Becs: The Taste Bistro stall at the Christchurch Farmer's Market has been serving up some delicious food lately. Chef Alicia cooks up a storm and the ready-to-eat meals are the sort of unpretentious/tasty/slow-cooked comfort food you would make at home if you had the time and/or budget to have the oven on for hours and hours. My favourites include the slow-cooked pulled pork sandwiches and the incredible braised oxtail or lamb shanks. The homemade bread and salads are delicious too, often it's a chickpea, barley and seasonal veg concoction, and service is always provided with a smile. Unlike the scorn dished up by a well-known Christchurch chef peddling fancy tacos at the market. I should have known better than to order at the end of the morning when more fat than meat appeared to be on offer, but didn't expect my request for less flab to be met with such contempt. (Sorry to brickbat as it's not our thing but arrogant chefs rile me!) Note - the photo above is pinched from the CFM facebook page - I never get a chance to photograph the food as it is tucked into pronto.
Libby: I've never been a fan of tonic water. I always felt it ruined perfectly good gin but this Quina Fina (you say it "kee-na fee-na") is very drinkable. It's only very gently bitter and not too sweet - perfectly balanced. I like it on its own with lots of ice and lemon.
Good on you for sticking up for your rights and asking the chef for what you wanted - its his loss in life that he didnt have the good grace to react in a more diplomatic manner. Looks like you had fun though! Becks x
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