Crumbed Prawns on a Sweet Veggie Salad

Ahh seafood, a luxury for a student like myself. How is it that something so simple can brighten up my day in an instant? When I scurried into Harbour Fish yesterday, I was shocked to see a whole bag of crumbed prawns for five dollars. Lucky me.

Prawns. Crumbed prawns. What do people have with prawns? Being such a luxury, I had never cooked them before and rarely get the opportunity to eat them. So I searched high and low in my fridge and decided to use what I had. A few desperate vegetables and a lemon. It was going to be one of those experimental meals. I quickly ran to warn my boyfriend of the potential failure that was ahead, and then started chopping like crazy.

This is often the way my kitchen works. I have learnt to be economical and use up as much as I can whenever I cook. People often ask me how I can afford to cook so many meals that often have  expensive ingredients such as prawns, when I am a student. My answer? Honestly I am still learning but I guess I'll start by saying, don’t go to the supermarket with a strict list, buy what is in season and what's on special, and then come up with your meals. Use leftovers, create recipes, and always keep your spice rack full! You might have the odd disaster, but it is all a learning experience. And sometimes you might just have a wonderful outcome, like I did last night.

A simple cauliflower, broccoli, calvo nerco (kale), and date salad with pre-crumbed prawns. Obviously you can opt to crumb your own prawns or even keep them fresh, but like I said, I bought what was on special at the fish store. With a touch of seasoning and some lemon juice, this dish was divine.

Serves two

Ingredients

1 small head cauliflower

1 small head broccoli

Handful of calvo nero (dark kale)

Moroccan seasoning (season to taste)

Salt and pepper

Garlic

1/2 cup dates 

Rice bran oil for frying

1 lemon (zest and juice)

16 prawns (crumbed or fresh)

Grate the broccoli and cauliflower, and finely chop the calvo nero and dates. Fry the calvo nero in the oil until softened. Add the cauliflower, broccoli, dates, Moroccan seasoning, garlic, and lemon juice. Fry together over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the mean time you can either bake or fry the prawns. To bake the prawns, drizzled them in a touch of oil and lemon juice and then bake at 200°C for 10 minutes or until nice and crispy. To fry the prawns, heat some oil in a pan and fry the prawns for a few minutes on each side or until nice and crispy. 

Serve up your veggie salad, place the prawns on top and drizzle with a bit of lemon juice.

This is such a fast and easy meal, enjoy!

-Sophea

Yuki Izakaya

I have always loved japan. Not just for its beautiful scenery, incredible history, or cute Harajuku girls, but for its food.

I love all Asian cuisine. Chinese for sweet and sour, Thai for a creamy green curry, and Indian for spicy saagwala. For me there is something about Japanese food that, if done well, brings a whole new meaning to 'flavours of the world.' It is friendly, inviting, and exciting, yet also daring and different. The flavours are exotic but not too extreme like some other Asian counties. Japanese food is the discovery of new flavours without the shock of sweat-worthy spice or the discovery of chicken feet in your soup. To put it simply, I am never scared to try a new Japanese dish.

Another reason I love Japan might be because I have grown up with a number of Japanese live-in students. Whether they stayed for two weeks or a year they were always delighted to share something new with us. We got to experience the flavours first hand right in our home. From sushi platters to udon dishes. Japanese cuisine is a huge passion of mine so I am always thrilled to try a new Japanese restaurant. 

Yuki Izakaya. A hidden gem right in the center of Dunedin. It would have to be the only place tucked away in Bath Street, just seconds away from dozens of other cafes, bars, and restaurants near the Octagon. In Japanese Yuki literally translates to either 'snow' or 'happiness'. Perfectly suited for Dunedin I thought. And Izakaya is a place to drink and enjoy a range of small meals. My first thoughts as I left dinner last night, what a flawlessly suited name. Welcome to Yuki Izakaya, a place of happiness where you can drink from their outstanding drinks selection or even bring your own wine, and indulge in a wonderful array of small meals.

When you slide the door, yes slide not pull, and step into the restaurant the unique atmosphere hits you right in the face. You will notice how small yet open the room is. There are a handful of beautiful wooden tables, stools and chairs neatly arranged around the room and in the back ground there are glorious sights and smells coming from the visible kitchen. The staff greeted us promptly, making sure that we had indeed made a booking, then guided us to our table. Before we knew it we were handed the extremely oversized and slightly confusing menus and from that moment on were approached every couple of minutes by various staff members to see if we were ready to order. All of this is a lot to take in so I recommend ordering a drink to start, or some glasses for your own bottle of wine, and exploring the menu. 

As soon as I saw it on the menu I knew I had to try it. Okonomiyaki, a savoury pancake filled with cabbage and your choice of bacon, seafood, or vegetables. 

The flavour of this dish was top marks compared to other Japanese restaurants I have been to lately. It was different to your average asain buffet where the flavours all become one, it was authentic. The pancake was filled with generous amounts of shrimp, crab, and squid and was drizzled with Japanese mayonnaise and barbecue sauce and finally topped with fish flakes that appear to be dancing on your plate (another reason I love okonomiyaki). It was almost perfect, with impeccable flavour however it was more soggy rather than fluffy. Thank goodness for the crunchy texture of the cabbage to balance that factor out. 

The staff kept coming over to take orders throughout the night, maybe it was our compelling conversation or maybe they were trying to hurry us along. Who knows. 

Due to a few hasty decisions the next couple of dishes were purely mediocre. The agendashi tofu... I do not have too much to say about it. The pieces were larger than I expected and managing to pick up a large wobbly piece of tofu with chop sticks is as hard as it sounds. Despite this, they were cooked reasonably well with a nice crispy skin. The tofu itself was bland and the tsuyu sauce could have upped the excitement a considerable amount if it had actually soaked through. It was simply, nice. 

The pork hot pot, well I can say I liked it. Small pieces of pork, cabbage, and sprouts in a spicy broth. But don't fear, the cute bucket hot pot it's served in will keep you entertained! I didn't love or hate it and quite frankly I would rather make it at home.

Now before you start to think I am giving Yuki a bad name, I'll lighten up the mood a little . Takoyaki octopus balls. These were a remarkable finale. Crisp skin, cooked perfectly, and an explosion of flavour. I hadn't tried anything like these until I visited Yuki, in the future I will order these again. A MUST try.

Other recommended dishes are the pork belly, karaage chicken, and spicy chicken. But I am not trying to 'bulk' and would not be able to eat that much even if I tried.

 I do love Yuki I just believe you need to be careful wear you tread. Choose wisely, it's better to stay safe and go with what your friends recommend. Whenever I venture outside of my comfort zone at Yuki I am not usually excited about it. Don't get me wrong, the popular dishes are outstanding and if you are in dunedin do go out of your way to go. It's a place to bring your own wine, drink Asahi beer, enjoy company, dive into a variety of small dishes, and finish on a shot of hot saki. Just make sure you book in advance or else you will be shown to the door by every staff member available. 

-Sophea

Food is Life. Life is Food

Mazagran Dunedin. Photo from neatplaces.co.nz

I haven't blogged in quite a few weeks now. Now don't jump ahead and say my lazy behavior is the culprit because honestly, I am not lazy. I hate sleeping in too much, I could never watch a television series on repeat all day, or drool over cat videos while the dirty dishes pile up. This idea of life doesn't exist in my books. I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that. In saying that, I am not one to judge. I do like watching movies in the evenings and having an afternoon nap on a Sunday but I feel like I need to be deserving of these pleasures. A week of productivity and hard work should be rewarded with an insistent 'I do what I want attitude'. 

Productivity and hard work. What does this mean to you and how hard should we really be working? I haven't blogged in a few weeks not because I've been too lazy but for two other simple reasons. Firstly because last time I uploaded my fresh, and quite frankly rather insightful post, it was accidentally deleted (how this happened we shall not speak of). The frustration and devastation of all that hard work and time, although enjoyable, seemed to be wasted. I didn't just give up, that's not something I would endorse, I merely got thinking. That leads me to the second reason I haven't posted in a while, I have been racking my brains over one of life's most 'important' requirements. Work. What does that mean to me? 

I am only 21 and I am months away from completing my degree. I am months away from the real world, from a career that has been flourishing over three years at university. What do I want to do and am I ready for a committed full time career? And after some time, pondering over this quite universal question of a nearly new 21 year old graduate student, I have come back to realise what I love and how wonderful it is. I love writing, it's a chance to have thoughts and record them so that they never evaporate and disappear forever. So that they can develop, be nurtured, so they can grow and be shared. Thoughts are precious, they are one of a kind and I want mine to be happy, inspiring, wonderful. The second thing I love, naturally, is food and coffee. I appreciate that many people can say that they love these things, and I'm sure they do, but when I say I love them I mean it in an entirely different way to the average Joe who approves the flavours of most meals. I mean passion, I mean interest, and I mean extraordinary. I see cuisine as something I can explore and experiment with, something I can continuously share with people. To me food and coffee is about exploring an infinite pathway of knowledge on taste, aesthetic presentation, health and well being, cultures, social experience, and life. Food is something that everyone around the world can understand, it is something different cultures, ethnicity's, and even classes share. I want to explore the variety, the options, the possibilities...

I don't want to live a life where my career owns me. I want to live a life of happiness, doing what I want and what I want to do is travel, write, eat, share, and experience. I want to make the most of everyday whether I am down here in Dunedin studying my nights away or roaming the streets of France admiring the lovers. Life should be about doing what you love and sharing it with others. And for me, one of my passions is food so now, I'll start there. Food is life and life is food. So take a piece, eat it, and enjoy it completely

The question that surely remains for now, what does Dunedin have to offer that is special and unique? This is my final year and I will spend it exploring the nooks and crannies of this beautiful city. I will gain experience before I move onto the next saga of my life. The next step? Out for dinner with my man on Friday... let us see what Dunedin has to offer.

This right here is what I love. I apologise for no real food critiques or recipes this time. 

-Sophea

The Friday Shop

A.K.A the Friday Shop

There is so much to love about a Friday. There's no grumpy Monday moaners lingering on a Friday, I love this. But what I love most about Friday's is, of course, the Friday Shop.

If you haven't heard of it you must be living in a dark cave at the bottom of the ocean... or maybe you just don't live in Dunedin. I used to live in Melbourne, the food capital of the world, the place where every street has an amazingly unique cafe. Before I moved to Dunedin I was so scared to leave my beloved food and damn-good coffee behind. I was worried about coming to a tiny city at the bottom of New Zealand, a place I used to believe didn't know the difference between instant coffee and freshly roasted barista coffee. But to my absolute joy, as I mourn for Melbourne for these years while I study, life is not so bad with places like the Friday Shop. So thank you Friday Shop for your exquisite pastries that light up my life, every week. 

As you would expect since the bakery is called the Friday Shop, it is only open on Fridays. And because of this it turns into the busiest place in the South Island at 6am on a Friday (I might be exaggerating but then again, I might not). You got to be in it to win it when it comes to these things. So most Fridays, I set my alarm extra early and drag my zombie-like boyfriend up to Roslyn. He secretly loves it. The reason I say most Friday's is because if we went every week my fingers would be too chunky to type this up, if you know what I mean, and I quite like being able to type on my iPad without sausage fingers. The pastries are fantastic but as I would say to the kids I look after, they are a 'sometimes food'. Mind you, the Friday Shop do sell beautiful soups, meatballs and other meals but to be honest, who would buy that when fresh steak and cheese pies, chocolate tarts, or various pastry quiches are screaming at you?! Remember, sausage fingers...

I do love doing my own baking but it takes hours to make croissants and when you can buy amazing pastries in seconds there is something so satisfying about it. You can taste the love and time that has gone into each treat. The first week we visited the shop we stood there for a good 15 minutes not knowing what to do. Dozens of people came in, gathered their tarts and croissants, and then left all while we stood there. How on earth can you choose between perfect pastries? I wanted them all! So we compromised with one treat each and then something to share. Now everytime we visit this is what we do. 

Yesterday this is what our popping eyes and greedy stomachs chose...

Apple turn-over Danish was Matts choice. The perfect sweet puff pastry complimented the apple sauce that oozed out as you bit into it. An absolute MUST!

My choice, however, was not as good as Matt's. It was still beautiful but I am still forever a die-hard fan of Danish type pastries rather than sliced Apple tart. It was still beautiful. Oh and as for the picture, some is missing because I took a sneaky bite before we even got home...

Last but not least... The almighty chocolate tart. I don't have much to say other than perfection. I was simply lost for words when I ate it because it was so decadent. So rich, so silky, so Devine. You simply have to try it to be able to understand. The pastry and then the two layers of chocolate, a fudge-like bottom layer and a chocolate ganache on the top. I have to try and make my own chocolate tart!

You have to see it to believe it and you have to try it before you can testify it. So here I am showing you and my evidence is proof that the Friday shop is amazing. And I am being a little over-excited about food, as usual. 

Bon-appetite!

-Fee

Nectar's breakfast

What is a better way to start a Monday morning than going out for breakfast? I'm lucky enough to have an Aunty who often treats me by taking me out. And this week we went to one of our current favorite places, Nectar.

One of the things that I love about this place is the atmosphere. It is beautifully hidden among the business buildings just south of the octagon. And to tell you the truth, I would have never seen it if my friend didn't recommend it. I love how you walk inside and it opens up into such a secret artsy and modern room. The art on the walls is groovy and changes often enough. If I worked in an office, this place would be the perfect lunch time escape. 

As for the food, where do I start. I have not tried everything but most of the time it is decadent. Today I had the simple muesli with fruit and yogurt.

So simple but so delicious. The dried apricots, peaches and even blueberries were abundantly sweet but the combination of coconut and pumpkin seeds added the perfect amount of nuttiness and texture. Nevertheless, I would have preferred something a little more exciting than a few pieces of mandarin and chopped apple on the top. In saying that, I did eat every last bite so I do rate it highly. 

The coffee was perfect. Just the right strength, just the right temperature and the milk was silky 

Due to my high love for Melbourne's cafe culture, I am quite the critic when it comes to eating out. I have been to a lot of cafes so I know the good, and I know the bad. All I can say is that this place may not thrive if it were in Melbourne, but it definitely would survive. That is a compliment!

I highly recommend this place. I'll be back. 

Next time I'll try something a little more adventurous. Thank you for making my Monday morning that little bit better.