If you're anything like us, this week's plummeting temperatures will have seen you cosying up indoors and dreaming about wintery comfort foods from warming soups to hearty roasts, for which we have found the trick for perfect gravy.
For those ready to get back outdoors, the annual Fed St Festivalis the place to be tonight, with eats from favourites Huami and Masu on offer while you're entertained by local live music.
You'd also be wise to get yourself a table and a slice (or two) of woodfired pizza at Kingsland's hottest new pizza joint. So whether you're eating in or dining out, here are our favourite foodie picks this weekend:
Making the perfect gravy may seem like a daunting task but it doesn't have to be. Photo / Getty Images
Plans for a delicious Sunday roast with all the trimmings? Well, no roast meat would be complete without gravy - which can be tricky to get just right.
However, cooking experts have shared some very specific instructions for how to make the perfect gravy, including only using plain flour, adding a splash of booze, and roasting your veges alongside the meat so you can use their juices in the sauce too.
For all you green-fingered folks, courgette season is sure to have left you with an abundance of the versatile veg.
If you're looking for a different way to use them up, try your hand at creating Allyson Gofton's spiced chocolate cake made with, yep you guessed it, courgettes.
UMU’s Pizza #Six: Harissa, merguez, feta, herb yoghurt, dukkah. Photos / Rebecca Zephyr Thomas
After just one week, new sourdough pizza joint Umu in Kingsland has staff struggling to keep up with demand for their food. Viva's Eating Out editor Jesse Mulligan popped by this week hoping to get a table and noted queues were out the door.
But was the wait worth it? See how Jesse rated the new opening over on Viva.
Canvas feature writer Greg Bruce checked out the new Scandi-style eatery at Wynyard Quarter and was surprised by the detail presented in his meal. Of a humble eggs on sourdough dish he wrote:
"In this dish's simplicity there was obvious care and attention. Take the light, slightly sweet, pale butter, for instance: they make it by whipping the cream, leaving it overnight, whipping it again, then sprinkling it with rock salt, creating a small, soft, semi-caramelised wonder.
"The eggs were perfect, the sourdough a delight, the bacon subtle, the presentation artful."
To celebrate the launch of Huawei's new P20 smartphones, a free-for-all-ages food and music festival is popping up on Auckland CBD's Federal Street tonight.
The inner-city festival will feature delicious food and beverage and pop-ups from some of Federal's Street's culinary favourites, including Huami, Depot, MASU and Federal Deli. A local line-up of acts including SWIDT, Sachi, Kings and JessB will provide the musical entertainment.
Where and when: Federal Street, Auckland CBD. Friday 13, 4-10pm. Tickets:Free
