As publishers of MenuMania we need to ensure that food outlets are made aware of suspected food-borne illnesses, so they can take action and investigate.

Food poisoning or viral?
It can take between 20 minutes and up to several weeks to become sick due to food contaminated by pathogens – and your illness may not be caused by the last thing you ate. In addition to this, it may be a case of a contagious viral bug that you and/or your group of friends have all contracted at the same time (it happens!), rather than being caused by food that you ate together.

Take these steps:

Please report it to your local Public Health Unit straight away;
Plus we recommend that you contact the restaurant’s management directly;
Consult your family doctor if your symptoms persist, or are severe.
For further info click here or visit www.foodsmart.govt.nz

Every food outlet owner who we have ever spoken to has been horrified if a customer has ever had such an experience . . . and they make every effort to investigate it.

Reviews referring to diners becoming ’sick’ are generally held on the ‘back-burner’ until sufficient opportunity has been given to the restaurant to investigate the reviewer’s concerns. Once they are aware of it, the management can then go through their standard procedures for dealing with a food quality complaint.

MenuMania is excited about Conscious Consumers, which welcomes consumers, cafes and businesses that supply cafes to join the conscious consumer movement.

Conscious Consumers is an amazing tool for the cafe/coffee loving community in key centres of New Zealand.

Good info on both environmental & social aspects of products & services can be tricky for consumers to locate. Similarly, small businesses like cafes need clear support that makes it easier for them to reduce any environmental/social impacts of their business practices. This project aims to:

• Encourage and support cafes to adopt more environmentally and socially conscious business practices
• Empower consumers to make more informed purchasing choices.

The project promotes nine practices which make good business sense, respect people and the environment and reflect current ‘conscious’ consumer preferences. These practices are:

The project has developed a guide for cafes which details the value in and how to adopt each of these practices. Cafes are able to earn a badge for each practice, which is displayed to consumers instore. Check it out on www.consciousconsumers.org.nz

Osteria del Toro (2 lunch sittings)

Logan Brown

Tinakori Bistro (3 sittings throughout the day 11am – 9pm)

Andrews Bar and Restaurant (Lower Hutt)

Whitby’s at James Cook Hotel Lunch/Dinner

Chameleon Restaurant Hotel Intercontinental -Breakfast/Lunch/Dinner

Hippopotamus – Museum Hotel – Breakfast Lunch Dinner

Let MenuMania know if you find out about more NZ eating establishments who will be providing feasts on Christmas Day this year!

Blind Dining Experience at Euro Restaurant

At Simon’s own Euro Restaurant and Bar on Princes Wharf, you will be blindfolded on entry.  Being without sight for the evening will give you a small window into the experience of living with a life-altering disability.

Simon has personally designed a special menu of food and drink which will be described to you as each course is completed on the night.

By buying a ticket you support the work of cbm with a donation of $50, the remaining $100 cover the expenses for food and wine.

An incredibly unique experience designed around the finest food and drink in Auckland’s premier location.

All in support of cbm’s life changing work.

Upcoming Dates in Auckland:

• Sunday 13 November 2011 @ 7:00 pm
• Monday 14 November 2011 @ 7:00 pm
• Sunday 20 November 2011 @ 7:00 pm

Book here: http://www.cbm-nz.org.nz ]]> http://www.menumania.co.nz/blog/2011/11/blind-dining-experience-at-euro-restaurant-cbm/feed/ 0 http://www.menumania.co.nz/blog/2011/09/hospitality-new-zealand-awards-for-excellence-2011-finalists/ http://www.menumania.co.nz/blog/2011/09/hospitality-new-zealand-awards-for-excellence-2011-finalists/#comments Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:03:49 +0000 Karen http://www.menumania.co.nz/blog/?p=1373 “Casual dining restaurants, cool ‘n’ classy bars, four-star hotels, and traditional Kiwi country pubs and are among the finalists selected in this year’s hotly-contested Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence.”

Winners are to be announced at an awards dinner during Hospitality New Zealand’s annual conference in Christchurch on 3 November 2011.  Finalists for 2011’s Hospitality New Zealand Awards for Excellence include:

Best bar:
Brew on Quay, Auckland
Shed 2, Napier
Suite, Auckland
The Zookeeper’s Son, Auckland

Best new/redeveloped bar/restaurant:
Ballarat Trading Company, Queenstown
The Riverhead Tavern, Riverhead, North of Auckland
The Zookeeper’s Son, Auckland

Best restaurant:
Orangerie, Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, Nelson
Smith and McKenzie Chophouse, Hamilton
Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland
Dallows at Sale Street, Auckland

Excellence in customer service:
Grand Mercure Nelson Monaco, Nelson
Iguana Street Bar & Restaurant, Hamilton
Jet Park Airport Hotel, Auckland
Soul Bar and Bistro, Auckland

Best beef dish:
Café Izone, Christchurch
Mint Dining Room, Nelson
Mount Bistro, Tauranga
Novotel Capital, Wellington

Best lamb dish:
Dallows at Sale St, Auckland
Karamea Village Hotel, Karamea, West Coast
Mint Dining Room, Nelson
Mount Bistro, Tauranga

Source: www.foodnews.co.nz

The “Outstanding In Our Fields” Mobile Kitchen will be heading to a town near you very soon, so CLICK HERE to find out when.

Out Standing in their Fields will commence at the Marlborough Farmers’ Market and then will carry on round the country! Excitement is building about all the great chefs and delicious food that will be on stage at Farmers’ Markets all around the country all for free!

So check out yummy offers such as the $15 lunch meal plus tea/coffee at Joe’s Garage (Sumner) which features:

“Griddle cooked prawn and fresh fish pattie imbued with lemon & coriander flavours and served atop a bed of wilted spinach, crowned with a poached egg & homemade hollandaise sauce.”

or the Restaurant Deals with prices starting from $25, such as the $70 Three Course deal at Tiffany’s Restaurant

Full list of participating restaurants & cafes is here

Cuisine NZ Restaurant of the Year 2011 supreme winner, category winners and runners-up.

Supreme Winner: Merediths, Auckland (and Best Smart Dining Metropolitan)
Best Smart Dining Regional (brought to you by Vittoria Coffee): à Deco, Whangarei
Best Casual Dining Metropolitan (brought to you by Sanpellegrino): Arbitrageur, Wellington
Best Casual Dining Regional (brought to you by Electrolux): First Equal: Riverstone Kitchen, North Otago
Best Casual Dining Regional (brought to you by Electrolux): First Equal: Palate, Hamilton
Best Specialist Restaurant (brought to you by Plumm Glassware): Cocoro, Auckland
Best Winery Restaurant (brought to you by Whitestone Cheese): First Equal: Pegasus Bay, Canterbury
Best Winery Restaurant (brought to you by Whitestone Cheese): First Equal: Black Barn Bistro, Hawke’s Bay
Cuisine Restaurant Personality of the Year (brought to you by Villa Maria Estate): Jonny Schwass, Christchurch
Runners-Up:
Best Smart Dining Metropolitan Runner-Up: Ambeli, Wellington
Best Smart Dining Regional Runner-Up: Bouterey’s Bar & Restaurant, Nelson
Best Casual Dining Metropolitan Runner-Up: Ponsonby Road Bistro, Auckland

Restaurants & bars will be open to provide something for everyone.   North Wharf is Auckland’s only north-facing wharf, and it offers a sun-drenched outlook, making it the  perfect waterfront destination for long lunches, dinner, or a casual stroll and coffee catch-up.

This live-operating seafood wharf allows your meal to be delivered from the boat to your plate, the freshest seafood in town.  Choose your catch and have it cooked to your liking, or get it freshly rolled into sushi!

There’s open-grill dining, where you can select your own meats, or enjoy a range of New Zealand and International cuisine from Japan, India, the Mediterranean, to China.

Two funky new bars include one with a botanical theme and another positioned within the famous Old Red Shed.  Stunning places to linger over a  drink, watching the theatre of the harbour unfold alongside the wharf promenade.

The espresso bar and an Italian gelato icecream shop will also provide you with a bit in between meals.

Restaurants and cafes can be found here:  and include:

• Gelatiamo
• I Sushi & Yakitori
• Jack Tar
• Live Fish Seafood Restaurant & Bar
• Marvel Grill
• Pescado
• Rushworth
• The Conservatory
• Urban Turban

Source: Big Little City

New Zealand Restaurant of the Year 2011 Te Maroro Restaurant at Jet Park Hotel

New Zealand Chef of the Year 2011 – David Schofield – Zest Restaurant at City Life Heritage
NZ Sommelier of the Year 2011 – Roy Assadi – Toto Restaurant
New Zealand Service Professional of the Year 2011 – Manu Rosier – Accor Hamilton
New Zealand Commis Chef of the Year 2011 -  Nolan Murray – SKYCITY Auckland
New Zealand Bartender of the Year 2011, Joint Winners – Benjamin Taylor – Bungalow 8; Daniel Sullivan – The Bramble (cocktail bar)