Amy’s Secret Kitchen

On Saturday morning Simon and I headed along to check out ‘Amy’s Secret Kitchen’, a cakery that has recently opened in Ponsonby.  We reckon word about this place is going to spread quickly; something as good as this can’t stay a ‘secret’ for long.

Located on Brown Street, the store is a short walk from Ponsonby Road.  So, it’s close to all the shopping action but makes for a nice quiet break from the hustle and bustle, and you’ll be able to find a car park nearby!

The cakery is run by Amy (surprise!) and her sister, Charlotte, who are super friendly and inviting.  They sell deliciously moist cupcakes, biscuits, slices and other moreish sweet treats.  There’s also a range of iced teas on offer and they make milkshakes.  Yum!  We tried a range of their cupcakes, all of which were beautiful, but I definitely recommend you try one of the Caramel ones; the caramel filling in the centre won me over to become my fave.

Around the shop are some awesome gift ideas.  They stock a range of 100% soy organic skull candles, kids apron sets, chefs hats and take home baking premixes in big jars.  And, mans best friend need not miss out on the excitement either, also on offer are some pretty impressive looking doggy treats.  What dog could resist some special biscuits or a gorgeous little pupcake?  Cute huh?

Amy’s Secret Kitchen also do catering and take orders.  So, make sure you go check them out in their new store.  And, while you are waiting for a moment when you can pop along, you can find them on facebook, instagram, pinterest, or have a nosey around their website.

Amy’s Secret Kitchen
3a / 49 Brown Street, Ponsonby, Auckland
Ph: 09 360 0018
E: charlotte@amyssecretkitchen.com
www.amyssecretkitchen.com

Bread & Butter Bakery and Cafe

I was scrolling through instagram the other weekend and spotted a friend of Mel and mine had been at Bread & Butter in Grey Lynn. The food looked delicious and the place looked funky so I had to check it out! I was not disappointed, we were lucky enough to get a seat in ‘the plate room’ (I am so in love with the wallpaper it is verging on obsession, Shane isn’t convinced but I am certain it would make a fab feature wall in our kitchen area), the food was fantastic, there were five of us so we got a selection of brunch and lunch and Max (2) was catered for on the kids menu and entertained by the selection of kids books and colouring activities offered to patrons with kids.

Bread & Butter specialise traditional European and naturally leavened sourdough breads. All breads are made from certified organic ingredients – as you can see in the wall art that is right outside the door of the bakery. At Bread & Butter shops you will find a selection of traditional German sourdoughs, French crusty baguettes, wheat free sourdoughs, and seeded loaves. The selection is huge and the quality is top notch.

Their breads are baked directly on stone tiles, which gives them a robust and tasty crust that seals in flavour and keeps them fresh for longer. The cakes and pastries are displayed beautifully in the cabinets and made according to traditional recipes that place utmost importance on taste and original style. Bread & Butter don’t use any premixes, additives or off-the-shelf-filling and they strive to use as much local New Zealand produce as is feasible. Practically all the cabinet items are made on site - this is one cool cafe!

If you are in Auckland I would definitely check them out in person or on Faecbook:
Bread & Butter Bakery and Cafe
34 Westmoreland St. West
Grey Lynn
Ph. (09) 378 9111
Website: http://www.breadandbutterbakery.co.nz

City Works Depot

Yesterday for lunch Simon and I headed into town to try out some of the offerings at Auckland’s newest hot spot, the City Works Depot. 

It was a grey rainy day (so the photos on this post aren’t the best – that, and I was using my phone) but that didn’t put people off coming here; when we turned up people were queuing outside the Food Truck Garage waiting for it to open its doors. 

The City Works Depot is located on the corner of Wellesley and Nelson Streets in Auckland city.  Here you will find Best Ugly Bagels by Al Brown, the Food Truck Garage by Michael Van De Elzen, and a motorbike shop and cafe called Shed Five.  The vicinity is also home to Dry & Tea, a gorgeous salon that also serves a large range of delicious teas, and Brothers Brewery, who have set up their brewery, retail store and tasting lounge here.  The place looks set for further development and I am excited to see what else will join the already awesome places on offer. 

Simon and I grabbed a tasty bagel and coffee to share from Best Ugly Bagels.  Their bagels are delicious; we had their ‘Yodi’ bagel which was a sesame bagel toasted and topped with pastrami, swiss cheese and pickle.  Best Ugly pairs their bagels up with other artisan products to create something really special.  It was great to see the bagels being made fresh, right in front of you.  Also, once you’ve tried one and become addicted you can also buy packs of bagels to takeaway. 

After our bagel we headed over to the Food Truck Garage where we tried out a pork and apple dog and a chicken and leek dog.  Both were really tasty but I think we need to head back and try out a burger; they looked amazing coming out of the kitchen!  Despite the large numbers of people they had to cater for, the food was quick and the service was friendly.  I loved the enamel plates the food was served on and the big pictures of their food hanging on the walls – it made me want to select my fave pictures off the blog and do something similar at home, but we don’t really have the kitchen for it.  Anyways, if you are looking for a quick bite to eat I recommend you head along to the City Works Depot and check it out!

City Works Depot
Corner of Wellesley and Nelson Street
Auckland City

Clevedon Farmers Market

Last Sunday Mel and I caught up and headed to Clevedon Farmers Market with little Max for a look around. It was a beautiful morning, there was lots of beautiful fresh local produce available for purchase as well as lots of sweet treats to snack on while you wandered around.

One thing Mel and I noticed was how spacious the market was, there was lots of room to sit down and eat on little cafe table and chair sets dotted over the lawn along with hay bales to sit on while you enjoy the live music and for families – plenty of room for the kids to run around. The kids can also go for a horse ride or check out the stables. Clevedon market is fur baby friendly too, there were lots of dogs on leads.

If you want to check the market out for yourself you can check it out every Sunday 8.30am-12pm at the Clevedon Showgrounds, 107 Monument Road, Clevedon.