The Dish: Going bananas

Kokako's fair trade baking. Photo / Supplied

A hit in the Viva office is Kokako's sweety and tasty Fairtrade Banana Bread Loaf. We first sampled it at the Food Show, and now it's available in two different-sized loaves - one for the family, another for single treats. The All Good bananas used by Kokako are sourced from small co-operatives in Equador where Fair Trade works to ensure the farmers and their families get a good deal. This makes it taste all the more delicious. Available from fine food outlets, selected supermarkets or go to kokako.co.nz to find your nearest stockist.

Right next door

Fans of the chic eatery Bowmans on Mt Eden Rd will be delighted to know they have opened The Cafe Next Door - quite literally. With its stylish retro interior it has a wonderful homely feel, plus they do great coffee and, as would be expected, serve up delicious cafe fare. 597 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden.

One to watch

The elegant and relaxed TriBeCa restaurant situated in the Blind Institute, between Parnell and Newmarket, has a new chef - Hayden McMillan. Formerly the sous chef at Merediths Restaurant and trained at The French Cafe, Huka Lodge and Vinnies, Hayden is developing his own style of modern cuisine using seasonal ingredients and techniques he's picked up along the way. New dishes he's introduced to the Tribeca menu include hapuka with prawn, ham hock, peas and shellfish broth and white chocolate and cardamon mousse with macadamia, strawberry and champagne. (Keep an eye out in Viva over the next few weeks for eating out editor Nici Wickes' review.) TriBeCa, 8 George St, Parnell, ph (09) 379 6359.

Shore to rise

French bakery La Tropezienne has added Takapuna to its outlets on the North Shore. A new store with tempting take-home pastries and baked goods, and a few tables for eating in, has just opened on Lake Rd, with others already in Milford and Browns Bay.

Smooth style

We love the idea behind The Original Green Pan - cookware using non-stick technology which is completely free of PTFE and PFOA (coatings which contain harmful raw materials and are difficult to decompose). Manufactured in Belgium, the range is stylish, elegant and easy to use which are all important. To find your nearest stockist, ph (09) 525 0127.

Good greens

Another flavoursome hit is Genoese Gourmet Ground Pesto. This has to be one of the tastiest pestos we've tried, so much so we had it on everything - with omelettes at breakfast, with steak at night. Interestingly, the basil and herbs used in this preservative, gluten, soya, msg and additive-free product, are grown and harvested in Fiji. $4.49-$11.99 from good supermarkets and specialty stores. For more info, go to genoese.co.nz

Clear leader

There's water and then there's Sparkling Norwegian Voss water. Drink it and you come alive to the freshness of Scandinavia! Well not quite, but we like that it comes in this stylish glass bottle (soo much better than plastic) and fits in the fridge so nicely. Still or sparkling, $6.90, from Jones The Grocer, 1/143 Carlton Gore Rd, Newmarket, ph (09) 522 9161.

Congratulations

The winner of Viva's Top Taste promotion which was held over Taste of Auckland 2010 is D. LeQuesne. Their prize is dinner for four at the stylish Clooney Restaurant in Freeman's Bay. Clooney's Gameford Lodge King Cole Duck Breast dish was voted the best dish at the Taste Festival by all the patrons that attended the event over the weekend.