Thursday, June 30, 2016

Auckland - To Eat 25June2016 (North Sea Village, Crab Shack, Blankenberge, The Malt)


North Sea Village Restaurant

 Comes with complimentary serving of soup of the day and dessert!
 *Good soup stock and the carrots were really sweet*

*Their dessert was like a yam/sago sorta hot dish. A nice sweet note to the end of any meal*
The place to come where Peking Duck reigns supreme. North Sea Village.
Click here for ABBA location of North Sea Village 9/11 Corinthian Dr, Auckland 0632, New Zealand
Ordered On:
25June2016
Peiking Duck
*Very nicely done. Though it may not look that appetizing in the window, but after having served up, its not at all dry. Crispy thin skin and their skin wrap is done a little differently here. They seemed to be made to order and its very much different from the run of the mill duck wraps. It pairs very well with the duck and even beats out Beijing's Quan Qu De. Fantastic.*
Salted Egg Prawn
 *Perhaps salted egg prawns are done a little differently here. The salted eggs weren't really existent. It tasted more like simple salt and pepper prawns instead. It was nice to have prawns served over broccoli. Would probably to the same for future home dishes*
Fish with vegetables
*The Chinese spinach was really sweet and fresh. The fish mushroom combination over vegetables works out really nicely. I'll probably adopt these one dish wonders for myself in future.*
Szechuan Pepper Chicken
 *Nice peppery chicken. Though it looks intimidating because of all that spice, but its really not that hot. Good fry, fragrant and a very slight hint of mala. A decent dish.* 
Black Pepper Beef
*Black pepper beef may have been tenderized with baking power for too long, resulting in an uncharacteristically tender piece of meat. Either that or it has been tenderized really well. The sweetish sauce and onions were good to balance the saltiness of the overall dish. Goes pretty well with rice*
They were running a tight shift, hence service was tight. The complimentary soups and dessert were nice accent points, but the star here is definitely the duck which can be had in an additional 2 more ways. A good return for Duck.
Total Fed 7
Click here for ABBA location of North Sea Village 9/11 Corinthian Dr, Auckland 0632, New Zealand

The Crab Shack
The Crab Shack as by its name sake suggests, a place which is primarily known for their crabs. However, their other meat dishes are pretty good as well according to cousins who've tried their other dishes.
26June2016
Ordered On:
Spanner Crab NZD49
Indian spices, chilli, coriander and lemon
*They did mess up the order. We had called for a garlic and butter lemon mix but probably because of the large influx of customers on a Sunday night, they missed out on it. Despite that, the crab is relative fresh and its a pretty large serving with about 3 spanner crabs in total. Man its huge. The remaining broth/sauce they were cooked in was fantastic. An okay showing. Very Asianatic.* 
Fush N Chups NZD24 x2
beer battered market catch, Makikihi fries, tartare sauce and our shack slaw
*To be honest, pretty damn good. Serving size was good valued and the batter was fluffy, nice and flavorful. The tartar as well, was one of the best one's I've had, and the chips, probably double fried for that super crispy crunch. Perfectly seasoned. Really good fries and wiped the plate clean with them. The coleslaw, was done with very little mayo and served more as a plain salad than anything else. A very good serving of Fish and Chips and well worth the order if in the mood for one.* 
Half A Roast Chook NZD25
Maple Glaze, kurama hash, chorizo, jalapeno and yoghurt
*Simple, homely and delicious. The maple glaze was the bomb! Tender juicy chicken served atop sweet potatoes.
Iceberg Wedge NZD6.50
w/blue cheese dressing
 
*As advertised. So simple. Strong blue cheese sauce drizzled over cold ice burg lettuce. A simple reproduction for a side salad.* 
Little Creatures Pale Ale NZD10

Total NZD144.50 Fed 4 


Pictured above is what the Crab Shack was serving up in the windows. They all looked really appetizing. Their rump steaks especially good as well as their burgers. Look out for their weekday specials which are worth the visit and the savings. Worth the return for the rustic ambiance and pretty good eats!
Click here for ABBA location of The Crab Shack, 137 Quay Street, Auckland 1010, New Zealand

Blankenberge
 The Specials which we were there for.
 *Full range of muscles available but also at full price.*
We were there for their Monday Mussel Madness which of course they delivered. NZD15 for 1kg of fresh mussels.
Ordered On:
27June2016
 Mediterranean
Capers/Garlic/Fennel Seeds
 *Pretty okay. The gralic flavors and fennel seeds weren't that strong. Not very mediterranean to be honest. I thought a more tomato and olive base would have been much better.*
 Belgium
Hoegaarden/Orange/Corriander

 *The sweetest of the bunch. Pretty good sweet flavor. I think more citrus would have worked out better*
New Zealand
Cream/Sauvignon Blanc/Fresh Parsley
 *The best out of the bunch. The standard pairing and was the first bucket to be emptied out!*
 500g Rump Steak NZD34
*Though it was requested to be more on the rare side of medium rare, that didn't help out in the case of the tougher, rump cut. The mushrooms look good but the tart balsamic sauce it was with just didn't work. A little disappointing to be honest and over all a little on the salty side. It definitely needed heavy tenderizing. The only things going for it were the red wine reduction and the great char it had.*
 BBQ pork ribs
*The onion rings were underwhelming. Batter needed to be much crispier. As for the ribs, their bbq sauce is amaizing! Thick glaze, sweet and sour at the same time. The meat though was tender, but on the dry side.*  
Spicy BBQ Wings 6pieces for 10NZD
 *There were really good. A light spice from the nicely fried hot wings, and their blue cheese sauce was the clear winner here. A nice balance of heat, together with the tang from the very pungent blue cheese.*Sausage
*Pretty standard*
Fed 6 NZD164Total
Stick to their specials. The Green lip mussels are a hit. It was reported the french style ones are really good as well. The buffalo wings are the clear reorders and the aioli sauce served together with the fries, the best. A great water hole for mussel madness Mondays and for definitely their buffalo wings with amazing blue cheese dip.
Click here for ABBA location of Blankenberge, 136 Hurstmere Rd, Takapuna Beach 0622, New Zealand

The Malt
A joint popular with the locals, The Malt serves drinks of the taps with daily promotions and activities.
Ordered On
28June2016
Pork Belly Bites with apple sauce NZD15 x2
*This was epic. Its not a pork belly bite. More of a meal. Large cube sized pork belly, beautifully prepared with a sweet apple sauce on the side. The pairing is very similar to what they do in London's Borough's Market. Very nice. The skin however could be crispier and crunchier!*
Deep-fried Jalapenos with chipotle crema NZD15
*Nice warm heat and the cheese stuffing inside was a nice addition as well.*
Mushroom scotch Fillet 220g served with garlic mash and seasonal vegetables, topped with a creamy mushroom sauce NZD29

*The steak is a little on the salty side but to an okay standard. One can't really taste the garlic in the garlic mash.*
Tuesday Special 1Large comes with a free regular pizza. NZD29
Poseidon Prawn Pizza Special - with capsicum, scallops and prawns in a creamy neapolitan sauce.
Quarto - Salami, Ham, Prawns and Mushrooms. *Nothing to scream about. Basic ingredients on a nice wood oven pizza*
*The special was really good. Nice oven baked pizza and their prawns were a huge, succulent lot! The pizza could work with more filling, but a pseudo two for one special, what more could one ask for.*
Chicken Pasta Special
*The cheese sauce was way too heavy. A mistake order, even though it was a special. One bite and its too rich.*
Roast Chicken Special

*Nothing much to scream about the half roast chicken, other than its a good deal at NZD20.* 
Total Fed 6
The pizza deal was well worth it. The two for one sort of deal could have easily fed 3 people. The scotch fillet wasn't too bad as well but their signature starter here was definitely the pork belly. Worth a visit over a beer and their daily specials/activities and definitely their pork belly. The burgers looked really appetizing as well. For another visit.
Click here for ABBA Location of The Malt Greenhithe, 10 Greenhithe Road, Greenhithe, 0632, New Zealand
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