Thai Yum, Birkenhead

My sister, Daphne, and I were passing through Birkenhead yesterday when we decided to stop for an early dinner. Our first choice was a korean restaurant but it was close so we went to Thai Yum. Thai Yum is a favourite of my sister's but a first time for me. Having heard a lot about it from friends, I was quite looking forward to it.

First impressions? It was small and looks wise there wasn't really anything special about it. The owner of the store is a young mum who is incredibly lovely! She was all smiles and very easy to get along with. She made all her customers feel welcome with her outgoing nature. She served us tea in a really cute asian tea cup which I had never seen before. Since my sister and I have given up meat (except for fish) for the season of Lent, we opted for a tofu dish recommended by the owner. We also wanted a fish dish so again she recommended one which was made up of fish fillets and red curry sauce.

The thing I was most impressed with was the the owner went to the fish store right after we ordered to buy fresh fish! It was explained to me that their food is always fresh even if it means they have to go out and buy it. When the food arrived, it was amazing! The tofu dish was topped with broccoli, cauliflower, beans, etc and then topped with a sauce that did the dish all sorts of favours. I love healthy food and I loved that this dish was not too oily or saucy. However the fish dish, now that was perfect. For one thing, the portion was really generous which is quite surprising for a thai dish because thai restaurants are known to serve in small portions. The fish was covered in the most amazing red curry sauce. It was spicy but not too spicy and here is where the fresh fish came in... it was soft and tender and tasted divine! I loved it!

So till here, the service gets a big tick, the food gets a big tick. So far so good! The decor was really lovely too. They had red table clothes which really gave the place colour though the restaurant only had two two-sitter tables. I was also quite impressed though by this huge gong like structure that hung in the background. It was huge and had hints of colour engraved into stones all over it. The restaurant also had a flat screen television on the wall behind the counter that played a video of a man teaching how to carve a piece of fruit into a flower shape. This was great because they had a lot of people coming in for takeaways so while they waited for the food, they could watch the video and have a cup of tea.

This is probably one of my favourite thai restaurants and the best place I've been to. The price was normal for a thai restaurant and also very reasonable. I will certainly be going back there again and again. Absolutely! You must try it :)

If you plan to go to Thai Yum:

• Note that seating is limited so it won't be suitable for a big group
• Be hungry!
• Check out DUTCH DELIGHTS, a few stores down that serves the most amazing dutch desserts!

Overall rating: 4.5/5 Excellent service, atmosphere and food!

Thai Yum address and phone number:

23 Birkenhead Ave
Birkenhead
North Shore City

09 480 6799

Tony's Restaurant on Wellesley

Apologies I have no pictures for this post.

Oh, Tony! I am not a big fan of beef or steak unfortunately, however there was always something about Tony's steak house that I thoroughly enjoyed. I've been there about four times now and my experience was always delightful. Therefore it was no surprise that I've been itching to introduce Josh to the restaurant for a while now. Many opportunities had risen but somehow we ended up choosing other restaurants. However, last Friday, we finally got the chance!

It was date night and the moment had arrived. Finally, Josh would be able to have a taste of what I had been going on and on about, like, forever! BUT, let me skip way ahead to the very end and say this... I have never been so disappointed. Tony's failed me! And I do not think it was a coincidence or a one off thing. I honestly think that the standards at Tony's has fallen! When I was still a faithful follower of Tony's in the past, many people had told me they did not like it there and the food was bad. But I'd just laugh it off really. Sad to say now, I don't think I'll be going back. Let me start from the beginning...

Upon entering the restaurant, there were quite a few people lined up in front of us looking for a table. When we were served, I have to say the manager was not friendly at all. Maybe she wasn't having a good day, who knows, but that's okay, we don't let that bother us. I think our only fault that night was that we did not have any reservations, oh and maybe also having such high expectations for the food. However because we had no reservations, the only available table was one by the front door and window which was one of their more uncomfortable tables. Oh, the space was tiny! The table was so slim and the plates were so big, they could hardly fit. The bench was so close to the table that our knees touched. However again we smile because it's not their fault and anyway, the delish food would make up for it. We ordered an appetizer, nachos, Josh ordered the Tony's house steak as his main and I had a creamy mushroom fettucini. We also ordered a side of chips because I had always thought Tony's had the BEST chips!

When the food came, it looked great! The nachos really was quite good but the rest of the meals were disappointing. Josh complained that the steak was way too dry and chewy. My pasta... I ate about a quarter of it and took the rest home. It was incredibly cheesy, creamy and oily. Yes I know it's called creamy mushroom but I didn't expect them to dump the whole bottle in one plate! The chips was disappointing too. I had thought that at least that was one thing that would still blow me away but no. The usual crisp was gone and there wasn't enough dressing as there used to be. Needless to say, neither Josh nor I finished our food. As for my pasta? Well it lasted me my two next meals the next day. I had it for lunch and finally finished it for dinner. When I did, I looked at the bottom and all I saw was a thick layer of oil. Now that is disgusting.

The upside of it though? Service from the waitress and waiter were excellent. They were very helpful and lovely and happy to fill our requests such as having both tartare sauce and aioli dressing for our chips instead of just one choice. And as always, the ambience and decor at Tony's is fantastic. It has a low lighting feel and a sort of middle eastern touch to the decor. I like how private it feels with soft music in the background and good service just a call away. It is also great if you're looking for a place where you can dress casually or formally without anyone staring at you weird.

Anyway, Josh and I did not end up staying for dessert given that we were already disappointed so we scooted off as quickly as we could. Oh and the manager, she finally managed to give us one big smile after we had paid and left.

If you plan to go to Tony's:

• Make reservations to avoid disappointment and a crappy table
• When ordering, ask questions
• Remember that Tony's has a few other brother/sister chains on Lorne St & Victoria St

Our overall rating: 2.5/5 (I have given more scores for the good service and environment)

Website: http://www.tonys.co.nz/

Introduction to my blog!

Hi everyone! 


As you may or may not already know, i have started this blog, mainly from my passion and love for goooood food! Why? Because I have had too many experiences looking for a fine dining restaurant to eat at but never being able to go 'YES! That's the place I wanna go!' without some sort of hesitation. Most of the reviews I've read are short, boring, biased, judged by experts which can be unfair and well, boring. Too many words and not enough pictures! This will be different. My entries will be fun, imaginative and detailed! They can be long or short but I promise you a wonderful journey! 


My boyfriend, Josh, and I love exploring different places to dine and yes we definitely have our favourites ranging from high class to low class. However our exploration never stops. We have a deal to dine at at least one fine dining restaurant every month, just to you know, keep the fun in the relationship and of course, satisfy our culinary cravings. Therefore from time to time, I will write about the fine dining restaurants in AUCKLAND and also the cheaper places to go. The main reason however that i want to start this blog, dear readers, is for YOU! I don't want others like me to go through the same experience and make finding a restaurant a pain in the arse! I would feel selfish if I did not share my PERSONAL opinions from an unbiased and non-expert way. Josh and I are just average people who just want to enjoy a meal! And I am sure most of you are too! :)

Love, Clare