fried duck
Balinese food was a bit more of a challenge. Unlike Singapore, hawkers in Bali are not monitored by the government and organized into one space. I was a bit wary, as eating joints were peppered all along the roads. After a disappointing dinner at out hotel restaurant we had to experiment. We had some great Balinese food as well as some disappointing meals. My worry was well founded when our little one came down with a tummy bug. The rest of our trip we had to ply her with the familiar…cheeseburgers and chips.
Travel is the biggest adventure of all, the sights, the culture and the food- everything is new and exciting. It’s hard to come back home and explain to an almost two year old that the holiday is over- especially if she demands chilli crab for dinner every night.

The Kiwi BBQ


The quintessential Kiwi barbeque. Summer is finally here and we are reliving the joys of eating al fresco with hospobaby. Hospobaby had her first BBQ experience in 2011 when she was 8 months old. It is tradition in our house to have a BBQ on Christmas day and have all our friends who have nowhere to go drop in. Christmas 2012 will be an exception as we travel to Singapore and Bali on holiday.
However this hasn’t stopped us from whetting, Hospobaby’s appetite for BBQ. We have had three BBQ’s already.  Needless to say the sausages are a favorite. Zoya loved the Harmony Pork and fennel sausages we bought for a BBQ at home. The Risoni pasta salad with avocado and cucumber brought by one of the mums from our coffee group was a hit with all the kids. Zoya loves fresh summer sweetcorn chucked on the barbie and rubbed with tangy lemon and chilli butter. Asparagus is another winner. Strawberries dipped in chocolate, disappear within minutes.




At the last BBQ we were invited to, there was a distinctly French flair to the offerings. Our hosts were our Aussie restaurant manager Ismo Koski and his girlfriend Leslie, who comes from France and is a chef. We had dainty potatoes cooked in duck fat and duck pieces skewered with chunks of duck foie gras. We were surprised when hospobaby went back for seconds. Not to be outdone by the French, Ismo and Leslie’s flatmate Chef Kaz made a unique beef and sushi rice salad. Dessert was some delicious French cheese from Maison Vauron (Newmarket) and lots of grapes that Zoya kept shoveling into her mouth, till the juice dripped all over her clothes.
I find that BBQ’s are one of the easiest meals to cater for with kids. They are mostly healthy, someone else (usually the blokes) do all the cooking and clean up usually involves a bib and wipes for the little ones. New Zealand has become so multi-cultural that our BBQ ‘s reflect it too.

Hospobaby’s favourite corn with chilli/lime butter.
Sweet corn on the cob
1 stick of unsalted butter at room temperature
2 red chillies (deeseed them for the kids)
juice of ½ a lemon
pinch of salt
Stick all of the above into a food processor and whizz. Spread over grilled corn and let the kids enjoy.

A taste of Auckland


Taste of Auckland. What better way could we find to challenge hospo baby’s taste buds; some of Auckland’s best restaurants all under one roof. We started our expedition at Victoria Park with Toto. Their crispy pork in a bun was the perfect start to a great Sunday lunch.  Next we headed to their sister restaurant Poderi Crisci and Antonio, my husband’s former boss gave Zoya some organic mozzarella to try. Hospo baby struggled with the texture of the buffalo mozzarella. I guess some tastes will come with age. However, she devoured the duck cannelloni on offer, pulling out bits of shredded duck from the pasta.








Clooney and Kermadec fine were the next stops on our list. Hospo baby nibbled through Clooney’s offering of Razor back pig belly with apple, celery and faro. The taste of the pecan brulee with Pedro Xeminez was somewhat lost on our little eater. Zoya quite liked the fern curd, blackberry and malt soil that accompanied the wild deer served by Kermadec.
We are avid fans of Mexico and Molten and hospobaby has already been to the restaurants several times. Mexico’s fried chicken is by far the best of its kind and I was only too happy to not have to share it with Zoya as it is on the spicier side. Mandy Lusk greeted us at Vivace and quickly put a piece of flatbread into Zoya’s hands while we waited for their spicy Morrocan lamb and eggplant ragu. It was so moreish, that we would have gladly gone back for seconds.




Violet and Valrhona
Mine!
 But alas! Dessert has a special place in everyone’s tummy. Hospo baby has a very sweet tooth that is especially partial to chocolate. Nick Honeyman from The Common’s is a genius when it comes to dessert. Hospo baby’s favourite dish of the festival was Nick’s Violet and Valrohna: Valrohna chocolate delice, almond sandcastle, violet ice cream and violet meringue shard. Sid and I could not get a bite to ourselves and were told a strict “no mine” when we tried. Most toddlers are possessive about their toys ours is possessive about her food.
Our left over money was used to buy Collective dairy’s beautiful yogurts and some Ceres organic juice. Taste was not just a great way for us to expose hospo baby to different cuisine but also to celebrate being part of the wonderful hospitality industry in Auckland. We are so grateful that our little one can grow up and experience being part of an industry that is so welcoming and passionate.

Parlez vous français?



People often ask me if being married to a chef means he cooks for me all the time. Truth be told, on his days off he cant be bothered doing what he does all week. So unless I cook, we venture out for a family meal with our Hospo Baby.
yummy snails!
One such Monday night when the kitchen couldn’t entice either of us we visited Ille De France. Ille de France is located on the corner of Nuffield Street and Remuera Road in Newmarket. We didn’t want to be seen as the parents who party with a tired tot, so we got there by 6 p.m. for an early dinner. We were the only patrons at the time, which was an added bonus. The décor was quintessentially French and the highchair that was brought out for Hospo baby stuck out like a sore thumb. We ordered the board to share which came with a pork terrine, duck liver parfait, snails, cured ham and a baguette. 

The kind hostess offered to bring Zoya some fish and chips which we turned down as we wanted her to experience authentic French food. Zoya played along and even tried the snails, though she never had a second bite! Sid got the rib eye steak for his main and I got the confit duck, we also got a side of duck fat potatoes. I tried to complete Hospo Baby’s education by making the appropriate animal noises to match the meat but was given a dour look from my dining companions. Nonetheless Hospo Baby’s appetite was not marred by my antics and she nibbled on our mains and dug into the chips.
We made the cardinal mistake of stuffing ourselves too much and didn’t have any room for dessert. Well we will just have to go back – à bientot Ille de France


Ille de France



Fast food is a very tempting option when you have a young one and you are on the go. We have managed to stay away from McDonalds and KFC, Hospo Baby can explore them on her own in the years to come. Burger Fuel is the exception. We often end up going to the mall and our mall boasts a Burger Fuel. Hospo baby got her first taste of a burger in their kid’s meal. Although the cheeseburger was a bit of a challenge to stuff into her little mouth, she loved it. The juice and fries kept her little mouth busy while we ate our combos. I ordered the motobites; pumpkin, carrot and chickpea balls crumbed and fried. Zoya was intrigued by their shape and devoured them as well.


Motobites
BURGER!!
I can share my fries with you...
 
Maybe I wont share...



Whether it is fast food or French cuisine, Hospo Baby is keen to try it all. As I write this we are off to challenge her taste buds by taking her on the biggest food adventure of the year- Taste Auckland in Victoria Park. Will be sure to keep you posted.