The Village: Remuera

The Village in Remuera  17/05/2012
Total Spent: $90 and $9 house wine (unfortunately not meeting the requirements of this blog, but still well worth blogging about)
 
Kia Ora New Zealand!
A colleague of mine said to me today “Boy, you get around”. It wasn’t meant in a sexual way, but rather that I have increased my night life.
But that’s the thing…I’m really trying to improve that because I am very capable of staying home warm cooped up with a laptop on facebook…which in my recent eyes is no longer acceptable.
I’m young and new to Auckland…The old me just wasn’t working!
Plus, if you create a “The Adventures of Allie and Tovah” blog for the soul purpose of extending your life experiences, it’s certainly time to start considering a night life as being one of the options.

So far, I’d have to say I am loving it! Perhaps my wallet not so much, but money is made to be spent….So spend away I say!
I have grown up learning that if you have money spend it on someone…and that’s what I’ve done. However right now, it’s a good idea to try spend a bit of money on me.

So off Ryan and I went to Remuera to have dinner with his Dad, sister, brother-in-law (well nearly brother-in-law) and his dad’s friend of 25 years. What a treat we were in for!
The first assumptions of a pub for dinner was:
“Yay! Pub food. More junk that I’ll love to give my hips, cheeks and thighs”
But really, it was far better than that! Restaurant fooooooood!

The menu consisted of rabbit and vegetable pie, lamb shanks, sirloin steak, chicken and fish….All the typical awesome foods that make it hard to decide what on earth to order. Rabbit pie – now that’s something I’d love to try! However, me being me, I “safe carded” it and went with sirloin streaky bacon, potato bake, spinach and almond beans. If there was anything to call that meal, it would have to be “fuck-tastic”.
[Nothing on the ever impressive Cobar in Wellington – Go there! You will not be disappointed. ]
Nonetheless, it was lovely and I appreciated it with a house wine and many compliments from my darling boyfriend on my attire for the evening…..

It was a great atmosphere, although I had a few too many men glaring at me like I was the steak on my plate. But you’ll get that when you go to a pub.
The tables were not cramped, the meals all looked amazing (except Candice’s fish and rice risotto) and I really felt sad to not have room to fit in a desert.
The desert menu consisted of date pudding (my favourite!), chocolate mousses etc.
But the one that caught my eye was: Chocolate wontons and chocolate chopsticks. I wonder how that would’ve looked and tasted.

Moment I enjoyed the most:Watching a lady guzzle down wines like water with her toddler hanging off her arm…The toddler slowly became strangled and from what I assume, was ditched in her pram for the rest of the night BEHIND their table away from view.
Parenting fail indeed.
I sense the following thoughts took place in her mind: Bubs asleep, she’ll be alright in her pram for the night (No other thoughts occurred, since she only visited the pram twice while we were there).

Another 8/10 for a great night out -The Village is definitely one to beat.

Tovah

Bitchin' Bingo Auckland City

Bitchin’ Bingo 16/05/2012
Every second Wednesday Night at Cassette Nine
Vulcan Lane, Auckland City
Amount spent: $24
Rate: 7 towards 8/10

Garlic Bread $6
Waitakere Daiquiri $8
Vodka Orange $8
Bingo Dobber $2

Kia Ora New Zealand!
With a red beehive wig and glasses, the bitch herself protruded nothing but swear words and bingo numbers from her mouth. It was a night I’ll never forget. “11…spread ‘em” “69…Dinner for two”
Enough said?
There were moments where we had to call out “ya bitch” and “om nom nom” and you can only guess what kinds of sentences prompted this.

I did indeed enjoy this night. However it wasn’t just because of the Bitchin’ bingo games. It was because of the hilarious Waitakere daiquiri that was not made of crushed ice or in a cocktail glass, the pizza size garlic bread on an awkwardly big wooden board and the nice new company I was with.

I arrived down Vulcan lane finding myself climbing stairs that I can only imagine have felt staggering heels clamper up them each Friday and Saturday night. I made my way up into a small bar with many similarities of the Cubby hole in Hamilton. There was a DJ on a higher platform, booths galore and a lovely outdoor balcony filled with tables for smokers.
I almost felt at home.

I met up with 2 committed bingo teachers that were slightly disappointed that more did not arrive and we began our night talking about what we know best, Education.
We were given the chance to collect our 10 bingo pages and warned that we will be whipped if we called “Bitchin’ bingo” when you didn't have a line during the meat pack round.
The prizes included an $85 haircut, roller derby vouchers, muffin coupons, coffee packs, vodka and Southern comfort bottles, a meat pack and two $30 bar vouchers. I am forgetting one…..
They were rather promising until one woman won 3 of them in a row. But the fight for free stuff was not over; there were still 6 rounds to go. Sadly I didn’t win any, but I don’t think it mattered because I was happy playing, as always. I felt sorry for the ones that won at the same time as others, as the rules were: first to call/get her attention got the prize. There were three occasions where it was quite the show down.

Atmosphere: 7/10
Prices: 8/10
Experience: 7/10

Tovah

GBS bar and restaurant: Howick

Thought I'd keep this site going as an incentive for Allie to do the same...What you think, Alle-Belle?
Kia Ora New Zealand!

Where? GBS in Howick
Who? Tovah and 10 others from "Meetup: Nightlife"
Amount spent: $17 on a toasted baguette and $18 on two vodka and oranges (screwdrivers)

Food and drink verdict:
When you go to a bar and you are from Gisborne you expect bar food. That usually includes chips, nachoes, wedges and the occasional prawn skewers/fried food baskets....
Only chips and wedges were on the menu alongside pizza, baguettes and $35 platters.
There wasn't much to choose from under $10 so I decided to just go with something that sounded delicious:
Toasted chicken baguette with bacon, coleslaw and relish.
Can you ever go wrong wtih bacon in your meal?

Year 2054 passed and I finally received my dinner. By that point I had forgotten I was hungry and was rather annoyed after asking twice and hearing "It's two minutes away".
Truthfully, they took a decent hour and a half.
But in the meantime, I enjoyed great covered music by two not too bad looking men on guitars.
I sung along to all but one song. To get a fair idea of the genres they played, I heard:
Valerie Amy Winehouse
Black and Gold Sam Sparrow
and even Freak me Silk (laughed the most when that was sung).
There were a couple of real beauties but I can't remember them (possibly because my birds are squawking to go outside, which is both annoying and distracting).
The tables were positioned well, which meant a lot, once loads of "fans" came to support the guys on guitars around 10pm.
We weren't crammed, which surprised me, with how many people were actually in the one area of the bar (restaurant was completely separate).
I managed to have a hilarious barside chat to a bar tender about being cheap when I buy things for myself which he laughed and thanked me for being honest. I wasn't impressed with the open shirt and chest hair business that was going on with him though...but all in all he was a nice guy and customer service can really affect a night, so I was glad that he was nice.
Back I went to a table filled with people I had only just met and I enjoyed doing what I do best, chatting about my school and how much I love my kids.
This was accompanied with primary school and intermediate chats by fellow teachers at the table.
----Honestly, teachers are drawn together somehow. No matter where I go, I'll find one lurking near...ready to tell me all about their classes!----
I mentioned that I give my students the odd whack with a ruler or book and they were mortified though.
I guess primary school teachers don't understand the concept that most huge boys see this as not punishment but rather a minor version of another "fake fight" with one of the boys.
I had to clarify that I was not one for corporal punishment.

All and all I exchanged numbers with one of the teachers and we'll be hanging out again in the near future.
I think GPS is a great bar to meet people in. It's safe, no one seems dodgy (possibly because it's in Howick not a crazy pub in town), it's roomy and somewhat comfortable and the music is great. I'd go again, but with the prices and patience you've got to have a full time job to truly enjoy it.

Rate: 7/10

Tovah