Alma Alma - 130 Quay Street, Britomart, Auckland 1010, New Zealand We went there because...A group of us went out to farewell a colleague and it was suggested as a great spot to share delicious food in a convivial environment . It was only a matter of time before I visited this establishment as it had received such rave reviews over the past four years, so I was more than curious (albeit a little slow).

Alma -Auckland's Andalusian restaurant hiding in plain sight, delivered on it's promises of great food and atmosphere.
Full review: https://wp.me/pg6zpI-el
#AlmaAuckland #AlmaRestaurantReview
#RaumatiKitchenDiaries
#SpanishCuisineAuckland

Jalapeño Poppers I've been growing chillies for over 25 years, in fact the first edible crop of anything I grew was the majestic habanero, a variety that I still grown to this day. According to a recent google search there are 3000 to 4000 varieties of chilli in the world and I've grown at least 12 of them (2988-3988 to go), and despite popular opinion in some parts of the world, all chillies are not created equal.

These poppers are a great combination of veg, dairy and the pig, they are very easy to make, taste incredible and they are gluten free.
https://wp.me/pg6zpI-dT
#RaumatiKitchenDiaries #JalapenoPoppers

Cāntīng by Nic Watt Cāntīng by Nic Watt - Level One Shop No/1190N Commercial Bay, CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand We went there because...It was The Wife's birthday, she has been a long time fan of traditional Yum cha, and we have enjoyed Nic Watt's take on other cuisines, so this piqued our interest. Fifteen years ago we went to Hong Kong for one of The Wife's significant birthdays and we ate Michelin Star Yum Cha that was next level (I can still recall the succulent pork melting in my mouth), so the bar was set pretty high.

Cāntīng by Nic Watt - We were very excited to try a new upmarket yum cha for The Wife's birthday. Overall the food was very good, but the service let it down, full review on RKD website
https://wp.me/pg6zpI-db #raumatikitchendiaries #canting_nz #yumcha

Pico de Gallo Whether you say Pico de Gallo, Salsa Fresca or Tomato, onion and chili dip, this is a tasty and fresh addition to any summer dish. It takes minutes to prepare an hour to develop and seconds to devour. The beautiful thing is you can adjust the heat to your liking by changing out the jalapeno for your chili of choice. If I have time, I split the recipe in half and use the jalapeno for the family and use a habanero for myself and any unsuspecting visitors in need of a wake up call.

Whether you say Pico de Gallo, Salsa Fresca or Tomato, onion and chili dip, this is a tasty and fresh addition to any summer dish. https://wp.me/pg6zpI-9w #RaumatiKitchenDiaries #PicodeGallo #SalsaFresca

Blender Béarnaise Sauce I find that some processes in cooking are unnecessarily difficult, when a close to perfect result can be achieved with a lot less sweat and stress and you can leave the ultimate perfection to the experts. One of these processes is the making of a hollandaise or béarnaise sauce. Sure we all like to try to make these sauces in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, while whisking vigorously (once), and experience the inevitable failure followed by quick web searches on why it's split or why it's too thick or thin, followed by valiant attempts to save what was supposed to be the show stopper of the meal, while the rest of the food is getting cold.

This is a great recipe to take the stress away and still wow your diners with one of the great sauces of the world. https://wp.me/pg6zpI-cm #RaumatiKitchenDiaries #BlenderBearnaise #EasyBearnaiseSauce

Glut of Cherry Tomatoes Pasta It's not a coincidence that when the weather prevents you from producing a certain produce, it is damn expensive in the shops, and likewise when your crops are in abundance the green grocer is practically giving them away. This is the time of year when I have so many tomatoes that "Tomato Surprise" regularly appears on the menu, often it's such a "surprise" that I don't even know what I'm cooking as I enter the kitchen.

This is the time of year when I have so many tomatoes that "Tomato Surprise" regularly appears on the menu, often it's such a "surprise" that I don't even know what I'm cooking as I enter the kitchen. #RaumatiKitchenDiaries #CherryTomatoPasta