Our house is feeling quiet, and almost clean and tidy - a rarity in our world. Both daughters have headed back to their respective Varsities, so I've tidied up the mess that they inevitably leave lying around, and am enjoying finding things where I expect them to be, and not having the fridge and pantryn constantly  denuded . Courteney comes back home most weekends, so its only a temporary state of tranquillity, but possibly all the more appreciated for that fact.

I'm about to head over to the supermarket to get some silvo cos want to clean my silver candlebras before the first cookschool on Friday - aiming to use them and some glass domes I bought from Cabbage and Kings,  to bring a slightly different note to the table -just not totally sure yet how its going to come together. Will keep playing...

We headed out after lunch to do a bit of running around, which included finding some moulds for the dessert for this cookschool series - and went to Culinary Council, where we haven't been for awhile. Found what we wanted, and then moved next door to the newly expanded Gourmet Traders, which has a magnificent range of stock. Absolutely fantastic in fact.

Shops like that get me excited becos it makes me feel like Tauranga is finally starting to come of age - when it can support a shop that size,  specialising in ingredients that demand a more cosmopolitan knowledge of cooking. Suspect its a factor of our ethnic mix becoming more varied, and people simply becoming more interested in a wider repertoire of food ideas. As I see it, its all enormously healthy and a positive sign for the area.

Also called into Gilmours to get a couple of things that we'd missed in our weekly delivery - that store changed over to private ownership a couple of months ago, and what a difference!  We've been going there for nearly 24 years and thats the first time I walked out in anything like a postive frame of mind. All interesting...

We'd had friends for dinner on Monday  - and one of them brought us some chocolates which we opened to have with coffee. They were from the chocolate cabinet at Cabbage and Kings, and were sublime. I've just emailed Val to see what the make was and she said they'd have been from Bennets of Mangawhai.

Chocolate is a subject near to my heart and I've done a reasonable amount of reading on it over the years - books by Mort Rosenblum and David Lebovitz are particulary interesting reading. I wrote blogs on both books last year.  I love all chocolate - white, milk and dark - we have a box of chocolates that a friend brought us back from San Francisco, and they are exquisitly packaged little tablets of plain, high quality chocolate with different cocao fat levels. The higher the cocao fat content the darker and more bitter the flavour, becos there is less sugar.

We used to think that the higher the cocao fat content the better the chocolate and almost willed ourselves to like it stronger and stronger - but experiments with some of the recipes for the cookschools, and comments made in some of the books I'd read, got us to start questioning that approach, and wondering if it wasn't in fact a form of reverse snobbery.
Provided its made from pure ingredients - all chocolate taste wonderful, they just different - and sometimes you want a sweeter finish, whereas sometimes you're looking for something rich but without the sweet notes.

And that is exactly what hit me about the range of chocolates that Trice had decided to treat us with - there was a whole range of different types of chocolate, with different fillings - and the quality was simply outstanding. Intensely rich, so you can't indulge in too many in one sitting, but the satisfaction is immense. I stayed home on the couch last nite, disposing of some stuff that I needed to get sorted in my diary, as I do occasionally, and managed to make a small number of left over chocolates last for a very long time, becos you can't gulp them down. They need to be savoured and revered instead.

And chocolate is good for you. Good chocolate that is!

Both Rick and I really enjoy eating Indian food, even though its one cuisine that we've never learnt much about.

Many years ago we went to a cookschool at The Epicurean Workshop in Auckland, where David Thompson who's a world reknown expert on Thai food,  totally engrossed us, in a discussion about spices that we'd never heard of.

Rick ordered a number of them from Wah Lees - and from that experience the mussaman curry found its way onto the restaurant menu, and we continue to sell the paste thru Somerset at Home.

We've never gone back to preground packaged spices, becos we learnt that the flavour differential, when you roast the whole spice and grind it as required,  is so profound, that the effort is more than worthwhile.

Indian cooking uses alot of the same spices - so their names are no longer alien to us, but we've never had the opportunity to explore too far into that food realm.

We do however very much enjoy eating out at Indian restaurants - theres something about the style of easy, cheap, shared plates, that makes it a lovely relaxed  evening, on occasion.

For years we've frequented Little India down on The Strand, and last time we were heading in that direction Hannah suggested we try "Talk of India ( 356 Cameron Rd), becos the father of one of her friends had just bought it.

We've subsequently been back a couple of times, becos we were so impressed with the food, and thought Lena's dad and Aunt were just delightful people. Mr Patel showed Rick the kitchen - which brought back memories, becos we remember that restaurant being "Altons' when we first came to town, which along with La Salle and Olivers, were the other good restaurants, back in the mid 80's.

There weren't many ethnic restaurants around back then!

Its been thru a number of different guises since the mid 80s,  and we hadn't been back in years. But we will now certainly be going back more often now, becos the food has a depth of flavour that is simply delicious.

And I like delicious!

It has been a busy few days!  Mondays, technically, are our day off, becos the restaurant is closed.

Rick and  I normally head over to the Mount, do our exercise thing, have breakfast at Slowfish, watch the world go by, and then head for home, having first popped into Mag Addiction, to pick up my weekly fix of magazines.

Today however things evolved differently, becos he had to be around to let the electricians into the restaurant to start the wiring for this glorious new coolstore, plus the coolstore guys arrived to put on the door, and then Jewell Refridgeration arrived to get the motor installed. So with all that coming and going, he was obligated to stick around.

We both needed to also sit down with Rachel Lochhead from Dove Digital who is doing all our graphic design work for the new product, and the styling for the food shots we're going to be taking tomorrow for the new shop on the website. Lots of shots to get our heads around, and we had to go thru them all one by one, so Rachel could get a handle on what was involved.
 
She and I then headed into Nest in Devonport Rd, where Kelly very generously gave us carte blanche to wander around the shop picking up platters and other acoutrements that Rachel felt could act as props in the photos. Bags and bags of stuff got carted out to the car - and I will have to be very disciplined to ensure that all of it goes back to the shop after the shoot, becos some of those pieces I could quite happily buy and keep for myself. But that is not the intended purpose of the exercise.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day...

Yesterday was a big day too, since we decided to drive up to the Clevedon market, becos there were a couple of potential suppliers that I was keen to have a chat too, and it seemed like a good excuse to get out of town and have a change of scenery. That is a hugely popular market, and I was fascinated by the types who were there, and what it looked like they were buying. We sat on a hay bale for awhile waiting for Hannah and a friend to arrive, watching people as you do. Amazing numbers around, socialising, shopping eating and chatting. The concept of the local market that we were so enamoured of in France transposed to a New Zealand setting without a hint of cultural cringe. Seriously cool to see.

The gorgeously effervescent Sylvia Sandford was in full flight selling lime products. We'd taken the wrong turn heading to Clevedon while driving thru Miranda, and I'd said to Rick as I spyed a cute little white house up on a hill, that I had a feeling that was Sylvia's, so perhaps shouldn't have been so surprised when she called out to me from her stall.

Many, many years ago I went to Interior Design classes that Sylvia took up at Suzanne Callanders wonderful house in the Minden - a time in my life when I seriously needed a shot of colour and enthusiasm, both of which those 2 ladies supplied in bucketloads. They were, and are amazing.!

Sylvia continues to be a wonderfully generous, vibrant person - her lime curd and lime cordial are gorgeous - and she is passionately enthusiatic about the market, just as I would expect her to be. She never embraces anything less than 150% that lady!

She introduced us to Helen Dorrestyn who was the energy behind starting the market, and who with her husband Richard have  built up a commercial herd of buffalo to milk for mozzaralla, ricotta and yoghurt. We'd got some of the product down a month or so ago, and I had totally fallen in love with the yoghurt especially - simply the best I'd ever eaten. And the mozzaralla reminded us exactly of what we'd eaten in Italy - a cheese that needs to be eaten within days of being made. We were hugely impressed, and had sort of mentally filed it away, intending 'one day' to do something with it.

Helen was adamant that we should go out to the farm to have a look there and then, and even though I demurred initially, suspecting my husband would be wanting to head for home, so as to fit in a run, we somehow ended up making an unscheduled trip, thru the beautiful Clevedon countryside to one of the farms where they have the buffalo.

It is completely incongruous to drive along and suddenly realise the animals in a paddock are not cows or sheep, but instead a totally different creature. Slightly exotic but quite gorgeous. They had babies, with the biggest black eyes you ever saw - a couple of Italian bulls that rather fancied themselves, and fields of these statuesque creatures, who watched us inquisitively from a distance.

Without a trace of rancour, Richard talked about the arduous process of building the herd, the time its taken and the pitfalls along the way, dealing with the bureaucracy, and learning about making the cheeses. Its been an extraordinary labour of love for them both, and the product they have ended up with shows the committment to quality that they have been so focused on.

I'm not sure what I was expecting,but I got a whole heap more, and as we headed back to Tauranga, we convinced each other that we really had no choice now, but to support them in the best way possible, which would be financially. Supportive words are all very well and good, but at the end of the day, we would like to think that we can help spread the word in a more practical manner also. So expect to see menu changes in the very near future that will incorporate buffalo milk in some way...

It'll be our pleasure.

 And I know that Catharine at The Village Pantry In Te Puna is stocking the buffalo cheeses in smaller quantities if people want to try them at home.

We also think we found a supplier of fresh figs, and free range chickens at the Clevedon Market, but more on that later, when we've cooked the chicken and seen what we think.

All exciting!

We've just got home from spending a very mellow couple of hours at No. One The Strand, somewhere we've been meaning to go for ages, and on a whim this morning, Rick decided to ring good friends and suggest a catch up.

What a delight!  One of the few buildings in Tauranga that can justify the label ' historic '- Claire and Brian have done a simply stunning job of converting it into a cosy, warm, bar/restaurant downstairs, with magnificent office facilities for their Sun Media empire, upstairs and out the back.

Darryl Switilla the chef is someone we've known ever since we've been in Tauranga, and was great to catch up with him now he's back in town. The meals are served tapas style - ie small plates, that you choose a selection of, and which in typical Darryl fashion, take their inspiration from a wide range of cultural references.

The wine and beer selection is cleverly presented - everything is quirky and original, in the very best sense of the word.

And Ricks day was made by the band that was playing, Bob Dylonish and Eric Clapton style covers. My husbands idea of heaven!

They're open for dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday nites, and then from lunchtime thru to about 5.30pmish on a Sunday, for a very laidback, relaxing way to while away a Sunday afternoon.

Amidst so much doom and gloom, it is truly inspiring to see people that are actively growing their business, and looking forward, rather than just treading water. Along with everything else they've created there, they've got enlarged office facilities for their online news filter, which reports news as its happening - a service that I didn't realise was now available, but will be checking out regularly from now on.

All very cool!

A customer of ours who I'm very fond of, Catharine Campbell-Smith has just bought "The Village Pantry'(5525061) shop out at The Village on the corner of Clarkes Rd and SH2.Its a tiny little jewel box of a shop, which she's stuffed full of all sorts of food goodies. The type of gourmet preserves that its so nice to have in your pantry,  to add that extra dollop of panache, when you feel you need it.

Pickles, chutneys, wonderful looking lavash bread from Waiheke Island, roasted cherry chutney amongst others from Provisions in Central Otago  - a veritable treasure trove of yummy things!

She's also stocked up large on cheeses - featuring award winning NZ cheeses in particular, like "Over the Moon Dairy' which has just won the paramount medal at the latest cheese awards. And shes aiming to stock Clevedon Buffalo mozarello and yoghurt, which having tasted the yoghurt that they had sent me down a sample of, I would suggest you just have to try. The yoghurt is thick and unctous and tangy - simply the best yoghurt I've ever had. I like my yoghurts in the Greek style, I have to admit, tart rather than sweet. And the mozzarella was the closest to what we ate in Italy a few years ago. It has a very short shelf life mozarella- a bit like fresh milk, and I've never enjoyed the cheeses imported from Italy as much as I did when we ate it ( in vast quantities) over there. But this was beautiful. I can feel a trip to go and look at these Buffalo's coming on!

Catharines deliberately pitched the shop as something a bit different and special, and its primarily full of New Zealand made product which underscores how much more is been made to a fantastically high standard in this country these days.
A wonderful place for special treats!And we all need the occasional special treat in our lifes, I figure...

We rolled out of bed yesterday and headed over to the Mount without paying much attention to the weather. Driving over the harbour bridge we commented on the ominous looking clouds rolling in, and by the time we got to Pilot Bay ( Rick always insists on driving that way round to Marine Parade, which drives the rest of us insane, but there you go...) raindrops were falling on the windowscreen, and the consensus between the 3 of us that we'd do breakfast and forego the exercise part, becos we weren't attired appropriately.

But that idea got thwarted when we headed into our normal cafe ' Slowfish' to discover all the internal tables taken, and we hadn't garbed up enough to sit outside. Rather than stand around waiting for someone to leave - never comfortable applying that kind of pyschological pressure - we beat a retreat. I thought we were coming home to make our own hollandaise sauce, but Rick decided to drive past Babette which is away from the main drag of cafes, and we went in there instead, and had a lovely breakfast.

As at Slowfish, its a pleasure to eat at a place that prides itself on making its own food. Slowfish has the services of Dean, who we think is the best baker in town, and the slices and things at Babette didn't look too dusty either.

Its all too common now for the franchise cafes to buy in alot of their food from centralised production kitchens, and that makes for a sameness that can become very monotonous. It may work for the likes of MacDonalds, but I know I prefer to  go to places that show individual flair, and Babette had that in bucket loads. We noted its open for dinners also, so somewhere we'll have to try soon.

I

We are having an exceptionally quiet nite at the restaurant, which for a Friday is somewhat unusual for us and I can't say I  enjoy being this quiet very much. Even though we're in the midst of busy times - I still struggle to look on a quiet nite as a welcome respite, which is possibly how I should approach it. I need to do the same numbers as we did on the same nite last year, or preferably better, for me to feel loved! And tonite the comparisons in numbers are not creating too much reassurance.But you get that sometimes... The positive aspect of the kitchen not being busy is that they have got a lot of the prep done for tomorrow, for both the outcatering and the private luncheon we have on here, so Rick is feeling supremely organised. He spent part of the afternoon after the cookschool loading up the truck with the glasses and plates and other paraphenalia that we need for the catering job tomorrow -that was before he headed out on his bike, toute seule, becos his daughters had gone out without him in the morning.
 I've retreated to the couch in the bar to delve into 'Hungry for Paris - The Ultimate Guide to the Citys 102 Best Restaurants" by Alexander Lobrano, a book that has taken me most of the year to read.  ( I sincerely wish we had had a copy of this on hand when we spent 5 nites eating out in Paris a few years ago, and ended up having a couple of very average experiences, which made us feel very cheated, given the brevity of our time in that wonderful city, and our overarching expectations of how fabulous each and every food experience was going to be.) I keep it over here in the restaurant, and nestle down periodically to read the reviews of the restaurants, absorbing the author's lyical writing style and passion for food and eating out. A beautiful book that I always put down with a smile on my face - even on a quiet nite like tonite. It has restored my sense of equilibrium somewhat, and got me to thinking about a meal Rick, Hannah and I had in Auckland a couple of weeks ago, at Sails.

The Littlejohns who own the restaurant, and have done so for over 20 years, owned Orsinis in Wellington, one of the great Wellington restaurants from the same era as The Coachman and Bacchus. Rick and I worked ( and met at The Coachman ) and often heard the Brittens talking about the Littlejohns, so we kind of felt we knew them by default, but this was the first time we'd ventured to Sails.
The restaurant is by the Marina in Auckland, miles out on its own, and on the Monday nite that we went was extremely busy, much to our fascination. We were equally fascinated by the whole aura in the restaurant. In many ways it was a huge trip down memory lane. Old fashioned in the very best sense of that word. Classic and faultless- seamless service and food. Almost totally male front staff - who worked rigidly to sections and between food and wine service. Demarcations I was familiar with from The Coachman, and which have everything to do with tip allocation I suspect. I recognised one of the waiters as someone I worked with at Bonapartes in Auckland, almost 30 years ago. A scary thought! He, and his contempories have worked as waiters all their lives, a fact reflected in the competency of the service, and the general air of polish. It really was rather special. The food wasn't trying to be unduly clever or attention seeking, but it was lovely and satisfying, and sitting in an immaculate restaurant and being looked after by staff at the top of their game, consumnate professionals in fact, reminded me of just how good it can get. We'd had a very average lunch experience at another Auckland restaurant, with prices on a par to Sails - but you just couldn't compare the two in terms of class and value.
 I have only even eaten in a 1 Michelin Star restaurant in France, that's as high up the scale as we've so far been able to afford to go - future trips to France will allow us to work our way up further - but the level of care at Sails reminded me very much of that experience. It was special, and interestingly, far from the most expensive eating out experience we've had in NZ.
We now only have one table left in the restaurant, so we will start discreetly moving the other tables to set up for the lunch tomorrow. I need to fit 5 eights into the backroom - somewhere and somehow! Hmmm...

Robin Feron is someone we have known since our earliest days in Tauranga. It was Robins vision that saw a number of new eateries open up in this town, and we were always impressed with how he managed to touch the prevailing zeitgast in just the right way, by providing the town with a new and different eating out option. Eastcoasters was his first venture I think, and he went on to opening Harbourside ( with me expressing concern thats its proximity to the railway track would mean it wouldn't work! I've learnt not to pontificate on such subjects anymore..), and the Med. Plus others. For the last few years he kind of disappeared of the radar as he managed the food at a local club, so we were intrigued to see his name associated with the new restaurant and bar thats opened up over at the Mount - Kina Bar and Cafe, round the road from Astrolabe in the old Bardellis site.

Rick and I had had a huge cookschool on Sunday, and were relieved to have staff cover for the night, meaning that we didn't have to front and work. There were a couple of movies I was keen to see, but we missed the starting times for them, and instead drove over to the Mount with a view to having a drink, and a mooch and a wind down. Ended up at Robins, and got taken on a conducted tour of the new facilities, and stayed on to have a pizza and glass of wine, as you do. Great pizzas - skinny dough, and lots of semolina flour on the base which for some reason especially appeals to me. Guessed that Roger Farrell from Bay Wine Distributors was doing the wine list - cos a good range of interesting wines, with a number available by the glass. Find that a very civilised notion, to be able to have a glass of a good wine, with a pizza, when you're just in the mood for quick and easy, and to walk away spending $60.00 or so for 2. Great value, and I am sure the concept  is going to appeal.

Then today we wandered down to Palmers on the corner with our daughters who are both on study leave, to have lunch. Hadn't been in the new shop yet, but had met the operator at a Restaurant Assn meeting, and admired the passion  that she aticulated for what she was doing. We went not at all sure what to expect, and came away impressed. Coffees good ( a crucial necessity these days becos everyones so coffee aware), but they're also trying to do something a little different with the food, and I like that its made on site and is therefore individual, and different from the run of the mill. Curious also that the site, which I had once again pontificated about ( becos of its proximity to the busy road), did in fact work really well. The cafe is tucked around the side, looks down almost on the end of our property, and is much quieter than I expected. The moral of the story being, yet once again, you shouldn't judge till you try!