Food news: Gin delights and Jesse Mulligan's favourite new Thai fusion

These are our fave foodie finds for the weekend.

You may only be on the cusp of recovering from last weekend's Easter chocolate binge, but we're here to remind you that yet another weekend is upon us, and with it, a plethora of treats which may or may not include more chocolate, delicious gin cocktails and a new Thai fusion restaurant Jesse Mulligan recommends you visit more than once.

Whether you decide to stay in or head out, here are our foodie faves to get amongst.

Staying in

• Baked coffee & chocolate custard

This impressive baked custard can be whipped up with little effort. Photo / Babiche Martens

Velvety and rich with delicious notes of coffee, this dessert is the perfect finish to a meal.

See the recipe over at viva.co.nz.

• Ray McVinnie's autumn garden ideas

Celebrity chef Ray McVinnie and his wife Jenny make a good combo when it comes to food. Jenny does the growing and Ray cooks it, here in his Bite column he shares a few tips on how to pick, plant and cook autumn herbs and veges.

See his column over on Bite.co.nz.

Dining out

• Brunch at Brunch: It's all in the name

The edamame smash at 46 Sale St. Photo / Getty Images

Sarah Daniell checked out the brunch menu at a fittingly-named eatery on Sale Street: Brunch.

"Michelle knows exactly what she wants – the green smash ($16) — which is the most glorious, violently green mash of edamame and broad beans (with smoked salmon and popping capers on a hunk of ciabatta). The dish is so pretty, with pickled radish and those crispy capers providing a great cut-through with the richness of the salmon," she says.

See her full review online here.

• Thai fusion at GoGo Daddy in Ponsonby

The beef laksa on the menu at Go Go Daddy restaurant. Photo / Rebecca Zephyr Thomas

As two Ponsonby dining favourites, Moochowchow and Honeybear, close down, Go Go Daddy is slotting in to the latter's Ponsonby Central corner space. And serving Thai food a la Moochowchow.

See Jesse Mulligan's review over at viva.co.nz.

Foodie events

• Better Food Fair

For all your organic, paleo, gluten-free and raw food needs you'll definitely want to head to the Go Green Expo at ASB Showgrounds this weekend for the Better Food Fair.

We recommend you check out the nut butters by Forty Thieves, sample a vegan burger from Lord of the Fries and quench your thirst with an organic smoothie from the Rawe Smoothie Bar.

When and where: Saturday 10am-7pm, Sunday 10am-5pm
Tickets: Adults $8 online, available from Eventbrite. Door sales are $10.

• East Imperial gin jubilee

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Gin Jubilee Auckland Day 2 🇳🇿 | the sun is shining 🌞 , it’s a near perfect day, so make the most of it and explore the what’s on offer in Auckland - head down to Scarlett Slims & Lucky in Mt Eden and ask for Jimmy’s G&T, featuring the impressive local gin @hiddenworld_gin. Here’s Jimmy’s recipe - highball glass, 60ml Hidden World Dry Gin, 5 dashes of Peychaud's Bitters, blocks of ice, topped with #EastImperial Burma Tonic Water & Earl Grey Tea foam with dehydrated mandarins #ginjubilee2018 #toasttradition #upholdtradition #ginstagram #ginspiration #ginandtonic #hiddenworldgin #burmatonic

A post shared by East Imperial (@eastimperial) on Apr 4, 2018 at 3:53pm PDT

For those in the mood for a round of mother's ruin, gin in all it's tear-jerking glory is being celebrated at 29 bars across Auckland. Events include food pairing and a 5-course tasting menu at Lillius, a bold gin cocktail evening and eats at Satya and you can even learn the history of tonic at an East Imperial masterclass.

The week-long celebrations will lead up to a Gin Jubilee Street Party at Ponsonby's Gypsy Caravan where pop-up bars will fight for the title of "Auckland's Best Gin & Tonic".

When and where: Various bars across Auckland, April 4-14. See here for the official calendar of events.