What we ate, part two

We had another day in Queenstown on our way back to the east coast. With only a few hours to spend, Ellen, EAP and I felt sure that eating a Fergburger was the best use of our time. It's apparently a tradition in Queenstown, and the owner refuses to franchise it, so you'll just have to go there.

As you can see, the classic Fergburger with cheese was a good size.

 

The French fries (hot chips??) were delicious and abundant, especially with the garlic mayonnaise accompaniment.

 

At the other end of the scale was Hopgood's, said to be the best restaurant in Nelson. We thought it was delicious!

 

Lamb with peas, mint and feta

 

Snapper

 

Panna cotta with jammy dodgers

 

Cheese plate featuring local cheeses

 

Desserts in general looked better than they tasted. Here is our last REI dessert, not quite a Pavlova, or is it?

 

And here is a typical pastry case, this one in Geraldine. Beware the lolly cake!

 

All told, my favorites were the green-lipped mussels, the coffee, and any sandwich eaten outdoors with a beautiful view.

What we ate

The food was very good, and the coffee was outstanding. Once you figure out the difference between a flat white and a long black, you're set. (The difference between a flat white and a latte was a bit harder to discern.)

Most famous, next to NZ lamb, are their mussels. Two people to whom I mentioned green lipped mussels recoiled in horror, but it only means that the tips of their shells are green. The mussels themselves were plump and briny and tasty. Here they are at Luciano's in Queenstown.

 

The mussels at Fishbone show the green coloring better.

 

I also enjoyed a rabbit and hare frittata. It was delicious, though I could not tell the difference, if any, between the two.

 

This is brunch in Auckland with EAP's midwife friend Claire, enjoyed in sight of the beach.

 

 

New Zealand pastries were uneven. They all looked beautiful - well, maybe not the lolly squares made of multicolored candies - but they were often dull.

 

Alice was a wonderful cook and forager, and our lunches on the REI trip were usually sandwiches or other picnic food. Here's a picnic on the shores of Lake Te Anau, made even more delicious by the marvelous view.

 

Whitebait is a specialty of the South Island, with locals staking out the best fishing spots year after year. We had the impression that it was more of a tradition than a genuine delicacy, but we enjoyed these whitebait fritters at Fishbone.

 

The blue cod with risotto was delicious,

 

as was the monkfish.

 

Au revoir, Paris

It's been almost three weeks, so I guess it's time to say goodbye to Paris - until next time. Here's a picture of my souvenirs, all bought at the Monoprix.

 

The tuna, lentils and mustard were recommended in something I read somewhere. The Speculoos ditto. It's a Belgian "delicacy," a bit too sweet for me but might be good over ice cream. The soap was an inexpensive one we bought for the apartment and liked, and the toothpaste is an unknown but being flavored with ginger sounded good. The cheese knife is for all the French cheese I will be eating from now on.

Now that it's over, I can only wonder why I hadn't traveled to Paris more recently than 1967. There are so many places on the list, but I think most of them will accommodate a brief layover in Paris...

What we ate

pickled mackerel
galette with cheese and a soft-boiled egg
herring
duck confit
salade aux noix
apple compote with whipped cream

lamb shanks with zucchini and tomato

 

crepes Grand Marnier at Cafe le Nemours near the Louvre

 

hot chocolate from Angelina's

 

cheese, not just on the food walk, but with our wine before dinner every evening

 

deux coupes de champagne at Cafe Deux Magots

 

bone marrow at Poules au Pot

 

Croque Madame at a cafe in Montmartre

 

restorative cups of tea

 

beautiful composed salads, this one from Cafe Deux Magots

 

pistachio macarons

 

muesli, demi-creme (half-skim) and croissants for breakfast

How do you cook a sea urchin?

We strolled along the rue Cler, in St. Germain des Pres, to hunt and gather tonight's dinner. Roses, Halloween chocolates, oysters, currants, sea urchins and clementines from Spain with the leaves still on them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the end, we took home lemony chicken thighs, celery puree, fried mushrooms (girelles) and spinach. For dessert, a tarte fine aux poires. So delicious.

If you want to cook a sea urchin, try grilling it. But I'd rather just admire their purply prickles.