What restaurants to try and what to make at home this week. Photos / Getty, Supplied and Instagram
From foodie events to the best restaurants, recipes and diet tips, here are the best bites of food news this week.
An old tyre warehouse has been transformed into an artistic cafe for a more spiritual kind of realignment and balance, and a cheesy scone.
"To describe this as a cafe doesn't quite cut it. It's like a gallery but more tactile, with bold installations, sculptures, antique tin toys and art. It's not as chaotic as it sounds. Eccentric, but stylishly curated."
Read the full brunch review here.
Canvas' Kim Knight tries a new gastro pub on a busy night and found some joys from an English childhood.
"The menu is "ye olde English" with the briefest of nods to the suburb's more dominant cuisine - that is a vindaloo mayonnaise with the pint glass of chips ($8). Think Scotch eggs, bubble and squeak and gammon steaks (with pineapple)."
Read all about it here.
• Amber Rose's Perfect Sponge Cake
She's been a chef for Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow and now Amber Rose shares her fail-safe sponge cake recipe from her new book The Wholefood Pantry.
"This is my fail-safe recipe for whipping up a light and airy sponge for birthday cakes and afternoon tea parties. It's super-easy and spelt is a great alternative to plain white flour."
Try it out here.
Bite contributor Warren Elwin picks four spring picnic recipes, including pork, apple and sage sausage rolls and Were Bros chocolate cookies.
"This is Carter Were's recipe for the 'really good' chocolate cookies you can buy at Were Bros at 480 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn."
See the four recipes here.
• Annabel Langbein's Christmas cake
Annabel Langbein knows it's best to make your Christmas cake early. She shares three of her favourite festive cake recipes with Canvas.
"For me, however, Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without Christmas cake. Just making this traditional cake is the trigger that gets me into the Christmas spirit, and I love the dense, rich fruitiness, that age-old blend of spices, and sometimes even a fat double layer of icing, almond and royal."
Get into the Christmas spirit and find the recipes here.
• The foods all men should be eating
Nutritionist and author Rob Hobson reveals what men should eat to be in peak health, including foods that help erectile function.
"According to the UK's Sexual Advice Association, a man in his 40s with erectile dysfunction has a 50-fold greater risk of having a heart attack over the next ten years. Even if you are able to rise to the occasion, low intake of omega-3 fatty acids may impact on fertility."
Get the full list of recommendations here.
• The world's healthiest countries' weight loss habits
Some countries are home to more 100-year-olds than others. Looking to these areas, researchers have found the healthiest habits for long life.
"Residents in Okinaya (Japan) practice an eating philosophy of 'hara hachi bu', which encourages eating until you're 80 per cent full. It's a cultural habit that helps keep portions in check, in contrast to the more Western behaviour of clearing our plates (and then having a second helping)."
Learn more here.
• What happens to your body when you drink a can of Red Bull
From a rising heart rate to withdrawal symptoms, a can of Red Bull can make changes in your body from the first 10 minutes of sipping to a day later.
"12-24 hours: For regular Red Bull drinkers, this is the point where withdrawal symptoms will kick in. You may begin to feel irritable, constipated, and suffer from headaches."
Read the full timeline here.
BOWL AND ARROW, opening in Orakei
The healthy yet affordable wholefoods favourite Bowl and Arrow has just opened a store and cafe at the new Orakei Bay Village. It's known for smoothie bowls and snacks packed full of superfood ingredients.
"The team are best known for their signature thick and creamy smoothie bowls, with veggies, fruit, superfoods and coconut, topped with paleo granola, banana and freeze-dried raspberries, and also serve raw treats, paleo muffins, coffee, juices and salads."
See why Viva is excited by this new store.
You need to think pink if you visit The Jefferson's sparkling new gin and champagne pop-up in Auckland's CBD. It's been painted floor to ceiling in candy pink and the bar is made up of gorgeous flowers. But it's not just a pretty face - it has a long and complex gin list.
"A pop-up gin cocktail and rose champagne bar, The Juniper Room, designed by The Block judge and renowned interior designer Paul Izzard, will feature 400 different types of gin, 100 at a time, over the next couple of months."
Check it out along with more of Viva's favourite new openings.
On a budget? Nikki Birrell crunches the numbers and plans some menus.