# Unusual Food Thread



## Zardnaar (Aug 23, 2020)

A spin off from unusual sandwiches thread. 

 As the title says. 

 Post anything unusual or perhaps specific to your country/region. Generic food with a twist is also fine.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 23, 2020)

My first entry. New Zealand chocolate bus quite good and blows Hershey/Cadbury out of the water. 

 Whittaker's often come up with unusual flavours using Australian and Kiwi brands. 






 Ginger beer and caramel flavoured chocolate.

 Tastes like ginger beer and caramel. Not as sweet as normal caramel chocolate. 

 I like it but probably not enough to buy it again over more normal flavours.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 23, 2020)

And 

Green apple sherbet.





 Sour and kinda tangy.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 23, 2020)

I currently live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas.  Big cities, lots of suburbs, and plenty of diversity in ethnic cuisine.  So it’s kinda hard for me to gauge what’s unusual.

However...

Because of the long, storied history with neighboring Mexico and the realities of the labor market around here, Mexican cuisine has become kind of the “universal solvent” for fusion cuisine and fusion restaurants around the state.  Mexican cooks are in kitchens EVERYWHERE, and a lot of them are putting their spin on things.

Besides the ubiquitous Tex-Mex restaurants, I’ve been in a couple of Tex-Chinese and Tex-Indian places.  And I’ve seen more than a few dishes that combine Mexican elements on restaurant menus, like flautas, tamales and tacos* on some Chinese buffets.

There was a restaurant I used to frequent** where the Chinese owner and her Mexican cook created barbacoa wontons.





* right next to pepperoni pizza!

** they closed in February for non-pandemic family reasons.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 23, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I currently live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas.  Big cities, lots of suburbs, and plenty of diversity in ethnic cuisine.  So it’s kinda hard for me to gauge what’s unusual.
> 
> However...
> 
> ...




I've been blending Mexican and middle eastern foods.
I had plans on home made Indian and used the ingredients in home made Mexican.

Locally we've got a little bit of everything but the popular ones are fish and chips (usually Chinese as well), Turkish and Indian seem to be popular. There's 6 or 7 Turkish places in a 1 kilometers stretch. Few Japanese and Korean places as well. 

By that I mean you can find one in almost every block in town.

Small city but one block both sides is mostly restaurants.

  Variety of food trucks as well with Spanish, Argentina, Jordanian options along with the usual suspects (Chinese, burgers).

Latest experiment was trying a new Syrian place.

Our town square is actually an Octogon, called the Octogon. It's full of various bars and restaurants a couple of which we rate highly.

One if the kebab places is Kurdish. His kebabs are delicious but his shish while nice is beaten by my favorite Turkish place so depending on what we want we go wherever. Usually the Kurdish option since it's over the road from D&D.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 23, 2020)

I love the *potential* of fusion cuisine.  Mom tried something a few years back by combining some leftover biriyani rice from a very good Indian place with my own leftover creole greens because we were out of white rice.

It was _killer_.


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## Ulfgeir (Aug 23, 2020)

One type of candy that is very popular here in Sweden.

"Djungelvrål" which would translate as "djungle howl". It is licorice with a layer of extremely salty content. Once you get past that it is sweet.


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## Ulfgeir (Aug 23, 2020)

As for proper food:

Matjessill - Pickled filets of herring, served traditionally with boiled fresh potatoes (with butter on it), sourcream and chives. Very popular during the summer. Especially Midsummer. Often also accompanied with hardboiled eggs cut in half, with a bit of mayo on top and then red or black fish roe. At typical midsummer parties you usually get lots of different tupes of pickled herring, and copious amounts of alcohol in the form of Snaps Tradition has that you sing a short song before taking the snaps.. We also often version of pickled herring during Christmas and Easter...

Smörgåstårta - Basically layered pieces of white bread with various fillings inside, then covererd with various types of cold cut meats or shrimp, and fish. Betetr read the Wiki-article on it. It can be very good, but personally I do not want any liver paté in it.

Surströmming - Fermented herring. It smells *awful*. A former colleague of mine phrased it like "I can understand that you can really fail when maing food, but doing it again, and thinking it is good?"


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## Zardnaar (Aug 23, 2020)

Ulfgeir said:


> As for proper food:
> 
> Matjessill - Pickled filets of herring, served traditionally with boiled fresh potatoes (with butter on it), sourcream and chives. Very popular during the summer. Especially Midsummer. Often also accompanied with hardboiled eggs cut in half, with a bit of mayo on top and then red or black fish roe. At typical midsummer parties you usually get lots of different tupes of pickled herring, and copious amounts of alcohol in the form of Snaps Tradition has that you sing a short song before taking the snaps.. We also often version of pickled herring during Christmas and Easter...
> 
> ...




Generally avoid seafood. A bit of deep fried blue cod, sole, or hoki once or twice a year is about my limit.

 Seafood pizza, not good.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 23, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I love the *potential* of fusion cuisine.  Mom tried something a few years back by combining some leftover biriyani rice from a very good Indian place with my own leftover creole greens because we were out of white rice.
> 
> It was _killer_.




Yeah Indian I quite like. Overdid it last year and had to have reduced salt diet.

Thinking of doing a potato or pasta bake but replacing the sauce with butter chicken or Tikka masala sauce and throw some paneer cheese in it.





Passion fruit and mango yoghurt with crushed weetbix. Breakfast experiment.

Weetbix. Intergenerational breakfast cereal very low in fat,suger, taste etc





It's the wheat version of unsweetened cornflakes pressed into biscuits. 

 Used to have them with butter and marmite.


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## Umbran (Aug 23, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Weetbix. Intergenerational breakfast cereal very low in fat,suger, taste etc




Yeah, we have it here, too.  









> It's the wheat version of unsweetened cornflakes pressed into biscuits.




Except, you know, bad.  Like eating compressed sawdust.  Have used it as a representation of dwarven waybread, to give players the idea that dwarves will put up with a lot if it serves a purpose.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 23, 2020)

Umbran said:


> Yeah, we have it here, too.
> 
> View attachment 124987
> 
> ...




It was for the benefit of the Americans and others. Outside UK/NZ/Oz a few foods don't exist as such.

You can get the UK version here. Try marmite or Vegemite on them.

As I said low in suger, salt, fat and taste. 

Cereal has a shocking amount of suger in it. More than soda in a lot of cases.

 We were raised on the stuff like most NZers. Hot water, milk suger enjoy tough luck if you don't like it.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 26, 2020)

Bacon




Big deal right? Manuka smoked bacon however. Manuka is a wood indigenous to NZ. Has a nice smokey flavour moreso than most bacon. IDK if it's exported. 

Very little fat as far as bacon goes either.

Added to home bad cheeseburgers with aioli and sweet chilli sauce, cooked an egg for wife's burger as well, not for me as I don't like chicken+egg that often.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 26, 2020)

I’ve never heard of manuka, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the guys who write those serious BBQ books knew about it in depth.  Sounds pretty nice.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 26, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’ve never heard of manuka, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the guys who write those serious BBQ books knew about it in depth.  Sounds pretty nice.




You can get manuka honey as well. Nothing special really but they like hyping it up and it's expensive.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 29, 2020)

Chicken bacon poppers with habenero sauce at one of our favorites.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 29, 2020)

Kumara (Polynesian sweet potato) fries in a pot.





Beer battered (pilsner) blue cod.





Not really unusual I suppose idk how it's done overseas.




Peach roll ups, whipped cream carrot cake.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 29, 2020)

Cheeseburger potato chips.


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## Ryujin (Aug 29, 2020)

Dulse. Just stick a wad of it in your mouth and chew it like chewing tobacco. Salty and full of essential vitamins, and minerals. It's a thing from my youth in the Canadian Maritime Provinces and, unfortunately, the only places that I can seem to find it these days are vegan shops, at insanely marked-up prices.









						All about dulse and how to use it
					

[Global] Although many vegans enjoy snacking on seaweed, the entire realm of aquatic vegetables is somewhat overlooked. However,




					news.algaeworld.org


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 30, 2020)

I got some dried dulse a few years ago at a Nature’s Grocery near me.  That’s a store 1 part grocery, 1?part vitamin store, 1 part new age shop.

It wasn’t bad, but I was the only one who really enjoyed it at all.


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## cbwjm (Aug 30, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Cheeseburger potato chips.
> 
> View attachment 125277



At least it's savoury, my friend tried the lamington potato chips the other day. Really weird.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 30, 2020)

cbwjm said:


> At least it's savoury, my friend tried the lamington potato chips the other day. Really weird.




Those are disgusting. Threw the bag out.

Cheeseburger was alright but tasted like pickle. Which is fine but I prefer the Delisio burger flavoured ones. Wouldn't rush out and buy them again but they were decent.

 Tried this yet?





 Ginger flavoured milk for non Kiwis.


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## cbwjm (Aug 31, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Those are disgusting. Threw the bag out.
> 
> Cheeseburger was alright but tasted like pickle. Which is fine but I prefer the Delisio burger flavoured ones. Wouldn't rush out and buy them again but they were decent.
> 
> ...



I don't blame you for chucking them, don't think I'd ever be curious enough to try them.

I have not tried the milk, I do like ginger beer, is this ginger milk any good?


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

cbwjm said:


> I don't blame you for chucking them, don't think I'd ever be curious enough to try them.
> 
> I have not tried the milk, I do like ginger beer, is this ginger milk any good?




 Not to bad. I liked it but not enough to buy it over the other Lewis road milk. Did taste like gingernuts though. 

 I liked the Whittaker's ginger beer chocolate, wife didn't. Might buy that one again idk.


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## Ryujin (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I got some dried dulse a few years ago at a Nature’s Grocery near me.  That’s a store 1 part grocery, 1?part vitamin store, 1 part new age shop.
> 
> It wasn’t bad, but I was the only one who really enjoyed it at all.




It's certainly one of those things that you either like, or don't. For some it's an acquired taste. As a kid it was just a very easily available sort of thing but, like so many other things in life, it's been latched onto by a specific group and the price has gone way up.


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## Ryujin (Aug 31, 2020)

cbwjm said:


> At least it's savoury, my friend tried the lamington potato chips the other day. Really weird.




In Canada, pretty much every year, Lays has a contest for new regional flavours. I think they do in the US also. We've had some really good ones like Buttered Chicken and some real losers, like Mac & Cheese (seriously, just get some sort of cheese flavoured chips). The Montreal Smoked Meat flavour was bloody horrid. Didn't taste like any sort of meat at all let alone the Montreal Smoked variety, which is something I like to get whenever possible.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Ryujin said:


> In Canada, pretty much every year, Lays has a contest for new regional flavours. I think they do in the US also. We've had some really good ones like Buttered Chicken and some real losers, like Mac & Cheese (seriously, just get some sort of cheese flavoured chips). The Montreal Smoked Meat flavour was bloody horrid. Didn't taste like any sort of meat at all let alone the Montreal Smoked variety, which is something I like to get whenever possible.




I think that's a worldwide things. Some duds over the years.

Lamb and Mint
Salmon
Mac and Cheese

 These flavours have been good.





__





						Bluebird
					





					www.bluebird.co.nz
				




I think they're doing mountain dew Doritos atm.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 31, 2020)

Yeah, we get the Lay’s contest in the USA, too.  The only one I’ve liked was the truffle.


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## cbwjm (Aug 31, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Not to bad. I liked it but not enough to buy it over the other Lewis road milk. Did taste like gingernuts though.
> 
> I liked the Whittaker's ginger beer chocolate, wife didn't. Might buy that one again idk.



I still haven't been able to find that chocolate. Was hoping to get some to taunt a friend of mine who is also looking for it. I'll keep an eye out for the milk, I don't often have drinks like that though due to diabetes, to much of a sugar hit, same with the chocolate. Only an occasional treat nowadays.

Edit: Just went and bought a quick (cheese burger) pie and found the chocolate there so had a try of it. Not too bad.


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## cbwjm (Aug 31, 2020)

Ryujin said:


> In Canada, pretty much every year, Lays has a contest for new regional flavours. I think they do in the US also. We've had some really good ones like Buttered Chicken and some real losers, like Mac & Cheese (seriously, just get some sort of cheese flavoured chips). The Montreal Smoked Meat flavour was bloody horrid. Didn't taste like any sort of meat at all let alone the Montreal Smoked variety, which is something I like to get whenever possible.



I've seen various joke flavours for Lays on reddit. Shame the Montreal Smoked meat didn't taste good, all too often what sounds like it would be an awesome flavour fails in execution.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

cbwjm said:


> I've seen various joke flavours for Lays on reddit. Shame the Montreal Smoked meat didn't taste good, all too often what sounds like it would be an awesome flavour fails in execution.




 Anything bacon)Gam/smoked on chips usually suck. 

 We used to have bacon flavour. They weren't great. 

 Flavours Cary by country. I think cheese and onion is really popular in the UK, in NZ it's Green Onion and there's only a couple of companies doing cheese and Onion. 

 Sour cream variants popular in Russia.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 31, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Sour cream variants popular in Russia.



That makes sense to me.  When I visited, sour cream and dill were all over the cuisine.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> That makes sense to me.  When I visited, sour cream and dill were all over the cuisine.




They're popular here as well but the YouTubers that show Russian supermarkets, yeah shelf after shelf of them.
And yeah sour creams a big part of their cuisine as they put it on their pancakes.

Made blinis but put jam, yoghurt, fruit in them not sour cream.



			https://shop.countdown.co.nz/shop/productdetails?stockcode=297604
		


  Sour cream and chives delicious.

 Russian boat crew at port here walk past, supermarket bags full of biscuits, chocolate, chips. They buy the same brands we do lol.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 31, 2020)

Sour cream (or soy sauce) on a green onion pancake is delightful.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Sour cream (or soy sauce) on a green onion pancake is delightful.




 Sour cream and green onion are chip flavours for us as well as the usual uses.


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## Ulfgeir (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> That makes sense to me.  When I visited, sour cream and dill were all over the cuisine.




We have tons of various sourcream-flavoured chips (crisps for the Brits) here as well. Not that common in proper food though.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 31, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Sour cream and green onion are chip flavours for us as well as the usual uses.



Here, too.  Mom’s favorite flavor, in fact, and often supplemented by french onion dip.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Here, too.  Mom’s favorite flavor, in fact, and often supplemented by french onion dip.




 Yeah same here. Green onion with onion dip is your classic kiwi dip. 

 Sour cream and chives also great dip chip. 

 They're your basic flavours along with ready salted, chicken and salt and vinegar.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 31, 2020)

I’m the only one in my family who likes salt & vinegar chips. Ditto lime.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’m the only one in my family who likes salt & vinegar chips. Ditto lime.




 Limes hard to find good ones. I think we have a lime and black pepper flavour. 

 Salt and Vinegar I like but I don't love. 

 When I was a kid you could get fries with vinegar in them. It's an English thing I guess. 

 Haven't seen that as an option for a long time though. 

Its not like you wake up and think "I'm going to go and find a nice English restaurant" and go there.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 31, 2020)

I like fries with vinegar- something I think the Brits got right- but not all vinegars work.  I tend to stick to classic malt vinegar, tarragon vinegar, or red wine vinegar.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I like fries with vinegar- something I think the Brits got right- but not all vinegars work.  I tend to stick to classic malt vinegar, tarragon vinegar, or red wine vinegar.




Yeah you need the right type of vinegar.

There's a balsamic vinegar and caramalised onion chips here and they're delicious. 





__





						delisio range - Google Search
					





					www.google.com
				




 Brits were onto something with their pies, cakes and biscuits.


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## Ryujin (Aug 31, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Limes hard to find good ones. I think we have a lime and black pepper flavour.
> 
> Salt and Vinegar I like but I don't love.
> 
> ...




Miss Vickie's does a good Lime and Black Pepper chip. Kettle cooked, so they're thicker and crispier than most.









						MissVickies -MISS VICKIE’S® Lime & Black Pepper Kettle Cooked Potato Chips
					

Discover Tasty Rewards: easy recipes and fun snack ideas, coupons, contests, and giveaways. Host the best parties with our tips, tricks and freebies!




					www.missvickies.ca


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Ryujin said:


> Miss Vickie's does a good Lime and Black Pepper chip. Kettle cooked, so they're thicker and crispier than most.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




 I suspect they're very similar.


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## Ulfgeir (Aug 31, 2020)

Ryujin said:


> Miss Vickie's does a good Lime and Black Pepper chip. Kettle cooked, so they're thicker and crispier than most.




Hmm, would be nice to try.  Some chips that I am missing:  Back in 1996 when I worked in Ireland, they had a series of chips, that had the theme of Phileas Foff travelling around the world, and writing in his diary what happedn in some places. There were to sorts that were really really good. One called 4 cheeses, and another type were called Devilishly hot.

Speaking of spicy stuff, I miss the Blair's Cajun chips and their Habanero chips as well. I want both of those in 300 gram bags, not the tiny little things that they have (the cajun were discounted years ago _sigh_ )...


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Ulfgeir said:


> Hmm, would be nice to try.  Some chips that I am missing:  Back in 1996 when I worked in Ireland, they had a series of chips, that had the theme of Phileas Foff travelling around the world, and writing in his diary what happedn in some places. There were to sorts that were really really good. One called 4 cheeses, and another type were called Devilishly hot.
> 
> Speaking of spicy stuff, I miss the Blair's Cajun chips and their Habanero chips as well. I want both of those in 300 gram bags, not the tiny little things that they have (the cajun were discounted years ago _sigh_ )...




 Yeah we used to have a French onion flavour and they were really nice.b

 We've got a UK specialist candy store and they have some chips that were discontinued in the 80s and 90s but you're paying through the nose for them.


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## Ryujin (Aug 31, 2020)

Currently sitting on my desk.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Ryujin said:


> Currently sitting on my desk.
> 
> View attachment 125339




 I suspect they're similar to these. 



			https://shop.countdown.co.nz/shop/productdetails?stockcode=315632&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv7L6BRDxARIsAGj-34riIhR3PC53WYPZbl6LZnb5dgT7Qzlg1tW4NX-jMlLOWjuFyarCSCEaAmlYEALw_wcB


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## Cadence (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I like fries with vinegar- something I think the Brits got right- but not all vinegars work.  I tend to stick to classic malt vinegar, tarragon vinegar, or red wine vinegar.




In descending order of preference for dipping fries in - mashed potatoes and gravy, pimento cheese, buffalo sauce and ranch, just buffalo sauce, just ranch, mustard.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Aug 31, 2020)

I usually just season my fries, but occasionally, I dip or dredge.  In no order, here are my most common ones:


chili
vinegar
Honey with black pepper
Lemon juice & black pepper
vanilla ice cream shake
avgolemono
personal mix of 50/50 A1 steak sauce & yellow mustard, seasoned with Tabasco and black pepper


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## Ryujin (Aug 31, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> I suspect they're similar to these.
> 
> 
> 
> https://shop.countdown.co.nz/shop/productdetails?stockcode=315632&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv7L6BRDxARIsAGj-34riIhR3PC53WYPZbl6LZnb5dgT7Qzlg1tW4NX-jMlLOWjuFyarCSCEaAmlYEALw_wcB




Look very much alike.


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## Zardnaar (Aug 31, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I usually just season my fries, but occasionally, I dip or dredge.  In no order, here are my most common ones:
> 
> 
> chili
> ...




 I'm boring mostly just use ketchup,aioli or sweet chilli on my fries. Mayo works fine as well.

 Wife's opinion. Fries are just a delivery device for aioli. 

 At a restaurant I'll dip then in whatever sauce comes with the meal. For example if I get steak I get peppercorn sauce and it's nice in the fries. 

 Tartare sauce and lemon on the fish also works on fries. 

 My Jordanian friend puts some sort of middle east spice concoction on his with cheese sauce. Very delicious. Kebab, falafel and dressed fries please.

 Prefer American style ketchup over NZ tomato sauce. Sweet vs savoury basically.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 1, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> My Jordanian friend puts some sort of middle east spice concoction on his with cheese sauce. Very delicious. Kebab, falafel and dressed fries please.



I bet it’s something like zaatar, which is an oregano based mix they put in pita all over the Middle East.


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## Zardnaar (Sep 1, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I bet it’s something like zaatar, which is an oregano based mix they put in pita all over the Middle East.




 No it looks like a paprika mix.  Wouldn't be surprised if it is just paprika but I think there's something else in it. 

 I've had zaatar. It's not that.


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## Zardnaar (Sep 1, 2020)

Front 2 pages of a new Syrian Restaurant menu.









 1 NZD= 0.7 USD.

 The next Arabic place I try that's bad will be a first, tried Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Jordanian, Morrocan and Egyptian.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 1, 2020)

Mediterranean/Arabic is my Mom’s favorite foreign cuisine.  We’re slowly but surely working our way across the region!


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## Zardnaar (Sep 1, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Mediterranean/Arabic is my Mom’s favorite foreign cuisine.  We’re slowly but surely working our way across the region!




 Yeah it's probably my favorite two. 

 In town we have 6 or 7 Turkish places on a 1km stretch. 

 Have you had a Turkish wood fired pizza with halep sauce main?


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## Ulfgeir (Sep 1, 2020)

Had a weird (but very good) burger today at lunch. It is a small chain from northern part of Sweden, called Bastard Burgers. And the burger I tried was the monthly special:  Cloudberry BBQ sauce, cream cheese, pickled red onion, crisp salad, and truffel mayo.

Expensive, but good.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 1, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Yeah it's probably my favorite two.
> 
> In town we have 6 or 7 Turkish places on a 1km stretch.
> 
> Have you had a Turkish wood fired pizza with halep sauce main?



No, can’t say I have.  I think I know a place that might DO something similar, but I haven’t worked my way through their menu.


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## Zardnaar (Sep 4, 2020)

Might not be to unusual except for the combo.








Chips, burger, hotdog and wontons. Fish and Chip shops tend to be owned by Chinese and they do burgers.


You might have 50-100 items on the menu.
 We fed 8 for around $50 USD ranging from steak and egg burgers, chicken fried rice though to English style fry up.


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## pming (Sep 4, 2020)

Hiya!

Me and two friends inadvertently created the most tasty...and messy!...snack during a 2e AD&D campaign we were playing back in mid/late 90's (our only 2e campaign, come to think of it...). What is it you ask?  I present to you...

*The Salsa-Muffin*

1 English muffin
Copious amount of REAL salted butter (don't bother with anything else... doesn't work).
Salsa..._cold_ temperature, moderate to hot spiciness!
Cheese (I like Mild cheddar, but Old works too, but I up the salsa spiciness)

_NOTE_ Requires the use of a stove or, best and fastest results, a toaster oven.

Preparation:
1. Toast your English muffin
2. Add generous (almost TOO generous) amounts of butter.
3. Place cheese slices (semi thick; say...2mm) on each muffin half.
4. Place in toaster oven and melt cheese.
5. Add MORE butter on top of melted cheese; you want it to be, literally, dripping off the edges.
6. IF butter isn't melted enough...toss it into the toaster oven again for a few seconds.
7. Dollop on a BIG spoonful of cold temperature, but mod/hot spiciness, Salsa (typically, about a "heaping tablespoon" per muffin half).
8. Take it all over to a sink to eat it there. Trust me...it WILL be messy! GLORIOUSLY messy!

Trust me. Best dang 'snack' you have EVER had!

You're welcome. 

^_^

Paul L. Ming


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 4, 2020)

pming said:


> Hiya!
> 
> Me and two friends inadvertently created the most tasty...and messy!...snack during a 2e AD&D campaign we were playing back in mid/late 90's (our only 2e campaign, come to think of it...). What is it you ask?  I present to you...
> 
> ...



Nice!

I did something similar with a grilled chicken (sliced cold-cuts) & cheese sandwich, with the salsa spread out in a thin layer between the meat and chicken.  The melting of the cheese helps trap the salsa on the sandwich.


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## Zardnaar (Sep 4, 2020)

Hard to screw up cheese+salsa. 
 English style muffins like those spilt ones not something like a large cupcake?


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## Zardnaar (Sep 4, 2020)

Something new to try.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 4, 2020)

Looks like meat & stuff on a big hot flattop.  Hibachi?


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## Zardnaar (Sep 4, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Looks like meat & stuff on a big hot flattop.  Hibachi?




Teppanyaki I think.
Delicious.


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## Zardnaar (Sep 4, 2020)

Round 2 egg fried rice.


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## Zardnaar (Sep 4, 2020)

Round 1


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## Zardnaar (Sep 5, 2020)

Between birthdays, father's day and events this is our 4th time out in the last week.


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## Zardnaar (Sep 5, 2020)

Open steak sandwich and bowl of beer battered chips with aioli and ketchup.


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## Cadence (Sep 5, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Open steak sandwich and bowl of beer battered chips with aioli and ketchup.




The midwestern US is strange about Ketchup/Catsup.  Some folks put it on eggs or steak or just about anything.  But there are many (especially in Chicago) who will mock you for putting it on a hot dog.  (It seems universally fine on a hamburger, but I can't even conceive of putting it on italian or polish sausage or a bratwurst).


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 5, 2020)

Cadence said:


> The midwestern US is strange about Ketchup/Catsup.  Some folks put it on eggs or steak or just about anything.  But there are many (especially in Chicago) who will mock you for putting it on a hot dog.  (It seems universally fine on a hamburger, but I can't even conceive of putting it on italian or polish sausage or a bratwurst).





I put it on hotdogs here, I think that's your corndogs.
 On American hotdogs prefer relish over ketchup.


----------



## Cadence (Sep 5, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> I put it on hotdogs here, I think that's your corndogs.
> On American hotdogs prefer relish over ketchup.




Ketchup on corn-dogs makes sense.

I do mustard and dill relish on (non-corn) dogs and sausages if making them myself.

Mustard, onions, and chili is a bit more work, but pretty commonly found when eating out (and good at campouts in cooler weather).

It's hard to find these done fully  right outside of the Midwest:








						Chicago-style hot dog - Wikipedia
					






					en.m.wikipedia.org


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 6, 2020)

Cadence said:


> Ketchup on corn-dogs makes sense.
> 
> I do mustard and dill relish on (nin-corn) dogs and sausages if making them myself.
> 
> ...




Looks good, American style hot dogs kinda rare here. You would have to go looking to find them and they're gonna be basic.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 6, 2020)

Burger Rings, unique to NZ afaik.









Hard to describe the flavour. Savoury cheese/tomato/bbq mix I suppose.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 6, 2020)

I’m a big sausage-phile, but I don’t eat hot dogs much anymore.  And catsup is becoming a rarer condiment for me to use.

But damn it, if I go to a baseball game, I guarantee you I will have at least one hotdog with catsup...if not twelve.  

I can’t say exactly why.  I didn’t grow up a baseball fan- I really came to it in my 20s.  And I didn’t go to many games in person.  But every time I did go, I had to have at least one hotdog.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 6, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’m a big sausage-phile, but I don’t eat hot dogs much anymore.  And catsup is becoming a rarer condiment for me to use.
> 
> But damn it, if I go to a baseball game, I guarantee you I will have at least one hotdog with catsup...if not twelve.
> 
> I can’t say exactly why.  I didn’t grow up a baseball fan- I really came to it in my 20s.  And I didn’t go to many games in person.  But every time I did go, I had to have at least one hotdog.




American style hotdog right?


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 6, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> American style hotdog right?



Beef/pork/beef & pork mix frank on a bun, yes.




Usually catsup & mustard for toppings at sporting events.

Elsewhere, I favor chili, cheese & onion; Chicago style; BBQ & garlic sauce...

But more often than any of that, I buy other kinds if sausage and treat them like hot dogs.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 6, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Beef/pork/beef & pork mix frank on a bun, yes.
> View attachment 125671
> 
> Usually catsup & mustard for toppings at sporting events.
> ...




NZ hot dog.



Can also be a sausage on a stick, normally it's a saveloy but that might be a regional thing.

The bun one called American Hotdog. Very original here.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 11, 2020)

Ye olde English pie refined to near perfection. Pies are savoury not sweet FYI USA 

Peppered steak and Jalapeno cheese.









 This pie was glorious, mouth is still burning. About as spicy as a hot vindaloo. Tasted great.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 12, 2020)

I like a good savory pie.  Most of the ones around my neck of the woods are chicken pot pies, shepherds pie, or steak & mushroom pies.

Far more varieties are available in the assorted hand pies around here- mostly empanadas and samosas.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 12, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I like a good savory pie.  Most of the ones around my neck of the woods are chicken pot pies, shepherds pie, or steak & mushroom pies.
> 
> Far more varieties are available in the assorted hand pies around here- mostly empanadas and samosas.




 Steak and mushroom us a thing here. 

 Basically all the service stations have them and a good chunk of the cafes. State and cheese is kind of the default. 

 American expats tend to like them along with Turkish kebabs. 

 They're getting inventive with the fillings so you can get an English style pie with Indian/Thai/Malaysian fillings. 

 Butter chicken pie not a problem. Coconut and lime Thai curry sure. 

 I very rarely eat them for health reasons but yeah they taste pretty good.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 12, 2020)

There’s a 50’s style diner near where I live that does a great, albeit non traditional chicken pot pie.  Instead of using the traditional savory pie crust topping, thei is crowned by thick puff pastry style crust, with a dozen or so buttery layers.  So freaking good!


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 12, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> There’s a 50’s style diner near where I live that does a great, albeit non traditional chicken pot pie.  Instead of using the traditional savory pie crust topping, thei is crowned by thick puff pastry style crust, with a dozen or so buttery layers.  So freaking good!




 Puff pastry you can buy at the supermarket here. 

 Home made bacon and egg pie yum. You can also buy that at a few bakerys.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 12, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Puff pastry you can buy at the supermarket here.




Same here.  My Mom’s cousin used to make crawfish pie with store-bought puff pastries.

Which reminds me...my folks and I were once invited to a private party that was catered by a local chef.  No, seriously, tall white hat, owned a restaurant, the whole deal.  

The dish that stood out to me were his escargot tarts.  Usually, escargot is served in the shell with a wonderful buttery, garlic sauce.  Frequently, there’s more sauce than the mollusks morsel can deliver to your mouth, so it goes to waste...

This chef, however, eschewed the shell and made his dish into bite-sized tarts.  The light crust contained the snail and the butter-garlic sauce that had been thickened to a soft paste- almost like peanut butter.  So in something the size of a mini-Reese’s peanut butter cup, you got EVERYTHING!  I confess, I made a pig of myself on those things, including repeatedly grabbing them from the platter in the front hall as we were chit-chatting before leaving.

I’ve never encountered anyone else doing escargot even remotely the same way.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 12, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Same here.  My Mom’s cousin used to make crawfish pie with store-bought puff pastries.
> 
> Which reminds me...my folks and I were once invited to a private party that was catered by a local chef.  No, seriously, tall white hat, owned a restaurant, the whole deal.
> 
> ...




 You can keep your snails and I'll raise you sweet and sour wontons on rice. Probably not that different to US wontons and faux Chinese.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 12, 2020)

Now I remember why I rarely order sweet and sour.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 16, 2020)

Mid week can't be bothered cooking.





Tikka Masala with pakoras. Cost around $25 USD for that, kadai chicken, pakoras and garlic naan bread. This is what's left over.





Barely got through half of it so two meals for two people.

The Indian place is in my suburb so dodge the crowds and it's about a mile away.Getting washed down with a pilsner.

 Not much in the way of Mexican here,plenty of curry places and this is our favorite.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 19, 2020)

Going to our local for breakfast. Early spring Pacific ocean in the distance.









 Eggs benedict. And as a side dish.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 19, 2020)

Peppermint slice.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 26, 2020)

Cheesy garlic flatbread as a starter with parsley and sprouts as a garnish.

 Not to bad


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 26, 2020)

Beef schnitzel with wedges and peppercorn sauce. 





 Manuka smoked BBQ sauce. Delicious 





 Basically just a pub food meal.


----------



## Nobby-W (Sep 26, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Limes hard to find good ones. I think we have a lime and black pepper flavour.
> 
> Salt and Vinegar I like but I don't love.
> 
> When I was a kid you could get fries with vinegar in them. It's an English thing I guess.



Still very much a thing here on Pom Rock, but the local fish and chips are way too fatty for me by and large.


----------



## Nobby-W (Sep 26, 2020)

Rendang - my better half is from Indonesia.  This is just a stock photo, but it's fabulous.  Trouble is that you have to boil it down at a very low heat, so it takes about 6 or 8 hours to make.









						Your pick: World's 50 best foods
					

The world has voted and we now know the name and origin of the world's best food. But have you eaten it?




					edition.cnn.com
				









*Bonus Rendang recipe*

Per kilo of beef:

2" of galangal grated (this can be optional)
1-2" of ginger, grated
1/2" of turmeric root, grated
2 kemiri (candle nuts)
About 10 red chillies (add another 10 birds eye chillies for extra heat)
Half a red onion or 10 red shallots
6 cloves of garlic
1 or two stalks lemongrass
Half a dozen kefir lime leaves
1/2 nutmeg, grated
Two tins of coconut milk
Half a lump of brown coconut sugar (about one tablespoon)
Steps:

Remove any connective tissue or gristle from the beef and cut into pieces about 2" x 2" x 1" (they need to be big as cooking will shrink them down).
Peel the garlic, shallots, galangal, ginger and turmeric. Bruise the lemongrass.
Put the chillies, ginger, garlic, turmeric, kemiri, chillies, shallots, garlic, sugar and nutmeg into a blender and blend until smooth.
Fry the mixture until aromatic.
Put the mixture with the coconut milk, lime leaves and lemongrass into a pot/wok and bring to the boil.
In the meantime, brown the beef (this is a recommendation from the MIL, who is an actual Indonesian chef).
(Optionally) boil down the coconut milk/spice mix a bit. The process involves slow cooking the meat, and if you are using softer beef like rump, boiling it for too long can make it start to disintegrate. If you're using tougher skirt or stewing steak you can put the beef in right away.
Add the beef. Simmer until it starts to go dark brown. Stir every 5-10 minutes. You can boil vigourously at first, but as the mixture gets thicker you will need to turn it to a low heat. This process can take 6-8 hours.
Once the fat starts coming off it, you need to turn it right down and stir every 5-10 minutes until the bumbu is solid enough. It should not be too liquid to stick to the beef. At this point it's done.
It will look like you're putting an ungodly amount of chilli into the mix, but the cooking takes the edge off the heat, leaving a nice slow burn effect. Serve with rice and something green. Cassava is traditional but cucumber or cabbage works well.

Rendang is quite happy to be frozen and reheated as many times as you want. In fact, it gets better with re-heating. If it's properly done it can last a month with no refrigeration (it was originally invented as trail rations), but don't try this at home.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 26, 2020)

Some things can’t be rushed.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 26, 2020)

Nobby-W said:


> Rendang - my better half is from Indonesia.  This is just a stock photo, but it's fabulous.  Trouble is that you have to boil it down at a very low heat, so it takes about 6 or 8 hours to make.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




 I would give that a shot. I've discovered I like SEA food more than the Chinese/Japanese people are more used to. 

 Except maybe Thai not a massive fan. Cambodian, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Phillipines have a few winning dishes.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 26, 2020)

I love most asian cuisine. with Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese usually jockeying for 1st.  Indian is in the top 5 conversation.  

I like Thai a lot, and have found a couple really good places near me, but usually gave to fine alone.  And I’m still trying to figure Korean out.  I keep missing out on opportunities to try Nepalese.

But damn if I haven’t fallen for Burmese!  The best description I csn give is what the owner/chef at Inlay told me the first day I walked into her place: it’s a little like Chinese, a little like Indian, a little like Thai...and different from al, of them.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 26, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I love most asian cuisine. with Vietnamese, Japanese, and Chinese usually jockeying for 1st.  Indian is in the top 5 conversation.
> 
> I like Thai a lot, and have found a couple really good places near me, but usually gave to fine alone.  And I’m still trying to figure Korean out.  I keep missing out on opportunities to try Nepalese.
> 
> But damn if I haven’t fallen for Burmese!  The best description I csn give is what the owner/chef at Inlay told me the first day I walked into her place: it’s a little like Chinese, a little like Indian, a little like Thai...and different from al, of them.




A lot of Thai cooking uses coconut cream. Not a fan of it. 

 Korean seems a bit more grilled, Chinese usually not that authentic or that good. Lots of regional variety if you can find the semi authentic stuff

 Haven't tried burmese. We have Cambodian. It costs the same as a Big Mac combo. Satay is the big Cambodian thing but my local does this ginger beef dish I really like. 

 Took mum there when she was getting cancer treatment. Out of some of the nicer places (read expensive) she liked her simple $7 whatever on rice Cambodian meals over Turkish and Korean although she liked Korean as well.

 Japanese places here seem to be owned by Koreans. Waitress said she was from Beijing so go figure. 

 Local fish and chip shop dies some Malaysian dishes, apparently they're good.

 Satay burgers are also a thing here at Cambodian places and rarely a fish and chip shop.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 26, 2020)

There was a short-lived asian restaurant @30min from where I live now.  It’s been replaced by a damn good Thai place that makes a pho-like duck soup that I’m totally addicted to.  I order it nearly every time.

The place that used to be there also had a destination dish: it was a small whole chicken roasted in a covered clay pot with rice, mushrooms and garlic.  The whole pot was brought to the table.  Fall off the bone tender.  

And I've never seen it anywhere else.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 26, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> There was a short-lived asian restaurant @30min from where I live now.  It’s been replaced by a damn good Thai place that makes a pho-like duck soup that I’m totally addicted to.  I order it nearly every time.
> 
> The place that used to be there also had a destination dish: it was a small whole chicken roasted in a covered clay pot with rice, mushrooms and garlic.  The whole pot was brought to the table.  Fall off the bone tender.
> 
> And I've never seen it anywhere else.



 Some things I had from places that closed. 

 Saffron chicken dish from an Iranian place. Never seen it before or since. They said not many people ordered it since they sold $7 wraps but it cost $17 fifteen years ago. 

 They made this amazing chicken burger as well. 

 Phillipines place also operated that was great but only went there once. Decor was this amazing 19th century wood paneling and the roof was designed to evoke a ships keep. Some sort of lemon chicken dish.

 Also have 7 or 8 Turkish places more or less on top of one another almost one every block. One street has 3 of them on a 100 meter stretch.


----------



## Nobby-W (Sep 26, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Some things can’t be rushed.



Rendang starts out with a lot of coconut milk in the recipe - about two cans per kg of beef - and you have to boil it down to quite a dry consistency without burning it.  The last few hours consist of simmering it over a very low heat and stirring it every 10 minutes or so until it's dry enough for the coconut fat to be coming off.

The end result is delicious, though.


----------



## Nobby-W (Sep 26, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> A lot of Thai cooking uses coconut cream. Not a fan of it.



You might or might not like Rendang then - it uses a lot of coconut milk.  Coconut milk is used all over south east asian food and seems to be a love or hate thing.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 26, 2020)

Nobby-W said:


> You might or might not like Rendang then - it uses a lot of coconut milk.  Coconut milk is used all over south east asian food and seems to be a love or hate thing.




 I can eat Thai but it's usually because some is having a birthday or whatever. 

 I'll never think "gee I really want Thai tonight" and go get some.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 26, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Also have 7 or 8 Turkish places more or less on top of one another almost one every block. One street has 3 of them on a 100 meter stretch.



Along the big North/South street we live just off of, there are HORDES of restaurants.  When we moved here in ‘98, the two biggest categories were Tex-Mex, Italian and Chinese.  We had about 11 of each in a space it would take 30 minutes to drive on an average day.

Now, Indian restaurants in that same corridor easily rival that, along with at least 4 Indian/Pakistani groceries and a few Indian fusion places (Indian-Mexican, Indian Pizzeria, etc).  There’s a strip mall near my Dad’s current office location that has 3 Indian restaurants, an Indian grocery...and an Indian-owned creole place. 

But for whatever reason, the Indian places haven’t been as stable.  There’s one suite that had a Tex-Mex place 20 years ago that has since held 3 different Indian restaurants in the past decade.  Another one a block down the street was nice, closed and changed to a different Indian place, then closed, only to be replaced by the same restaurant it had supplanted- all within 4 years.

We even had a location for a high-end Indian chain near us- 6 locations worldwide, on 3 different continents, each in a major city.  They only lasted 5 years before being replaced by a different Indian place.


----------



## Nobby-W (Sep 26, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> I can eat Thai but it's usually because some is having a birthday or whatever.
> 
> I'll never think "gee I really want Thai tonight" and go get some.



Not sure where you'd go about getting Rendang in Dunedin, mostly what you would get in an Indonesian restaurant is Kalio, which is part-cooked Rendang, just down to about the consistency of an Indian curry.  Rendang is not all that hard to make, though, just time-consuming.


----------



## Zardnaar (Sep 26, 2020)

Nobby-W said:


> Not sure where you'd go about getting Rendang in Dunedin, mostly what you would get in an Indonesian restaurant is Kalio, which is part-cooked Rendang, just down to about the consistency of an Indian curry.  It's not all that hard to make, though, just time-consuming.




 Google tells me there's 3 in town all in the CBD.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 3, 2020)

Decisions decisions.











 Local Syrian place. 1NZD is about 0.7 USD.

Ordered lamb freekeh.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 3, 2020)

Starter.





 And lamb freekeh. 





 Lamb was so tender it could easily be cut with a spoon. 

 Not sure what the cereal is.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 4, 2020)

I kinda *HAD* to post this:


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 4, 2020)

Japanese gameshows huh?.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 4, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Japanese ganeshows huh?.



From what I understand, it was a one time or occasional skit on something akin to a talk show...but yeah!


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 5, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> From what I understand, it was a one time or occasional skit on something akin to a talk show...but yeah!




 I remember watching one called Endurance or something like that. It was crazy at the time but then Jackass came along.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 6, 2020)

Hot damn. 

This is unholy.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 6, 2020)

I will take your word on that, good sir!


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 6, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I will take your word on that, good sir!




 I'm not that stupid.


----------



## Nobby-W (Oct 6, 2020)

I could see it working.  In related news, I found Vegemite at Asda a few days ago, so I bought a couple of jars.  Supply here in Blighty is pretty hit-and-miss these days, and the local heathens eat some other stuff called Marmite.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 6, 2020)

Heh thankfully Danny hadn't had any mites inflicted on him. 

  Earthquake knocked out marmite production a few years back. By the time they got it up and running again Promite and Vegemite got a bit more shelf space.


----------



## Nobby-W (Oct 6, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Heh thankfully Danny hadn't had any mites inflicted on him.
> 
> Earthquake knocked out marmite production a few years back. By the time they got it up and running again Promite and Vegemite got a bit more shelf space.



Yes, I remember the great NZ marmite shortage.  My folks live just outside Christchurch but I was living in Blighty by then.  I went back to visit around 2013/2014 and large chunks of it were still looking quite post-apocalyptic.

They also nearly got burned out in the 2006 grass fires.  I seem to mainly go visit just after some major disaster, but you could see where the grass had burned up to just a few metres from their house.


----------



## the Jester (Oct 7, 2020)

I'm super excited- I just got a box with four varieties of durian in it! My friend who went in on it with me is on his way over. At last I will get to try ripe durian!

EDIT: Have now tried these four varieties: the red prawn, green skin, black thorn, and hor lor durians. I liked them all, though definitely preferred the 'peanut butter cup'-like flavor of the hor lor the most and was a bit turned off by the sulphurous/eggy flavor of the red prawn. Overall I am very satisfied! Although this was pretty pricy- about $150 with shipping, split between my friend and I- this was a wonderful experience and well worth it (as a fruit aficionado). If anyone is interested, I got them via yearofthedurian.com.


----------



## Nobby-W (Oct 7, 2020)

the Jester said:


> I'm super excited- I just got a box with four varieties of durian in it! My friend who went in on it with me is on his way over. At last I will get to try ripe durian!
> 
> EDIT: Have now tried these four varieties: the red prawn, green skin, black thorn, and hor lor durians. I liked them all, though definitely preferred the 'peanut butter cup'-like flavor of the hor lor the most and was a bit turned off by the sulphurous/eggy flavor of the red prawn. Overall I am very satisfied! Although this was pretty pricy- about $150 with shipping, split between my friend and I- this was a wonderful experience and well worth it (as a fruit aficionado). If anyone is interested, I got them via yearofthedurian.com.



Durian is pretty much a love or hate thing.  I tried it in Indonesia but the effect was like a sort of onion-flavoured custard, and didn't do a lot for me.  It was only the one cultivar, though.  
No weapons, flammable liquids or durians allowed on the train.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 18, 2020)

Went out for a Sunday breakfast with family. Post election celebration of sorts. 






Buttermilk chicken bacon waffles with maple syrup and an added kransky. Would eat again. 





 Wife's egg benedict





 Brother in law's breakfast hot dog, kransky plus egg and whatever.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 18, 2020)

Kransky?


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 18, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Kransky?




 Type of sausage. Google gave me this. 









						Carniolan sausage - Wikipedia
					






					en.m.wikipedia.org
				




 Tastier than our somewhat bland sausages but very salty so can't eat it a lot. 

 It's kinda new to me tried it last year for the first time.

 I liked it well enough but I'm not a massive sausage fan and don't eat them a lot. 

 Probably pork. I'll eat pork but generally don't crave it.

  I wanted one of the kransky meals with extra waffles but that wasn't an option so I went for the waffles with a kransky added.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 22, 2020)

NZ hotdogs, chips, spring roll and deep fried cheese roll.

 What's a spring roll? Regional thing in the bottom half of the South Island. Basically bread with cheese and onion plus lots of variants rolled up and you grill them.

 One of the local fish and chip shops has carried it to the next level, battered and deep fried them.

 They're the two things top of the photo. I didn't buy this, about $10 USD for a deep fried heart attack.

 Recipe for cheese rolls.






						Cheese Rolls
					






					www.pams.co.nz


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 22, 2020)

When I was a kid in the mid-1970s, we lived in Stuttgart, Germany for 3 years.  There wasn’t a lot of American food available off base, and ethnic (non-European) food was similarly scarce.  Eventually, we found a Chknese place near the square where they held the Christkindlmarkt every year.  And they had somethkng on their menu I have never seen anywhere else: a giant spring roll.  

I mean, comparable in size to a chimichanga, stuffed with sprouts, cabbage, pork, onions, etc., and fried.  A complete dinner.  I can only guess it was a specialty of that particular place, because no other Chinese person I’ve asked about it knew what the hell I was talking about.  Who knows?  Maybe it was something they came up with to satisfy the local Germans, kind of like how Chinese cuisine gets Americanized here.


----------



## Cadence (Oct 24, 2020)

Is "unusual food usage" too off topic?  Anyway, I just found this video for the first time in ages.  6.5 year old me loved the ending.  (If the direct link below doesn't work, it's the first video at: Celebrate Gilda Radner’s Birthday With These Classic Saturday Night Live Sketches ).

https://link.theplatform.com/s/NnzsPC/media/2CQnlkkYbjOa?mbr=true&player=Widget Player&policy=43674


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 25, 2020)

Half cut tonight. Long weekend ordered Dominos pizza.

 Cheesy garlic scrolls. 





 And Mr Wedge Pizza. According to American friends putting potato wedges on pizza is weird.





 Wedges, mayo, cheese, pepperoni, ham, bbq sauce.

 The chicken bacon bbq pizza pretty average.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 25, 2020)

Cheeseburger donuts. Free heart attack.


----------



## Ulfgeir (Oct 26, 2020)

Had an interesting burger today.  Instead of bread they used a sugary donut.  In it was supposed to be pickled red onions (didn't really notice them), cheddar cheese, bacon and red chili. I replaced the bacon with jalapenos instead.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 26, 2020)

Today I learned that NZ and US chip dip varies. We use reduced cream they use sour cream. 


 Reduced cream basically only in Aussie and NZ. 

 Sour cream used on corn chips, wedges maybe fries. On potato wedges you might put sweet chilli sauce, sour cream, bacon and cheese/cheese sauce. 


 Team USA won.


----------



## Nobby-W (Oct 27, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Today I learned that NZ and US chip dip varies. We use reduced cream they use sour cream.
> 
> 
> Reduced cream basically only in Aussie and NZ.
> ...



Did they use Maggi onion soup for the dip, though?


----------



## cbwjm (Oct 27, 2020)

Nobby-W said:


> Did they use Maggi onion soup for the dip, though?



And if they didn't, did it even count as dip?


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 27, 2020)

Nobby-W said:


> Did they use Maggi onion soup for the dip, though?




 Yes. Onion soup is onion soup though really. 

 Maggi I don't think is NZ only it's owned by Nestle. 

 She put lemon juice in it I think we use vinegar. I lie we just buy dip.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 28, 2020)

Anything like this in USA? 

Turkish chicken shish with falafel. Technically the owner is Kurdish so slightly different than the other Turkish places. Delicious falafel. 





 Special, garlic and chilli sauce.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 28, 2020)

Probably.  There’s a sizable Mediterranean/Arabic/North African population here in D/FW, so there’s lots of different takes on the cuisine.  And not always run by people of the same country.  

For instance, I know a lot of Greek restaurants around here are run by Lebanese.  And several places are not so much one country’s take, but rather a broader regional fusion.  That said, I have eaten at Italian, Greek, Lebanese, “Persian“ (Iranian), Turkish, Armenian, Egyptian, Saudi, Ethiopian, Afghani, Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli places here.

And most of them were damn good!  Which makes Mom happy, since that her favorite non-American cuisine.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 28, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Probably.  There’s a sizable Mediterranean/Arabic/North African population here in D/FW, so there’s lots of different takes on the cuisine.  And not always run by people of the same country.
> 
> For instance, I know a lot of Greek restaurants around here are run by Lebanese.  And several places are not so much one country’s take, but rather a broader regional fusion.  That said, I have eaten at Italian, Greek, Lebanese, “Persian“ (Iranian), Turkish, Armenian, Egyptian, Saudi, Ethiopian, Afghani, Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli places here.
> 
> And most of them were damn good!  Which makes Mom happy, since that her favorite non-American cuisine.




 Kewl my mum liked it as well before she died. 

 We have Turkish each week before D&D. $12 meal here but I got the expensive plate. 

 The combo meal kebab/wrap, soda is $10.

 Not much more than a McDonalds combo.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 30, 2020)

Steak and Egg burger. Went to a place I hadn't been for a decade. Had better but everything was nice enough so happy happy. 





 Eating more fish this year. Third time. Chips were ok, fish was quite nice with tartare sauce.





 Ye old fish and chips kiwi style.


----------



## Zardnaar (Oct 31, 2020)

Chicken bacon burger with brie cheese and mango chutney. 




 One of the best chicken burgers I've had.  Breakfast menu at my local. Stinking hit day at 9:30 am late 20's.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Oct 31, 2020)

Can’t say I’m a fan of mango*- in a chutney or otherwise- but that still looks good!  Perhaps with a different fruity topping?



* I don’t hate them, but I don’t go looking for them either.


----------



## Zardnaar (Nov 1, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Can’t say I’m a fan of mango*- in a chutney or otherwise- but that still looks good!  Perhaps with a different fruity topping?
> 
> 
> 
> * I don’t hate them, but I don’t go looking for them either.




 I thought it was different. Actually worked well quite surprised.

 Prefer beef burgers but you can get pork, venison and lamb burgers as well (not at this place).

 Original plane was blue berry pancakes but waitress talked us into trying this.


----------



## Umbran (Nov 1, 2020)

So, no Halloween parties or trick-or-treaters this year.  So, my wife and I did a few workings from the Necronomnomnom...



Spoiler: Only for those who are willing to risk losing sanity...



The Fountains of Madness




Shogghoulash



Joe Slater's In-Bread Pudding


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 1, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> I thought it was different. Actually worked well quite surprised.
> 
> Prefer beef burgers but you can get pork, venison and lamb burgers as well (not at this place).
> 
> Original plane was blue berry pancakes but waitress talked us into trying this.



We have a few places around here where you can get burgers made with exotic meats.  Sadly, fewer than pre-Covid.

I was always game (_ahem_) to try them, too. I have had more buffalo (American Bison) than any other, but also Elk, Venison, Ostrich, Boar, Wagyu beef, and Camel. All were pretty good.

Wagyu was an experience.  I made the conscious decision to have it pretty plain- just mayo & grilled onions- so I could taste it without embellishments or cover.  It was some of the best ground beef I’ve ever had.  Beefy, but somehow...more subtle.  I would definitely do it again, and I’d still keep it simple.

Buffalo was the most like beef after Wagyu.  Lean but not dry, and intensely meaty

Ostrich was surprisingly beefy in both flavor and appearance considering it’s origins, but you could still taste the poultry-ness of it as well.

Elk and Venison were both meaty in their own way, and definitely gamier than buffalo.  I liked them, but think they work better as sausages or steaks than as burgers.

Boar is a favorite.  Whenever I see boar on the menu, it’s difficult to pass up.  Very flavorful, almost like a mix of beef and pork.  Plays VERY well with peppers.  I’m eagerly awaiting the state of Texas allowing commercial sale of processed boar meat (it’s an invasive species).

Camel is the one on that list I’d pass on.  It was...merely OK.  I’d definitely eat it again without hesitation if it were offered to me, but I don’t think I’ll ever go looking for it.  It was a lighter flavor, more like a chicken than what you’d expect from a quadruped.  Not worth the upcharge for its exotic origins, IMHO.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 1, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> We have a few places around here where you can get burgers made with exotic meats.  Sadly, fewer than pre-Covid.
> 
> I was always game (_ahem_) to try them, too. I have had more buffalo (American Bison) than any other, but also Elk, Venison, Ostrich, Boar, Wagyu beef, and Camel. All were pretty good.
> 
> ...




 We had a restaurant here that was Chinese and they did an ostrich dish. Very tender would try again.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 1, 2020)

Umbran said:


> So, no Halloween parties or trick-or-treaters this year.  So, my wife and I did a few workings from the Necronomnomnom...
> 
> 
> 
> ...




 Looks good, halloween not very big here the odd person does it.


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## Umbran (Nov 1, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> (it’s an invasive species).




Yeah, but it is hard to hold that against them.  I mean, they aren't invasive by choice.  Humans, however, are.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 1, 2020)

Umbran said:


> Yeah, but it is hard to hold that against them.  I mean, they aren't invasive by choice.  Humans, however, are.



Eating humans is a LOT farther from being legalized, even here in Texas.*

I know some people living in the reveal area around Houston who have had to deal with herds of 30+ on their property.  And even here in D/FW, some large adults have been spotted in some of the public parks.




* I _think._


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## Zardnaar (Nov 1, 2020)

Just ate breakfast cereal for dinner, still full from brunch.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 2, 2020)

Went to pick up my prescription and it was right there open for breakfast. Blueberry, banana, yoghurt think there's was maple syrup but may have been fruit juice or a mix. 





 Idk how to do pancakes like that buttermilk? Not to sweet or overwhelming.

 Ordered at restaurant, went to pharmacy back to restaurant then back to pharmacy to pick it up. 

  That's how I'm justifying it.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 3, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Went to pick up my prescription and it was right there open for breakfast. Blueberry, banana, yoghurt think there's was maple syrup but may have been fruit juice or a mix.
> 
> View attachment 128196
> 
> ...


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## Zardnaar (Nov 3, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> View attachment 128203




 I lived Community. Feeling bad normally do the dine out once a week or fortnight. 

 It's been a bad fortnight oops. 

 Diet and exercise time.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 3, 2020)

I lost Community when it changed from broadcast TV.  Great show, though.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 3, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I lost Community when it changed from broadcast TV.  Great show, though.




 What is this "broadcast tv" you speak off? 

 I don't think we've had it since 2011.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 10, 2020)

Beats me if you get this flavour overseas.





Generations of kiwi kids raised on this stuff. Boysenberry ripple ice cream with fruit salad. 

Brands important though. Tip Top not bad.


----------



## Zardnaar (Nov 10, 2020)

And perhaps the finest chocolate for it's price yet invented. 





 Whittaker's peanut, almond, hokey pokey slabs. School fundraiser/D&D snack.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 10, 2020)

I haven’t seen that brand, but I have had boysenberry ice cream before...decades ago.  Haven’t seen it much since then, and have no real recollection of it,

Whittakers rings a faint bell, too, but that could just be a trick of the mind.


----------



## Zardnaar (Nov 10, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I haven’t seen that brand, but I have had boysenberry ice cream before...decades ago.  Haven’t seen it much since then, and have no real recollection of it,
> 
> Whittakers rings a faint bell, too, but that could just be a trick of the mind.




 They're NZ brands, not impossible to find overseas but rare I'm guessing.

 I've seen NZ candy turn up in that USA box of candy from around the world youtube videos.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 14, 2020)

Parmesan and black truffle corn chips anyone?


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 14, 2020)

I’d give it a try.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 14, 2020)

Desert. Stuff you won't get in USA. Maybe Australia or UK idk. 

 Lammingtons. Sponge cake covered in chocolate or raspberry icing dipped in coconut.





 Chocolate brownie. 




 Both served up with whipped cream.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 14, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’d give it a try.




 Turns out they weren't corn chips. Not bad not amazing but ymmv some loved them.

 The balsamic vinegar and caramelized onion ones were much better imho.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 14, 2020)

Sounds good, too.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 14, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Sounds good, too.




 Yeah they're maybe my favorites. Think I got beaten up by a 6,8 and 10 year old.


----------



## Zardnaar (Nov 14, 2020)

Caramelized Onion and Sour cream.






These ones were pretty damn good.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 14, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Caramelized Onion and Sour cream.
> 
> View attachment 128524
> 
> These ones were pretty damn good.



I’ve seen those in my local shops.  Maybe I‘ll grab some to try!


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## Zardnaar (Nov 18, 2020)

Two birthdays and an anniversary this week. 

 Went to local Syrian place with family from Damascus. 

Starter. 





 Arayes meat and cheese with some sort of salad and cucumber yoghurt. Think it was lamb mince in the bread. 

 Main meal was Kabsa chicken. BBQ type spiced chicken on a spiced rice base. 





 Shaved nuts on top with raisins in the rice. 

Pretty damned good.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 19, 2020)

As I understand it Americans don't generally put egg in burgers. 

 The Steak and Egg burger via a different local fish and chip shop.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 19, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> As I understand it Americans don't generally put egg in burgers.
> 
> The Steak and Egg burger via a different local fish and chip shop.
> 
> View attachment 128677



It’s a rare, but it’s becoming more common.  There’s a korean-Californian fusion burger joint near me that has this as an option.  I bet a few if the newer places that opened nearby over the past year also offer them.

I haven’t tried it myself, but my cousin T. Jr. loves it.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 19, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> It’s a rare, but it’s becoming more common.  There’s a korean-Californian fusion burger joint near me that has this as an option.  I bet a few if the newer places that opened nearby over the past year also offer them.
> 
> I haven’t tried it myself, but my cousin T. Jr. loves it.




 It's goes well with bacon and/or pineapple 

  Bacon and egg pies here also a thing so going into a burger or english muffin isn't a huge leap.

 Didn't know what a cheeseburger was as a kid as it was default in everything although a plain burger was an option. 

Mcdonald's or KFC unless you were on a road trip. McDonalds was hugely disappointing first time. So tiny.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 20, 2020)

Salad with feta and haloumi cheese.





 Steak with peppercorn sauce, eggs, chips, 





Came with free desert. Cookie plus ice cream.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 21, 2020)

Between birthdays, anniversary's etc we haven't cooked for 4 nights and we're dining out for breakfast as well. 

 Tikka masala curry with onion baiji and tamarind sauce.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 21, 2020)

What’s baiji?


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## Zardnaar (Nov 21, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> What’s baiji?




 Think it's onion mixed with flour or something with spices deep fried.

 Oops spelling is bhaji,chickpea batter.





 Here's what the menu says.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 22, 2020)

I think I’ve had that or something similar, but not by that name.  Liked it!


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## Zardnaar (Nov 22, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I think I’ve had that or something similar, but not by that name.  Liked it!




 Yeah they're tasty. Can't eat to many of them though. Might stink the room out.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 22, 2020)

That’s the room’s problem, not mine!


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## Zardnaar (Nov 30, 2020)

17:00 mark.


 NZ fish and chip shop. Raw oysters plus deep fried chips, fish, oysters. 

 Doesn't do much for me. Seafood bleah.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Nov 30, 2020)

I’ve tried them a few times, but raw oysters are something that never appealed to me.  

My grandfather and his best friend, OTOH, got kicked out of an all you can eat buffet that included them among the selection.  Apparently, after 4-5 dozen APIECE, their meals were comped and they were asked to leave...and not return.


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## Zardnaar (Nov 30, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’ve tried them a few times, but raw oysters are something that never appealed to me.
> 
> My grandfather and his best friend, OTOH, got kicked out of an all you can eat buffet that included them among the selection.  Apparently, after 4-5 dozen APIECE, their meals were comped and they were asked to leave...and not return.




 Think we only have one all you can eat here that I know of. It's not that nice and not that cheap.

 They don't really put much in the way of delicacies to binge on either.


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## Zardnaar (Dec 5, 2020)

Open to suggestions, one hour.






						Menu ⋆ Alsultan Restaurant
					






					www.alsultan.co.nz
				




 Syrian/Arabic


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## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 5, 2020)

I’d be looking hard at the Laban, Falafel or Alsultan salad for starters and one of the grilled lamb dishes for my entree.  (I haven’t had lamb in a while. )


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## Zardnaar (Dec 5, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’d be looking hard at the Laban, Falafel or Alsultan salad for starters and one of the grilled lamb dishes for my entree.  (I haven’t had lamb in a while. )




 Just arrived. I think laban was on the side last time was delicious. Falafel here is good. Ok I'll go with grilled lamb.


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## Zardnaar (Dec 5, 2020)

As commanded. Mixed grill, lamb, lamb kofta, chicken.










 Arayes meat and cheese with laban and other sauces. 





 Falafel with a piece of kubba I swapped with my brother in law. Kubba was minced lamb inside.





Fantastic meal everyone seemed to enjoy it even the inlaws.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 5, 2020)

_Droooooooooooooool._


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## Zardnaar (Dec 5, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> _Droooooooooooooool._




 Yeah everyone loved it. Cheap as well I think they've underpriced things. Falafel was $3.50 usd.

 Mostly followed your recommendations Danny.


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## Zardnaar (Dec 6, 2020)

Just pizza but flavours might be different. 

Cheesy garlic scrolls. 





 Pizzas are "large" which here means 10". From NZ Domino's. 

 Mr Wedge
 Potato wedges, mayo, meat etc. 





 And some sort of burger flavour pizza. Had a gherkin/cheese taste.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 6, 2020)

I’d try any of those!


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## Zardnaar (Dec 6, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’d try any of those!




 Expat Americans generally like the Mr Wedge and kebabs. 

 They struggled with the bacon and egg pizzas with potato slices on top though.

 Can't find Chicago style deep dish though we do have American style pizzas.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 6, 2020)

Hell, I li


Zardnaar said:


> Expat Americans generally like the Mr Wedge and kebabs.
> 
> They struggled with the bacon and egg pizzas with potato slices on top though.
> 
> Can't find Chicago style deep dish though we do have American style pizzas.



I live in Dallas, and only know one place to get a decent Chicago style pizza.  Not surprisingly, the owner is from Chicago.


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## Zardnaar (Dec 6, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Hell, I li
> 
> I live in Dallas, and only know one place to get a decent Chicago style pizza.  Not surprisingly, the owner is from Chicago.




 I've got American friend over here and he likes Dominoes here.

 He can't remember everything though he has been back occasionally but doesn't eat everything while he's there. 

 Chicago pizza is one thing I can find though. I found a couple from USA that sold Gumbo (recently closed due to Covid). 

 Gumbo of all things but haven't found Chicago Pizza.


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## Zardnaar (Dec 7, 2020)

Forgot to include the chicken wings for nephew. He's 6 didn't like them. They were a bit of a failure.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 7, 2020)

There’s an Indian-owned pizza place just around the corner from me- takeout/delivery only- that has a limited but surprisingly good menu.

They do nothing better than any of my other favorite pizza joints*, but everything they do is good enough that we often buy from them because they’re closer.  We’ve used them for the better part of a decade, and I’ve probably tried 85% of their menu.  But recently, we decided to try a couple of things we hadn’t yet.

Well, as it turns out, their cheesy garlic bread is pretty good.  And their Buffalo wings are too.  Again, not as good as my faves, but definitely good enough.

The Buffalo wings will probably be bought more frequently than the other apps because theirs are milder than most, but cooked to tender, juicy perfection.  So, what they lack in punch, they make up for in texture.  And the fact that they’re mild will appeal to my parents a bit more.





* except their Indian fusion pizzas, of course


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## Zardnaar (Dec 7, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> There’s an Indian-owned pizza place just around the corner from me- takeout/delivery only- that has a limited but surprisingly good menu.
> 
> They do nothing better than any of my other favorite pizza joints*, but everything they do is good enough that we often buy from them because they’re closer.  We’ve used them for the better part of a decade, and I’ve probably tried 85% of their menu.  But recently, we decided to try a couple of things we hadn’t yet.
> 
> ...




 Cheesy garlic whatever works well. Garlic breads an old favorite here. Pizza place serves it up with parmesan cheese in a shaker.

 Some if our closet places are turning into favorites, breakfast menu anyway.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 7, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> Cheesy garlic whatever works well. Garlic breads an old favorite here. Pizza place serves it up with parmesan cheese in a shaker.
> 
> Some if our closet places are turning into favorites, breakfast menu anyway.



I’ll be making some tomorrow, in fact.  My paternal aunt brought us a big loaf of what the locals call french bread (it isn’t), so I thought I’d season it up and give it a trip through the ol’ toaster oven.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 7, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’ll be making some tomorrow, in fact.  My paternal aunt brought us a big loaf of what the locals call french bread (it isn’t), so I thought I’d season it up and give it a trip through the ol’ toaster oven.




Wrap in tinfoil, garlic butter add herbs or cheese?


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## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 7, 2020)

Mostly that, yep.  

I’ve got parsley, black pepper and garlic powder.  There’s also loads of butter, and a few cheeses on hand that would work very well residing in my fridge.  Some of the recipes- yes, _recipes_- I've seen include extra virgin olive oil or outright sub out butter with it.


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## Zardnaar (Dec 7, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Mostly that, yep.
> 
> I’ve got parsley, black pepper and garlic powder.  There’s also loads of butter, and a few cheeses on hand that would work very well residing in my fridge.  Some of the recipes- yes, _recipes_- I've seen include extra virgin olive oil or outright sub out butter with it.




 Sounds familiar. The classic one is french baguette garlic butter. All sorts of bread and condiments now.


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## Zardnaar (Dec 9, 2020)

Pre D&D session vegetarian falafel iskander. 




 There's some rice in there somewhere.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 10, 2020)

No pix, but I had a falafel sandwich for lunch.  Kinds like a po-boy, but with tahini and tzaziki instead of mayo, a pita instead of French bread, and falafel instead of oysters.

Pretty good!


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## Zardnaar (Dec 10, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> No pix, but I had a falafel sandwich for lunch.  Kinds like a po-boy, but with tahini and tzaziki instead of mayo, a pita instead of French bread, and falafel instead of oysters.
> 
> Pretty good!




 I'm thinking of having it today.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 10, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> I'm thinking of having it today.



Also, Mom mixed her Lebanese garlic spread with her babaganoush- as she usually does- and we tried it on Tostitos corn chips just for giggles.

Joke’s on us- it was GOOD!


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 10, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Also, Mom mixed her Lebanese garlic spread with her babaganoush- as she usually does- and we tried it on Tostitos corn chips just for giggles.
> 
> Joke’s on us- it was GOOD!




 I don't see why that wouldn't work. 

 Babaganoush is it a middle east dish?


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 10, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> I don't see why that wouldn't work.
> 
> Babaganoush is it a middle east dish?



Yep.  Smoked/toasted eggplant, puréed and seasoned.  Similar to hummus, but different enough to be its own thing.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 10, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Yep.  Smoked/toasted eggplant, puréed and seasoned.  Similar to hummus, but different enough to be its own thing.




 Yeah I've had it at All Sultan. Thought I may have gotten it mixed up with Hungarian dish. 

 Wasn't sure if others also did it. Very delicious starter.

 Food from Morocco through to Iran is very good and Indians also nice. Heard good things about Afghani food and Pakistan as well so yeah.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 11, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> No pix, but I had a falafel sandwich for lunch.  Kinds like a po-boy, but with tahini and tzaziki instead of mayo, a pita instead of French bread, and falafel instead of oysters.
> 
> Pretty good!




 I blame you. Falafel schwarma with fries and bbq sauce and aioli. 






Similar in price to a large quarter pounder combo. Surprisingly filling and one of the best I've had it was delicious.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 11, 2020)

Nice!

I’m not a huge fan of falafel, but every once in a while, I really crave it.  This was my first time trying it at this particular spot.  Saw the sandwich version on the menu and had to order it.  Not the best I’ve ever had, but definitely a hit.  Would have again.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 11, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> Nice!
> 
> I’m not a huge fan of falafel, but every once in a while, I really crave it.  This was my first time trying it at this particular spot.  Saw the sandwich version on the menu and had to order it.  Not the best I’ve ever had, but definitely a hit.  Would have again.




 Well it's an $8 meal. One place has nicer falafel but not as nice filling, or you can go get a falafel kebab at about the same price without the chips.

 Hence why we rarely eat McDonalds. Same/similar price get a kebab/wrap.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 12, 2020)

Went out for breakfast, that time of year it seems. 





 Open steak sandwich, quote tasty. 

Kiwi big breakfast. Basically a mixed grill. Not my order.




Baked beans, sausage, bacon, eggs, hash browns.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 12, 2020)

Largest meringues I've seen. Bigger than my fist.





 And walnut and date slice. Bought as a treat for later. Ginger icing.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 13, 2020)

I ate to much that came thing..... So phat


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 18, 2020)

Went to a bakery here. As I understand it ours are different to US/UK ones. 

 The savory selection. Pies here not sweet although you can get apple pie. Egg and bacon savouries, sausage rolls, heat and eat pizza, various pies. 





 The sweet buns type stuff. Custard squares, brandy snaps, lammingtons.





 And what we think if as American donuts. No idea of how authentic they are. 




 Lots of bread,cookies etc this is more stuff you would grab for lunch or snack.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 20, 2020)

Tan slice. Not sure if you can get it outside NZ. 





 Knife for scale. Kinda like a shortbread with half an inch of caramel on top with chocolate and biscuit topping.





__





						Tan Slice Recipe | Chelsea Sugar
					

Caramel sandwiched between lovely soft shortcake, this tan slice is so easy to make that you might find yourself making it a little too often!




					www.chelsea.co.nz
				




 Recipe idk if you can get golden syrup overseas. It's basically liquid suger.

Edit. It's a type of treacle.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 25, 2020)

Christmas dinner minus a few dishes yet to come. 





 And my plate. 5 salads, purple, white, orange kumara (Polynesian sweet potato), roast lamb, ham, peas. Later 3 more the boomers, salads Generation X.





 Summer here hence more salad.


----------



## the Jester (Dec 25, 2020)

Zardnaar said:


> And what we think if as American donuts. No idea of how authentic they are.



Looks pretty authentic to me.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 25, 2020)

the Jester said:


> Looks pretty authentic to me.




 Our classic donuts are deep fried served hot with cinnamon suger.


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 27, 2020)

Living in the "Pavlova Paradise" this is a Pavlova. You probably won't find it outside Australia/New Zealand. 





 It's a soft meringue pie sorta topped with whipped cream and usually strawberries or kiwi. Any berries or cherries also works. 

 This one has peach slices and candy sprinkles.

 Our equivalent of apple pie I suppose. Christmas tradition or there about.


----------



## Dannyalcatraz (Dec 27, 2020)

I’ve had something similar once or twice, but never knew what I was eating...besides the fact that it was tasty!


----------



## Zardnaar (Dec 27, 2020)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> I’ve had something similar once or twice, but never knew what I was eating...besides the fact that it was tasty!




 Bit sugery for me.


----------

