Not so Little, and not just on Fridays...

Mother and I went to Friday and Little today. I love them. I love the table decorations, the water in old milk bottles, the mixed-up teaspoons and the exhibition of cake plates on the big tables. I love the staff. I love the customers. I almost didn't mind the noisy baby and the annoyingly American accent behind me and the jostling people who had to push me to get past even though I was pulled right in.

 Beautiful cream and jam doughnuts

 The water is filled with mint and comes in old milk bottles and milk crates

 These gorgeous table decorations sit upon glass bricks. I think they were real cake - left to go hard so I couldn't eat them

We brought home 1 each of the 3 best slices... after dinner, these will disappear. Just like magic.

I love the doughnuts. I love the coffee but would love it even more if it were hot. I adore the smells and the warehouse that could be an apartment. I'm not quite so in love with Martha's because the girls there I find a bit snooty. They may well be better than me. Many are. But when they act like they are, I don't feel like spending money there.

 Mum had a walnut caramel tart - it looked so fantastic and was HUGE

 My doughnut was a plain one - I only saw as we left that they'd put cream adn jam ones out. Adie, Trish and Sue I want you to know that I resisted. This time.

 Beautiful glass bell jar and chocolate cake on the table.

 Packaged cakes and sweets to take home in an emergency.

 Slices. Caramel. Fruit. Lots of icing. Yumminess!!!

 The lamingtons are like towers, or like Christmas cakes. Just adorable.

Oh my I run out of superlatives. Just go there.

Nettle Cheese is my favourite

SISTER ANN REVIEWS Look at the face on Mum as she runs away with her hoard of cheeses. Herd of cheeses? Clutch of cheeses, I say... I attempt to stop myself from buying these cheeses as I come home and tear chunks off as a snack, whenever I open the fridge.

ATMOSPHERE 10 FOOD 10  SERVICE 10  

Craig's favourite Chinese Restaurant

SISTER ANN REVIEWS. There is very little food shown in this review. It was so messy and gone so fast. RAMS Restaurant is a tiny café and even though we had 6 people at our table, there was something in front of us almost immediately. Everything was excellent. Craig loves Asian and Indian food so I go with his choices. What astounded me was the bill - $153.00 total. We brought a couple of bottles with us, and I think we added a couple of Cokes. Fantastic value and utterly gorgeous food.

ATMOSPHERE 8 FOOD 9 SERVICE 9 

Where is it please? (Good grief, you pay people to do a job and you get this...?)  Also, ATMOSPEHERE does not need so many E's.

Hello again old friend!!!

SISTER ANN REVIEWS. Sigh- I. LOVE. THE. GREEN. PARROT. Situated in Wellington Central, right around the corner from Parliament, all the politicians eat here. Brother Craig (a chef) (why aren't you writing this Craig?) tell him to start his own thank you! Christine. told me once it was Winny's favourite Restaurant. Winston Peters (oops almost called you Concrete Peters). That was enough for me. Never voted for you Winny, but I like you. By the time we left, the entire Maori Party was there with Turiana Turia. The food is preceded by a plate of bread and butter. I wanted to photograph it but by the time I got the camera out of my handbag, Craig and son Mick had eaten the entire stack. So Craig ordered another stack and I only managed to get this photo of a few slices as they thought it was a great joke to try and eat the complete stack again, before I got organized. I asked Craig what was good here and he said "the wiener Schnitzel" "I'm not ordering Weiner Schnitzel in a restaurant!" I said. My thinking is, if I can cook it, it is pretty darned easy and the chef cannot be that good. I asked the waiter. " Weiner Schnitzel ". "Well - the Weiner Schnitzel then" I said. It was goooood..reeeel Goooood! Mick had the steak. His hand is in beside it on the plate to indicate how big it is. Mick is 6'2" tall. The flounder which Cheryl had was actually twin giant flounders. The chef obviously didn't want to part brother and sister.

ATMOSPEHERE 10 FOOD 10 SERVICE 10               

A salad with 26 ingredients...

SISTER ANN REVIEWS Lunch at ‘The Trocadero’ in Masterton. A salad for me called the Trocadero. Nanna had a basic toasted sandwich but it was perfectly presented. Forget that. My salad made an understatement out of a classic chicken salad. It had these ingredients; raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, sprouts, mixed lettuce leaves, apricot, paupaw, Vogel croutons, smoked chicken, bacon, pear, nectarine, cucumber, red pepper, radish, avocado, apple, carroty, tomatoes, snow peas, pineapple, beetroot, grapes, finished with an asparagus stalk and a strand of chive. Sob- it’s too far to go every day from Rotorua. Make it yourself at home! You have the recipe! Christine

ATMOSPHERE 9 FOOD 10 SERVICE 9

Adult iceblocks! Ice Bar

No, they are not shaped like naked women so you can lick them...
First taste and you know they're going to be your favourite for Summer. Ginger Beer! Beauty lemonade - not at all sweet but really fruity. But what I really really like is the recipes on the side.

oh no I did Yum Cha again!!!?

SISTER ANN’S REVIEW: Yum Cha once more …this time with Harry and Kathrine in Elliot Street Auckland at the Dragon Boat. I remembered going there in 1991 I think when it opened. The food was a-maze-ing!!!  Kathrine had not tasted Yum Cha and loved green tea sowhat better reason? Tenuous - but any excuse really. Kathrine is out running now and that is also where I should be…but is there Yum Cha at the end of it? No there is not. How many days til I can go back to Yum Cha? I'm saying perhaps one. Or two.

AMBIENCE  7/10                    SERVICE  10/10                       FOOD  9/10

Oh I'm in coffee heaven

Just look what I have this morning ...

the most beautiful little black and gold cups, halva and Arabic coffee.

The coffee is hot, sweet and strong and Maryna - Stewart's newest employee - has brought some Arabic coffee which is flavoured with cardamom.

Where is our nearest Arabic shop!? I'm suddenly a black coffee drinker!

'Simmering' Yum Cha

YUM! Cha

SISTER ANN’S REVIEW: hi Chris-this is a pictorial review of 'Simmering' in Eruera Street, Rotorua. Yum cha (simplified Chinese: 饮茶; traditional Chinese: �茶), also known as Ban ming (品茗), is a dining experience which involves drinking Chinese tea and eating dim sum dishes. Yum cha in Cantonese literally means "drink tea". That was the wikipedia summation of Yum Cha. Is that it? That is not enough! YUM YUMMMMM yumm CHAAAAA!!! That is more helpful . I have been waiting til I can return. I LOVED it! Is it too early to return to a restaurant with a one day gap? Sister Ann, guest reviewer. Christine is busy getting together her new showing at the Gift show in August so she gave me the reins. Whoaaaaaa.

AMBIENCE  4/10                    SERVICE  8/10                       FOOD  9/10