The Recollection Diaries: Belgium

As we left Amsterdam on a bus bound for Belgium, the reality that was going to be our next few months started to set in. Travelling for months on end sure sounds like a holiday, but it actually still involves quite a lot of work!  As the ‘organised one’ I was constantly researching each of…

Extra Brussels with a side of Ghent

Having been to Brussels before, I was a self designated advocate for keeping our time here to a minimum – I don’t mind Brussels, but it’s no surprise there are better cities in Europe. We decided on three nights / two days, with an ambitious suggestion by me to also include a day trip. Therefore,…

Beer, waffles, chocolate & fries… must be Belgium!

Brussels Bright eyed and bushy tailed, we were very excited to touch down at Brussels Charleroi airport as it symbolised the beginning of our month long European road trip in April, 2014. Once Ryan Air had kindly informed us that we were amongst the 99% of their flights which land on time we disembarked the…

Review: Pronto Burgers

Pronto Burgers and Cafe (Shop 7/1 Marine Parade, Tower 2) Every town needs a local burger joint, and the one at the Mount exceeds all expectations. It is in a prime location, it’s cheap and it’s delicious. Regularly featuring on TripAdvisor’s best “cheap eats’ it was somewhere that I knew I needed to get to,…

The Old Quarter

The Old Quarter (39 Dixon Street) As a massive lover of Mr Go’s and Chow, I was always destined to be a fan of The Old Quarter. Named after the Old Quarter in Hanoi, the menu is exciting, innovative and certainly ‘modern’ Vietnamese. The chef has come from 16 years at Chow, so you can…

Wellington on a Plate 2017

Wellington on a Plate 2017: boy that sure rolled around fast. This year, my focus was more on burgers than the events, although I did make a trip to Jano to experience their Dine Menu (as the Festival Dish winners last year, it felt rude not to!). Below is a brief summary of the eight…

Oikos

Oikos (382 Broadway, Miramar) A new found spot out in Miramar, Oikos virtually couldn’t be any closer to the airport. It’s tucked away in a building that I wouldn’t have given a second glance to had I not already made a reservation there based on others’ recommendations. Owned by the same people who own The…

The Fork & Tap

The Fork and Tap (51 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown) A cosy little pub in the corner of Arrowtown, how could you go wrong? Everywhere needs somewhere warm to go after a day on the slopes and The Fork and Tap has a pretty good name for itself. Live music each Wednesday night, a massive blackboard with…

The Barrio Brothers

The Barrio Brothers (100 Maunganui Road) A festive wee spot in the heart of Mt Maunganui, The Barrio Brothers serves up some delicious food and clearly has a good time doing it. The staff are all super friendly; they all seem to love working there! There is also so many of them working at any given…

Abbey Cellars Winery

Abbey Cellars Winery (1769 Maraekakaho Road) There is a lot of sentimental value attached to Abbey Cellars for me. My childhood home (that my family built) has the address of 1769 Maraekakaho Road, but rather than the winery it is now it used to be a horse breeding farm, known as Crianza. Over the years,…