Fabulous Fast Food
Everyone wants nourishing wholesome food on the run. The Foodie Inc has enjoyed some fabulous inner city eateries in Auckland over the past few weeks. Here’s my favourites for quick, tasty food with the wow factor!
The ‘Bowl’
Lunch places in Auckland’s CBD seem to be fixated with the ‘bowl’ – a loose description for a meal in a box, container, plate or sometimes an actual bowl. The concept it pretty simple: a dish of vegetables, salads, noodles or grains, usually with a recommended dressing to which you add your choice of protein.
Misters Real Food in Wyndham Street’s new spring menu has five bowls: Jerusalem, Indonesian, French, Italian and South Western. The Indonesian bowl: umami carrot noodles, wombok and coconut slaw, lemongrass peanut sauce and crushed peanut comes topped with your choice of either: crispy tofu, pulled free farmed pork, slow braised grain fed wagyu, free range chicken or seared Marlborough salmon. Wrapped and ready to go if you don't have time to eat in.
Food on the run - boxed ready to go
My winter favourite, the Levantine bowl with pumpkin fritters (pictured below) has disappeared so look forward to discovering a new favourite very soon.
The Levantine Bowl, a winter favourite
The ‘Takeaway’
Food in a box has never tasted so delicious. In a small space on upper Wellesley Street, Greedy Guts succinct but mouth-watering menu sees the place jam-packed for breakfast and lunch. A favourite is ‘Healthy Guts’ – a chunky slice of toast topped with smashed avocado, portobello mushrooms, a poached egg and sprinkled with fresh parmesean. But that’s not the only scrumptious dish. The haloumi and chicken salad with roasted vegetables and slaw drizzled dressed with citrus or the smoked fish bruschetta topped with pickled beetroot slices are pretty darn delicious too. Takeaway or dine-in.
Healthy Guts
The ‘Breakfast Box’
Breakfast sets you up for the day. Breakfast is usually something eaten before leaving home but just occasionally things conspire against me – running late for the bus (inner city parking fees are a rip-off) or an early morning meeting. Delighted to discover Box of Birds; one of a handful of tiny container cafes on Elliot Street.
Box of Birds in Elliot Street, Auckland CBD
The chilli flake coated boiled eggs, avocado, spinach with tomato relish hit the spot. If you’ve got time grab a coffee, loiter and people watch. And if you fancy a whole roast chicken for dinner, you can order one and collect on your way home – we won’t tell anyone you haven’t whipped it yourself!
Breakfast in a box
If there’s somewhere in your neck of the woods that does great food on the run, please share – would love to check it out.
Michelle