Fueled By Flapjacks: Thai, Japanese and Mexican, Oh My!

Fueled By Flapjacks

Monday, February 26, 2007

Thai, Japanese and Mexican, Oh My!

In addition to doing a lot of sightseeing this weekend, I also did a lot of eating! We didn't exactly take Chris on a culinary tour of Auckland because a)we didn't have reservations and b)we aren't that rich, but food was consumed and it was tasty, so we didn't fail on the gastronomy front.

On Friday night, Chris and I decided to eat Thai and since there is only one Thai place at the mall and I had just mentioned my love of the peanut curry there, SaNook Thai Express Bistro was our culinary port of call. For once in my life, I didn't order anything with peanut! Shock horror! Check out the flying pig! Can you believe it? Something must be seriously wrong with me. Not only did I turn down peanut but earlier in the week, I turned down an excuse to eat pancakes on Shrove Tuesday! My gluttony compass must be broken. I wanted something a little less heavy so I ordered fried rice with shrimp, squid, mussels and shimp paste. I received a huge mound of rice which I could have finished but did not. Temperance must have finally befriended me. It was good but fairly bland tasting. I added some sweet chili sauce near the end and that was much better. You can't go wrong with sweet chili sauce.

Seafood fried rice in shrimp paste

Chris ordered my beloved Nam Prik Gai, chicken in peanut gravy. He liked it but did not show nearly as much enthusiasm as I would have. Don't ask for the Thai name of my fried rice, I no longer remember because nam prik gai is the only Thai I know.

Nam Prik Gai

Again showing some temperance and mindful of the weekend ahead, I skipped out on dessert. The lure of tapioca doused in lush coconut cream was great but I leave that for another day. After all, it's only February. There are 10 months of eating left for 2007. We washed down our dessert with hot drinks instead. Chris with a flat white (described as the perfect morning coffee) and me with a chai tea latte, which as you all know is one of my new favourite drinks.

On Saturday we visited what Justina proclaimed to be "the best food court in Auckland". I was not disappointed. Hidden away in the ground floor of an office building lies a small fast food heaven with establishments selling many Asian cuisines. I promised myself I would return to lunch with Justina at a later date in order to feast on more goods. I wasn't feeling very adventurous so I ordered my default Japanese dish of teriyaki chicken and was handed a number on a red block stand. While waiting for my dish, I wandered over to another stand to purchase a passionfruit soda that caught my eye.

Passionfruit soda

After a short wait, I was presented with my meal, which very much impressed me.

Teriyaki chicken

Plenty of succulent teriyaki chicken on a bed of rice and lettuce. The lettuce was a pleasant surprise. It was nice to have added vegies. I also received miso soup and a yummy side salad with what seemed to be a slightly sweet sesame paste.

Side salad with sesame paste (?)

I would definitely eat this again. Many other things caught my attention and if I meet Justina a lot perhaps I will try every stall at this little Shangri-La.

Chris ordered the katsu curry. I'm unsure whether it was pork or chicken. He was supplied with a huge pool of curry, which was rather yellow compared to more orange Japanese curries I have seen. It appeared more soup-like than the last katsu curry I had as well. Occupied by my teriyaki, I didn't try any so I can't inform you of its taste.

Katsu cury

I couldn't be bothered leaning over the table again to take a picture of Justina's tofu vegetable stir fry, but I did get a picture of the fabulous pot it came in. How often do you see crockery like this in a food court?

Awesome pot

Justina also got dessert. I'm not sure what you call it but it was condensed milk, red bean and ice covered in red and green flavouring. It was tasty but I just had a few spoonfuls.

For dinner, we went to Giggles Cafe and Grill in Howick. Only recently did I realise that they served Cajun, Creole and Mexican cuisine and because Chris was craving steak, I suggested it. We were seated in the front room (there is also a fully covered balcony room). The restaurant had wonderful ambiance, reminiscent of a bar in the Southern bayous of Louisiana. Coloured lamp shades hung low over the tables, providing a dim glow. Old Blues and Soul tunes played in the background and I was almost overcome with nostalgia for the South. We spent a long time perusing the menu. I was excited to see they served gumbo and jambalaya but was informed there was only one level of spiciness and that was hot. Knowing my limits, I ordered the chicken burrito instead. I am being encouraged to train myself to handle hot stuff. If I can find a suitable training regime, I may just do this. Life is too short not to eat Cajun and Creole the traditional way.

Chicken burrito

My chicken burrito was massive. You only need one to be satisfied. It was filled with chicken, cheese and spinach with salad, salsa and sour cream on the side. Very delicious and lay just within my spice barrier. My tolerance is low.

Justina ordered the vegetable burrito because she was feeling herbivorous and wasn't that hungry. However, for a not-so-hungry person she ironically received a lot of food. Her bean burrito also came with rice, salsa and sour cream, which was in addition to the side salad she ordered. She did a good job putting most of it away, but ended up creating a works of art with the remaining bean paste.

Vegetable burrito

Chris ordered the means to construct his own burritos - beef, salsa, salad, cheese, sour cream and tortillas. It looked good but I prefer to have my meals fully constructed. I'm lazy when I dine out.

Steaming beef buritto innards

Make your own burrito kit

This time I did not ignore dessert. It was hard to decide what to order. One of my all-time favourite desserts, pecan pie was on the menu, but the bread pudding also sounded delicious. I went with the bread pudding since I often make caramel pecan pie at home.

It was good but no drool inducing. It's hard to tell where it was lacking. It was filled with dates and raisins, covered in rum sauce and served with vanilla icecream and cream, dusted with cinnamon. I think it could have been sweeter and perhaps the bread could have been softer, more liquid soaked. At least, that is how I would prefer it. I also felt like the sauce needed something. Either more sugar or even better, caramel! It wasn't bad but then I am comparing it to the fabulous bread pudding I had at Bubba Gump's in San Francisco which was amazingly rich, decadent and so huge I couldn't finish it.

Bread pudding

Chris ordered the bananas foster. This would have been my third choice because it has been recommended to me before. I didn't try any of Chris' but I would like to go back to Giggle's and I'll try it then. Banana is flambeed in butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and rum, then served with vanilla icecream. The thick sauce looked delicious and seemed like a good way to eat my favourite fruit.

Bananas foster

On Sunday, we had a lunch at the beach consisting of bakery foods I did not photograph. This concludes the eating adventures of Princess Buttercup and two of the delicate flowers.

SaNook Thai Express Bistro - 1 Sunset Terrace, Botany Town Centre, Auckland
Giggles Cafe and Grill - 124 Picton St, Howick

Labels: beverage, Cajun, Chinese, Creole, dessert, fast food, Japanese, Mexican, Thai

posted by Lauren @ 5:38 PM

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