Dining in the golden age

He'll never get past them crawling, especially crawling down stairs. He has a faint recollection that he tried crawling down some stairs in the recent past, but remembers only that it was definitely a mistake.
- Z Is For... from Rite by Tad Williams

A new vegan restaurant, Golden Age, opened in Auckland a few weeks ago which is a pretty big deal because it's actually the first purely vegan restaurant to open in New Zealand. Naturally as soon as I heard about it (thanks Auckland Vegan for the heads up) I had to go check it out and my friend E decided to join me. We ordered heaps 'cause, well, it was all terribly exciting (for me anyway). I've never been to a restaurant or cafe where I can have absolutely anything on offer.

First up E picked the Sichuan Hot and Sour Soup.


I actually only had a spoonful of this 'cause I'm not a big fan of this kind of soup but I can vouch for the fact it was hot...in more ways than one! But E seemed to enjoy it and was determined to polish off the whole bowl (which was bigger than it first appeared).

Next we had two main courses between us with rice (not pictured 'cause you all know what a plate of rice looks like!). E picked the Combination Tofu.


Your standard fare...but good all the same especially the veges for some reason, maybe because they weren't overcooked and still had a little bit of crunch to them.

I um-ed and ah-ed for ages but eventually picked the Lemon Veggie Chicken.


This was SO delicious...I was quite taken by surprise really. How do you describe it? Hmmm...so good that it HAD to be bad for you! No idea if it tasted anything like chicken but I do know I will order it again.

Of course dessert was a requirement so we got an almond cookie (I'm just guessing the flavour here but that's what it tasted like).


Crunchy and not too sweet. Very delicious.

Lastly we had to get a Red Bean Pancake to share...naturally.


I adored this which wasn't really surprising as ever since I had my first one a couple of months back I've fallen in love although it could have done with a little bit more red bean mixture inside. Now I've just got to work out how to make them myself!

Crunch crunch?

'The images jump out of the creative space into the created space. The figures are shaken out of the magician's sleeve and appear out of thin air bursting with life. The fantasies are beautiful in appearance, but all except one have lost their minds. Only a lonesome Joker sees through the delusion.'
- The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

I'd never had a protein bar before but I saw these at the health food store and thought I'd try some since none of the usual ones I get in race packs and that I've seen people have are vegan.

Peanut Butter Crunch

I don't know what I expected it to be like but it tasted very strongly of peanut butter...kind of like eating it straight out of the jar mixed with sugar. It also felt like it was sticking to the roof of my mouth which wasn't that pleasant (yes, I was drinking plenty of water too). I think I'd rather just eat the peanut butter (natural peanut butter though 'cause this tastes a bit more processed). I will admit that it took the shakiness out of my legs after the race but hey, I suspect anything would have considering I hadn't eaten for about 4 hours and I'd just run solid for 3. Perhaps I should have had some out there on the course to see what it was like but my stomach is not big on eating whilst racing.

Chocolate Brownie

This flavour was much better for me. This time I tried it before heading out for a run after work. It wasn't too sweet and had a bit of crunch to it and more than held me over till I got around to making dinner (actually, I wasn't hungry at all when I got back which was good as I didn't end up eating until about 8:30pm). I wonder if it feels left out being the only one without Crunch in its name...?!

Berry Almond Crunch

Again I had this bar before heading out for a run after work that evening. I didn't have high expectations of it but it turned out to be pretty good...at least for the first half until it got a bit sweet. The berry taste wasn't too sickly and the almonds gave it a nice crunch and subtle nutty taste. It definitely held me over until dinner which was pretty late and it didn't sit in my stomach the way some bars do while I run but I still preferred the Chocolate Brownie flavour.

Almond Crunch

Maybe it was because I didn't drink enough water but I found this bar a little hard to stomach. It was quite sticky like the peanut butter flavour and had a fairly strong taste of almond essence. Now I love almonds and I adore almond butter but I'm not a fan of almond essence so I was kind of disappointed. I tried this bar midway through biking out at the Woodhill Bike Park and it held me over till I got home again but I was starving not long after walking in the door.


It was so gorgeous out at the bike park I had to include this picture...loving spring!

Crumbly birds of brightness

It was the most commonplace question in the world. It was the question which, sooner or later, every child in the kingdom asks his governess or his schoolmaster or his parent. Yet the learned members of the York society did not at all like hearing it asked and the reason was this: they were no more able to answer it than any one else.
- Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I've posted about The Blue Bird several times before but it always deserves more mention as it is probably our flat's favourite place to eat out.When you walk in there is a cabinet filled with food (all helpfully labelled). It's always a surprise to see what they have (my flatmates and I have our favourite items that we're always on the lookout for and will bring back for each other if we see them).


This is a Potato and Pea Rissole with chutney and salad. Pretty simple but real good.

I think this is a Pumpkin and Red Lentil Pie topped with strips of raw carrot and beetroot.


Whatever it was, it tasted damn good. I really like their pastry. We actually have a couple of Sri Chinmoy recipe books sitting around at the flat and I keep meaning to pull them out and cook up a storm but I've been a bit lazy. I ought to change this!

You can also order off their bowl menu...pick a size (small, medium, large...anything over a small is actually pretty large) a topping and then pick a base from brown rice, baked or mashed potato or baked kumara. It's served with a slice of grain bread and olivani (you have to ask for it instead of butter) on the side.


This is their African Beans on kumara. It would be better with a few veges but it's pretty good (and an awesome protein powerhouse).

They've recently started serving what they call superfood smoothies.


This is the Maca Cacao smoothie in all its chocolaty goodness. Can't remember what was in it but it was delicious and super filling.

Sometimes I get takeaways. This may just look like a container of mixed vegetables but let me tell you, this is their Roast Vegetable Tart and it is divine. I tried to take it out of the container and plate it to make it look prettier but the base was falling apart.


The base (which you can't see) tastes oaty and crumbly (and is apparently gluten-free for those of you needing that sort of thing) and then is topped with, actually, I don't know but it was brown and yummy. Then it's loaded up with roast veges like carrots, pumpkin, capsicum and zucchini...very delicious. Plus their chutney they serve with it is fabulous. Don't know what kind it is but I want some...now!

And one can't go to The Blue Bird without partaking in some crumble with soy ice cream.


Seriously, this crumble can completely brighten my day...like I said yesterday, it's the simple things ☺

The delight of food in cardboard cartons

You see, it's so frightfully difficult when you've nobody. You're so at the mercy of things. You can't just be rude. And you've always this horror of seeming inexperienced and stuffy like the other ninnies at the Bay. And - and it's fascinating to know you've power over people. yes, that is fascinating...
- The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield

I normally bring lunch to work (usually leftovers...my favourite) but sometimes I've forgotten or there isn't anything to take so then I have to head further afield to find food. There aren't a great deal of good lunch options near my work unless I feel like trekking down to the foodcourt (which normally, embarrassingly enough, I normally feel too lazy).

Probably my favourite place to go is Renkon. I pretty much always order the same thing...


Teriyaki Tofu on rice (you can't see the rice 'cause it's hidden under so much goodness). So good.

If you get it takeaway you get it in one of those really cool cardboard cartons.


It's the little things that make your day!

'Can't be arsed' evenings

"You run the risk of a few tears when you allow yourself to be tamed..."
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

You know those nights...you get home from work feeling super tired and super lazy and all you really want to do is curl up in bed or in front of the television and have dinner materialise in front of you. I'm sorry, but that ain't gonna happen so you'll have to go into the kitchen and whip something up pronto.

This is one of those meals:


Fry's Vegetarian Chicken-Style Nuggets (I love our convection oven - cooks things like this in no time at all) with cheap and nasty sweet and sour sauce (okay, so it's not nasty but it's, well, bright, toxic orange so it's kind of freaky), steamed veges drizzled with tahini and salad.

A day in the life of your average Monday

There was nothing I could do. There were no precautions I could take. There was no place I could hide. There was no one who could help me.
- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

It's probably just me but I thought you might be interested in what a "normal" weekday looks like for me. Every day is quite different but you get the general idea...

So the alarm on my phone goes off at 5:10am...welcome to Monday morning. I drag on my gym gear...laid out on the chair the night before so I don't have to use my brain. I try and drink as much water as I can manage and eat one of these...


Off to the gym! There is a queue of us completely insane people waiting outside for opening time at 5:45am. We file in, dump our gear in the lockers and head upstairs and across the bridge over the pool into the gym where I head to the peleton room and claim a bike (this is why I'm here so early...bikes go pretty fast especially as the weather improves...don't know why that is!). Spin class starts at 6:05am and is a 45 minute torture session taken by my friend L. After class I head over to the floor to finish up with some core exercises and stretches.

Time to hit the showers. I only wash my hair once a week (okay, so I rinse it if it gets too icky from sport but that's it) and Monday is the day...the gym showers are great and I don't feel quite so bad about taking too long. Because I have a really sensitive scalp I use this shampoo and this conditioner. These don't make my hair as soft and silky as other products I've tried but they don't make my scalp feel like it's erupting which is rather more important!

It's then off to work where I'll have breakfast at my desk. Yesterday it was a spelt muffin and fruit but sometimes I'll have toast with almond butter and jam. If I'm at home for breakfast it's normally weetbix, fruit and rice milk.


Did I really just take a photo of fruit? Not very exciting...well, as a photo anyway!


Work comes and goes but no doubt I'll spend a bit too much time having email conversations with a couple of my friends as I count down till lunchtime!

Lunchtime has been leftovers lately which is awesome. When I'm cooking dinner I'll often try to make extra 'cause I don't want to have to buy lunch (for a start there aren't that many options near my office).


Yesterday was leftover Pumpkin and Kumara Soup from the freezer mixed with leftover veges and tofu from another night - a double-whammy of leftovers!

Often Monday nights are quiet but last night I was climbing with my brother and his friend at Extreme Edge. We usually climb together about once a week but the night is always different to fit in with everyone's schedules. We are looking at doing a lead climbing course soon which is pretty much freaking me out.




My brother really wanted his arse to feature on this blog so here it is, just for you darling bro!
Anyway, before climbing I will normally snack on a muesli bar of some sort. Last night it was a Cool Mint Chocolate Clif Bar, my favourite.


I just noticed that there is a picture of a climber on the clif bar packet...how appropriate!
By the time I get home I'll no doubt be exhausted as I always fail in my resolution to go to bed early on a Sunday night so very little sleep will have been had! I'll also undoubtably be hungry (if we haven't gone to get Hell Pizza after climbing). Last night I was too lazy to do anything so I had nut butter and jam on toast! Terrible I know but it was after 9pm when I got home and sometimes you just can't be bothered.


This is actually a photo of a previous breakfast but I forgot to take a photo of my dinner...but they looked exactly the same! I also discovered I had a bliss ball in the fridge from The Blue Bird so I snacked on that too. Yummy!


I'll then pack my bags and organise my gear and in the fridge I'll put all my breakfast and lunch food for the next day in a bag ready for me to grab as I race out the door. Then I can finally drop into bed (always aiming for 10pm but not always succeeding!) and look forward to doing it all again in the morning!

Hmmmm, this seems to make my life seem somewhat boring but actually it's pretty cool (well, I think so anyway) and hopelessly busy (Google Calendar saves my life). I often wonder how I'm going to make it to the end of the week without dropping from exhaustion but I always do and am always ready and waiting for the week to start again come Sunday night!

Turning up the heat

The sun sank lower, an orange ball partially masked by the evening haze, moisture coming in from the water. Low clouds presented black faces, with silver, golden, pink, and orange highlights, and the sky was streaked with reds and golds.
- The King's Buccaneer by Raymond E. Feist

My freezer supplies were getting a bit low so a bit of baking was required. One of my favourite things about baking is the way the smells fill up the whole house...always makes me smile. Anyway, first up was a loaf of country-grain bread from a bread mix. I put it in the breadmaker to knead, took it out and let rise in the loaf tin (in the gorgeous spring sunshine) and then baked it in the oven.


Once the loaf cooled I sliced it up and put it in the freezer for breakfasts and lunches later on.

I'd made the berry spelt muffins several times so I thought I'd mix things up a little and whipped up a batch of texas-sized Zucchini Spelt Muffins from Vegan Brunch (I love the taste and texture spelt flour gives to baking). I added chopped dates and walnuts for some extra oomph!


These are really delicious...really moist and lightly spiced. Perfect. It's actually the first time I've ever baked something with grated zucchini but it most certainly won't be the last.

My flatmate has been stuck in the house looking after the puppy day after day for the last couple of weeks and was feeling a little down so I whipped up a batch of Peanut-Ginger-Sesame cookies from Veganomicon for her (I made them gluten-free with the Healtheries Simple Baking Mix as she isn't supposed to have gluten and without crystalised ginger as she's not a fan so instead I upped the amount of ground ginger to a teaspoon).


We had a few girl friends round that night and demolished quite a few (as well as a fair amount of dark chocolate naturally)...they are SO good!