YELLOW PLACE FRENCH CAFE

They came, they stayed, they shared smiles with many, and now Yellow Place French Cafe has left the building.

Tucked in away at Piccadilly Arcade,  Frédéric and Anna managed to indulge us in a whole lot of brightness with ridiculously charming accents and brightly coloured macaron's.

They put their individual stamp on the culinary market by providing a whimsical atmosphere, one where you felt cosy stopping in for an early brunch, or taking your 92 yr old great grandmother to, or even where you could sit there alone people watching as the locals high tail it to work in a frenzied fashion and strangely feel content.

One such experience was having a lazy lunch when one of the male staff dropped something on the ground. Everyone in the room watched curiously to the response of a high jive jump that would put most cheerleaders to shame, and a skip back to the kitchen. Amusing and fun moments like these, were welcomed and never rare.

The food had it's Eiffel tower points , and some 'senior moments', but overall the cheerfulness of the staff and the cafe will be one very tough act to beat.

Au Revoir Yellow Place French Cafe, you will be missed.

TAURANGA FARMERS MARKET

 Rain, hail or shine, you can be assured that the team down at the Tauranga Farmers Market will be there to greet you on Saturday's from 7.45am onwards with wide smiles, brightly assorted lillies, in season produce, fresh bread, warmed baked goods, live music, and much, much more.

NZ farmers markets

Held at Tauranga Primary School, this market is also the proud winner of the market manager of the year in this years Taste Farmers Market Awards NZ and also runner up for the Favourite Farmers Market in New Zealand as voted by the customers - and it's not hard to see why.

One of my favourites at the moment is Heavenly Pies. 
These guys have mouth watering, generous size artisan pies that are a must have this winter. 
Not only are they a great price, but the team experiment with new flavours regularly, and they are quickly spreading out further to more markets around the island. 
With their tremendous popularity I really suggest you head straight to them first so you don't miss out. 
I'm predicting big things for these guys, so keep your ears open.

All 3 photos from here

Another absolute must at the Tauranga Markets is Blackadamia. Using macadamia's, the crew here create little pieces of heaven that will have you melting in puddles outside.
At every visit without fail I grab several bags of their fudge to share with the family. For $4, you get a healthy portion - only enough to last me to the following Saturday!
But be warned - The fudge's side effects include "obsessive buying", "compulsive drooling", and "non-stop babble" about how goood it is.
  

Photos from here

BAKER'S DELIGHT, GATE PA, TAURANGA

Baker's Delight could most well be Australia's most well known bakery and with 700 stores between there and here in New Zealand, they're hard to miss.

Unknown.

A lot of bakerys for some stupid, stupid reason, close on Sunday's. In my opinion the most obvious day for customers to need a bakery - lunch at the grandparent's, bribery of an older brother, self indulgence for brekky.....- is Sunday.
I speak 50% out of greed on this, but it was Baker's Delight gain, when I strolled inside for my first looksie, to buy enough goodies to feed a tribe.

First things first, I'm not entirely sure how the two front counter gals do it - the place was busier than a liquidation sale at a boutique! Service did not miss a beat even considering that left, right and centre, there were sticky fingered hands lunging towards the glass cabinets to demonstrate to the cashier's how many calories they want to pile on - bliss!

Grabbing 4x mini pizza's, 4x large choc croissants, a few twinpack pizza bases, all quite cheaply I might add, I then received the bonus of a free loaf of bread thanks to a nifty loyalty card - with the free option of having it sliced.
Props to Baker's Delight for making me feel exhilarated and slightly lazy at the same time.

Photo by [The Food Spy].

Sitting in the sunshine and biting into my chocolate croissant on the deck, I remember to myself why I love food. The chocolate was creamy with a slight crunch and beautiful chocolate layers exploding in my mouth. Note to self: Must compare this with several of the local French Cafe's.

Everything else we got tasted equally delish. A great pick-up lunch in less than 5 minutes. Too hectic to stay for the atmosphere, with only a seat or two - but as far as quick 'bakery fast food' goes - not bad, not too bad at all.

Hours

• Mon-Fri: 6am-5:30pm
• Sat/Sun: 6am-5pm

After doing a bit of a nosey on their website I found they have a virtual bakery. You can literally sit in your jim-jam's and pick breakfast before you pop down to your nearest outlet. Though I do have to say, their icon of the CheesyMite Scroll makes my stomach churn a cycle or three. It even has its own Wikipedia page.
That's some intense dedication, but I'll pass.
For enternity.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Genoese Ground Pesto - 'sauced from nature'

Needing a quick dinner option, I grabbed this Ground Pesto by Genoese, an italian condiment by a kiwi brand and a packet of Granoro Penne Rigate pasta and feeling pretty neat, I headed home.

It made for a 5 minute pasta craving, but I had a feeling this baby could do more. Mixed with pasta, she's passable but it's not her hottest element, so I tried again the following day by whipping her out for lunch.
I grabbed a loaf of plain sourdough bread, sliced a few up, spread with the pesto and a few flakes of parmesan cheese - and 'wallah' Bob's your uncle.
What a little beaut!




Styled by TFS


The texture is well suited for antipasto's, crackers, dips - even panini's - but the possibilities are endless. I found some great recipes via their website: http://www.genoese.co.nz/recipes.htm that are sure to impress.
Along with fresh basil, the extra main gourmet flavours are achieved with garlic, pinenuts & cashews, & more parmesan cheese, and preservative free making it tasty but equally healthy - which is always a triple bonus.



Packaged in two sizes of 200g & 350g, check out your local speciality food stores or supermarkets for this and more products by Genoese.

LO SPUNTINO PIZZERIA, TAURANGA CENTRAL

Walking past Lo Spuntino at midday Saturday located in downtown Tauranga, the menu placed outside is a spiderweb. You step forward, take a cheeky glance, step back to ponder but it's too late - you're stuck. So in you must venture.

Sitting down I hold the menu with my head swarming. Italian's have an uncanny way of describing meals that make you drool before you've eaten. At the last second I order a Vegetariana Pizza with a Santa Vittoria Aranciata drink. NOTE: I'm just repeating these names to sound exotic and lyrical.

Viva italia! - image from musically.com

The pizza arrived, and if anyone was staring, they'd probably see two saucer sized heart shapes centred in each one of my eyes. Being addicted to pizza is a tough, tough job - but some-one's got to do it.
Halfway through I realise it would probably be wise (and polite) to place my napkin on my lap like a normal human being, before proceeding to drinking and slurping merrilly away.

Three's a charm, and that's how many times we were checked on - each time me saying something in muffled gibberish along the lines of 'oh I like this!'. Service was smooth and never missed a beat.

 Aside from a manic wobbly table, the interior has a very classic touch, and straight ahead there is a courtyard which just screams good times. The kitchen is situated opposite the till - great for grabbing a quick whiff of flavours before you drag yourself outside.

Spuntino's courtyard: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spuntino-pizzeria-cafe-Tauranga/111025812298582#!/pages/Spuntino-pizzeria-cafe-Tauranga/111025812298582

Luigi, 'The Godfather' lookalike and also the owner of Volare just around the corner, is potentially the only gentleman who can ride a red vespa 'round town while not looking like an idiot.

vespacrazy.com

Hours

Lunch:

• Mon-Sat: 11.30am - 2.30pm

Dinner:

• Mon: 5 - 9.30pm
• Tues: 5.30 - 9.30pm
• Wed: 5 - 9.30pm
• Thurs: 5 - 10pm
• Fri & Sat: 5 - 10.30pm

Next time I plan to have dessert & coffee, and if a pizza to-go happens to protest it needs me too, then hey, who can argue with that?

LE CHAT NOIR CAFE, GREERTON, TAURANGA

Oh Greerton. You used to be so innocent. With afternoons of rollerblading down to the $2.00 shop to spend our hard earned 'bribery' money, gazing at the pet shop wondering how to hide that fluffy ginger kitten under your school jersey so mum wouldn't notice, and getting the neighbours dad a packet of smokes for his afternoon tea - life was so simple.

Unknown.

Then I moved away and you were obviously distraught. I returned 5 years later to find you cold, unwelcoming, and...changed. What happened to us?
But these past few weeks I've uncovered a slab of magic in the form of a secret piece of France, anchored on Chadwick Road. A little creperie (said to be Tauranga's first) by the proud name of "Le Chat Noir" - (the black cat), recently seduced me inside for brunch, and what I found was quite damn good...

Blatantly poached from https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Le-Chat-Noir/149229935090975

My sweet tooth devil ordered before my logical side could counteract.
Raspberry cake with chunks of chocolate, and yes, that dark chocolate tart as well, s'il vous plaît.
If rich, deep chocolate, with a well complimenting base and smooth creamy texture is your idea of heaven - then back off buddy. There's only room for one of us here.
I sat there making inappropiate but positive table noises, which sounded like a cross between a baby bear and a hippo. And I loved every minute of it.
The raspberry cake, had a good amount of berries, and the chocolate chunks were enjoyable if not a tad spearse. However sitting pretty alongside the choc tart, could not compare.

Le Chat Noir's interior is classic chic, with a large rustic blackboard menu, and comfortable seating. Outside at their little tables and chairs, I felt like I should have a baguette under one arm and a long ciggarette in my mouth to fit in with the charm of the place. I also hear they do something very fresh - live music on the weekends. Cue: Swoon!

Unknown.

Service was good, and the owner while on first impressions looks like he could snap your neck in two, has a bucketload of charisma - just what the doctor ordered for Greerton.

Hours:

• Mon – Wed 7.30am – 4pm
• Thurs & Fri 7.30am – late
• Sat 9am – late
• Sun 10am – 4pm

This 'slinky malinki' will be prowling around for a while yet - and the timing couldn't be better.