We stayed in and had dinner in the house that 4th day (or 4½, to be exact) in Auckland, New Zealand…and if you think, it would be something simple, nothing to shout about, think again!
We had these so very beautiful blinis…
…topped with sour cream and dill and smoked salmon plus lumpfish roe and we had these as well…
I did not like that preserved vegetable thingy on the left, same as how I am not crazy about preserved olives or how I would take out those gherkins in my burger before eating…but I loved the liver pâté – it tasted absolutely great with the crackers!
Needless to say, I enjoyed the smoked salmon and the salami…
…very much and the superlicious blue cheese that my friend’s hubby bought in Puhoi…
I did not really fancy this one though…
– some kind of creamy cheese, I can’t remember exactly what it was now.
The lobsters were great…
– topped with cheese and garlic and baked to perfection.
My friend’s son was so sweet as to go through the trouble of walking all the way to some place in the neighbourhood to buy these for me to try…
You’d never guess what they were – they were fried Mars bars…
…and I enjoyed that a lot!
We also had the award-winning Kapiti ice cream, a New Zealand original, for dessert…
– creamy ice cream with Nelson boysenberries…
…and it was simply out of this world!
That certainly was a delightful dinner…and if you think that was it for the day, think again! Come back and see in my next blogpost what we had in store next! LOL!!!
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 
those foods most especially that tart seems to be the greatest!
i love it
whoa wait am i first to comment?
Yes, you’re first again. 🙂 That’s not a tart – they’re something like baby pancakes with their own special toppings. Very nice.
oh i think iam,
anyway that ice cream looks like selecta’s magnum
i dont know if you were familiar with it coz here its been a huge hit for a while
We have Magnum here, from Walls icecream, and I do like them too. None of this boysenberry flavour though and this one’s an NZ original so going there, I would want to eat this and not Magnum. They probably have it there as well….
Oh wow, what a spread, Arthur !…..yes, I do pop in and read your blog from time to time 🙂
So you don’t like artichoke (that vegetable thingy 😉 ) and you don’t like brie (the creamy cheese) whereas I love both ! 🙂 Must always have brie on my cheesboard and brie & red grapes sandwich is one of my favourites. Never tried fried Mars bars before….I see they’ve made their way down to NZ. lol
I’ve had nice brie before…but that was a long time ago when I was staying and having meals in hotels while on official duty – maybe it was a different type. They have soooo many I just can’t imagine having to remember which is which. I did not like the blue that I had then…but this one was really so good! Slurpssss!!!!!!
I’m not mad on blue cheese. Hubby loves Stilton. I recently discovered smoked cheese…love it !
Ahhhh!!!! Anything smoked, I like! LOL!!! 😀
Hmmm… I’m in my forties ( but still feel like I’m in my teens ) and have been eating Mars Bars since I was knee high to a grasshopper! NZ may be at the bottom of the world but it’s certainly not in the dark ages.
I was in the UK in 1994 and it was Halloween and my housemate gave Mars bars to a kid who came tricking and treating…and he was obviously delighted. “Mars Bars!!!!” he exclaimed…like it was a real treat. I told my housemate, “You’re a goner. Now you will have the kids from the whole neighbourhood knocking at your door.” Thank goodness that did not happen. Well, if Sibu has Mars Bars, I guess it is everywhere…except that we don’t have them fried here.
Actually I meant to write we had had fried mars bars from a very long time ago.
…and that was the first time I had it. Guess we’re not into Mars Bars as much here…though they’re sold at most supermarts – even in Sibu but they’re expensive. More recently here, we had fried ice cream (nothing to shout about really) and now, the current craze is fried durian!!! I am pretty sure you will not like that! LOL!!! 😀
The horror! I’ve forgotten not to come here before I had my breakfast. Oh no! Now I’m drooling like mad and so tempted to go and raid the pasar pagi. The cheese… and the salami… omg, chamz… mana mau cari now?
Try 7-11? Supermarts don’t open till 11 or noon – that’s KL for you. LOL!!! 😀
Wow, Shereen pulled out all the stops for you! What a fantastic spread of good food. I also don’t like preserved olives and I am sure I won’t like the artichokes either. And certainly not the cheese. But all the other things especially smoked salmon I like a lot! I’ve heard of fried Mars Bars and seen them on TV. Since you like it, it must be good then. I think this is something that can be attempted at home (evil project coming up!) 🙂
Good luck!!! Make sure you clean up the mess afterwards, ya! Muahahahahaha!!!!!
Haiya, you don’t like artichoke hearts? Pass it to me. My fav. Shereen prepared a very nice spread there especially the blinis top with caviar 🙂
Yes, everything looked soooo nice – a work of heart!!! She really went out of her way to make sure we had the most wonderful stay, ate the most wonderful stuff, had the most wonderful time…where to find anyone like her…and her hubby and son too, really?
The ice cream looks good…Does it taste like those from Walls?
Different as Walls does not have this original NZ flavour but I would say they’re just as nice.
I agree, the artichokes are a treat! This kind of meal is a favorite in our house when we want simple and fast. We usually add some fruit and have 2 or 3 types of cheese.. The cheese you show looks like it might be Brie’? To us the most exotic item on your spread is that incredible looking ice cream bar. (p.s. I love green olives too). (p.p.s. where is the vino?)
Ummmm…nice, eh? Vino? They do have a lot of whatever in their “cellar” (Shereen’s hubby flies and can always pick up a bottle or two at DF anytime, you see) but I do not drink and neither does my daughter and I don’t think they drink either – Shereen uses them in her cooking sometimes so I guess they did not bother to take any out.
I will never want to go out if there is lobster to eat.. lol..
You are a lucky person… enjoy your life and eat so much of good stuff..
so when you come to KL?
Why? You wanna treat me to lobster too? Hehehehehehe!!!!
her bee (dried prawns) can ahh? kakakaka
The straight Igan ones from Sarawak – RM180 a kilo here…dunno how much there. 😉
wow…this meal is definitely FOR me!! hahaha… I LIKE them all.. desserts… *slurpppp* hey Arthur.. I think you need a new wardrobe already la!! hahahahaha….
It was like eat now, pay later – had to starve when I came back…and Chinese New Year is coming. This is really like fighting a losing battle! 😦
With all the good FOOOOD in NZ… I think I come back “widened”…. hahahaha… so nice of your friends and such a memorable trip!!
Yes, so thankful. It would never ever have been this great if not for the Fieldens – best holiday, most enjoyable, most memorable – plus Melissa’s convocation, it certainly was worth going all the way there.
Aiyo fried mars bars! And huge lobsters!! I would stay at home and eat everyday if that was on the menu..hahah. Didn’t you have any ice cream with the mars bar? hehe
No, only the Mars bars inside… Ice cream was separate.
aiyoyo!! smoked salmon, salami and cheese!! i like them, so nice as a snack.. and the fried Mars bar?? something new!! the gwai lo version of pisang goreng?? hahaha~~
Well, we have fried ice cream here…have you tried that? Not as nice, I would say…
OMG! I love blue cheese, especially the really strong smelling ones. Haha!
It goes very good with bread.
The lobster tail is the one that caught my attention though – perfection! 🙂
Hahhhh!!! You take everything with bread. I would too – but I’d stick to cheddar & cream cheese spread and the others, I’d take with crackers. Ya…that was good – the lobster tail. 😉
Wow! Certainly a sweet meal!
I too think the lobster is great! By judging at its look, hehe!
Yes, dinner was great…and the company too. It was a really good dinner at home that night.
Blue Cheese? Stay away from me! *runs*
My colleague went to NZ, bought me a pack of salami…its delicious!
Drooling at the ice cream lah! :-p
I first tried blue cheese at a hotel in KL – it was all right. Didn’t get me jumping up and down…but a friend/colleague saw me having that…and wanting to bergaya – blue cheese mah…got class one, he went and took a whole lot!!! I told him to take a bit and try first but he would not listen – in the end, I saw him putting it all back. Tsk! Tsk!
But this particular type of blue cheese was really good! I tried at Puhoi and I loved it so much and Shereen’s husband, Simon, was so nice – he quickly bought some and we had that for the dinner… Yummmmm!!!!!!
Oh my goodness ! What a feast ! Man, the cheeses and smoked salmon … *drools
It most certainly was! A great feast, no doubt! 🙂
Smoked salmon – yum! Brie – yum! Blue cheese…..eeeee!! Everything else – yum! Jealous – yes, yes, yes! Great work, Shereen – you are gorgeous! and you have some great curves…on that cheese serving platter 😉 Arthur, I’ll be back later for the rest of the feast (after my lunch..)
You don’t like cheese? And you’re living over there where people eat cheese like we eat belacan? Gee!!!!!
I said “eeeee” to blue cheese. Brie is cheese..I said yum to this. Tsk
You did? Oh…I see, didn’t see that the first time. I liked Brie – used to buy from KL or Kuching…but I did not like this one that night. Maybe it was overshadowed by the very yummy blue cheese. My daughter prefers it though… Different people, different taste.
Yet to learn to appreciate any type of blue cheese. Too strong for me. Give me one box of the ice cream better..ehehheheh
They will say exactly the same about our belacan…or worse, when I was in the UK, they went spitting all over the place – at the smell of me cooking with belacan, the nice smell drifting all over from the kitchen. LOL!!! 😀
I’m just back from Korea, and just get to view your NZ posts. NZ is really a beautiful country with a lot of breathtaking scenery and nice foods. Hope I can get to this country soon 🙂
I love the lobsters, wondering whether it is hard to prepare them.
Not really…only expensive to get…and these were fresh good ones, from the Marlboroughs or some place, that my friends went through the trouble to get for me to enjoy. So sweet of them! Welcome back from Korea? Working or on holiday? No internet connection there? Ya…NZ is very beautiful – perfect place for a holiday…but it’s not cheap…for us here though.
Good friends are rare jewels. Treasure them 🙂
I’m going on a holiday with my wife. We have not been travelling ever since we have my boy. Trying to do some travelling before planning for something big in the middle of the year 🙂
Internet connection is good there but could not find time for internet as we are following a tour, and by the time we reached hotel we are literally exhausted. I have to start saving now for my family trip to NZ in the future.haha
I see. Your boy? He didn’t go with you all? I went to Korea once – a long long time ago…bet it’s not the same now. Not so keen on going to Asian destinations though. Would love to go to the UK…or the states…but so far. Can’t imagine the flying!!!
Kenji did not come with us. He can’t stand still for a 2 hr car journey. I can’t imagine if he have to undergo a 6 hr flight. I have a plan for somewhere near for him. I love europe too. I actually enjoy backpacking. Hopefully I can do that one day 🙂
Can bring him to Sibu… 😉
woah!!! liver pâté
Ahhhh!!!! I see it now after I have replied to your 2nd comment. Never mind, the more the merrier. Hehehehehehe!!!!
not sure what happened…. but my original comment was:
woah!! liver pâté <<<< i don't think i'll like this 😛
Not many would. I think only Justyn and I loved it!!! Yum! Yum! Can’t buy here…I used to buy home from a supermarket in Kuching (Ting & Ting), one tiny can and eat with crackers or bread. Ooooo….nice!!!!
Nice spread! I’m just more attracted to the ice-cream though, coz it’s hot here! hehe
Ya…you’re cooked already or not? Total ban on fires, I read somewhere. Does that mean, can’t light a cigarette?
Wow, what a great feast. So much awesome food. Love them heaps.
No denying that!!! Enjoyed it so much.
Shereen homecooked is thousand times better than food outside. Looks so presentable and delicious.
That’s for sure… Anytime better. That’s why I told her – next trip, we just cook ourselves and eat at home…
Lobsters!!! Drool!
I like your dinner and dessert!! That ice cream look like magnum but I bet it taste a lot better. Boysenberry!!! My latest love, just bought two bottle of jam, very nice. Not too sour, just the way I like.
Ooooo…you have exquisite taste! Bet that costs a bomb here? 😉
Actually, the soft cheese was Camembert and not Brie although they are not too dissimilar.
I’ve had Camembert before… Ok with that too.
LOL, I was catching up on your posts and reading them backwards… you guys had a wonderful meal at home and later can still eat at MomoTea… really salute 🙂
Staying home for dinner but feasting like kings & queens! Love the food at Shereen’s house and so nicely presented too. My favourites – the crackers & cheese (with wine would be nice) and the lobster! The magnum-looking ice cream looks great, too! SLURP, SLURP
Yes, I certainly feasted like a king the whole time I was in Auckland, thanks to Shereen and family. Owe them heaps! Such wonderful people, they all.
wow… what a awesome meal…. I like blinis too! oo.. we can now buy Kapiti ice cream here at Publika, Ben’s but it’s quite pricey after conversion… still I guess it’s imported all the way so there will be a price to pay but it’s really good… 🙂
Oh? You can get it there eh? Not here…just the usual stuff – nothing to get excited about.