Hospobaby's Cheap Eats

I once bought my husband Chef Sid a book called “The Hungry Monkey” by Matthew Amster-Burton. Amster –Burton and I share the same quest in educating our little ones palates by exposing them to as many flavors we possibly can. New Zealand has become such a great place to live; we are slowly getting acquainted with different cultures and their food. I came across Metro’s Cheap Eats list last month and was so happy to come across a whole lot of new ethnic places to try.

 We have exposed Zoya to spices since an early age. We added hints of cinnamon, nutmeg, turmeric and cardamom to her mashed veg. She moved on to eating the lamb saagwala curry from our Indian takeaways. Metro’s list praised 7 tastes of Siri in Kingsland so we took the leap of faith and took Hospobaby to try something new. 

7 tastes of Siri serves Sri Lankan food. The place is tiny and quaint. A young energetic couple greeted us and assured my mother who is vegetarian that she wouldn’t suffer. We ordered the Lump rice that came with different curries and a boiled egg on a banana leaf. Hospobaby got an Appam; a rice flour pancake with a soft centre. My mother ordered another Appam that came with a vegetarian topping. Hospobaby quite enjoyed the warm crispy on the outside but soft in the middle Appam. The food was delicious and a great introduction to Sri Lankan cuisine.

The success of our visit to 7 tastes of Siri encouraged us to explore the Cheap Eats list again. We found Barilla Dumpling on Dominion Road. I recommend that you book ahead at Barilla as they get quite busy. Hospo baby was rather naughty and tipped the chilli oil jar the minute we sat down. The staff didn’t even bat an eyelid and quickly cleaned up the mess and swiftly took our orders. We ordered the pork and cashew dumplings, the sugar pancake (for Hospo baby), the smoked pork pancake, the French beans in spicy salt and baked buns. Four of us, with ample help from Hospobaby found the one plate of dumplings a challenge to finish.  The pork pancake came in the form pieces of smoked pork with Hoisin sauce encased in crisp pancakes. They reminded me of Peking duck. The French beans are by far my favourite dish and I can vouch for them being Hospobaby’s too, as she gnawed on several of them. The baked buns were a surprise they were like little doughnuts and came with condensed milk on the side as a dip. The perfect finish to a great meal.

You need not travel many miles to broaden your little one’s taste buds just explore your neighbourhood a little, step out of your comfort zone and try something new. Be the Pied Piper and lead by example your little one might just follow. If you don’t believe me read Amster-Burton’s book (I am still waiting for the chef to read it).