Food

I always had that thing with the delicious food. And thank God, New Zealand has it as well! Can’t say I was scared to find something too unfamiliar here, but, you know, growing up on buckwheat and beetroot soups makes you kinda attracted to the certain flavours. Surprisingly, within the past months we not only realised we can find absolutely everything in here, but also discovered some brand new favourites (crunchy peanut butter, I’m looking at you!). Today we are going to share our favourite local brands that are now always in our fridge.

Four days ago vegan cafe The Nourished Eatery launched awesome deal – 30 coffees for $30. They see it as a perfect opportunity to educate more people on dairy-free products. I see at as a perfect chance to visit one of the favorite places more often. And for some people it might be a perfect reason to fall in love with this cafe. Though it’s definitely worth it, cheap original coffees are not the only reason to love it, trust me. And here are some more!

Let’s admit it – this world runs on food! Seriously, what is always a must do activity while traveling? To try local cuisine! You might not even think of local dances, local designers or local way of shaking hands (who knows?), but you are always looking forward to some new culinary experiences. And what do we do when we’re upset? Eat sweets! Ok, some of us do think shopping works better in that case, but after hours and hours of strolling around the mall you will anyway find yourself buying a large box of donuts with some naughty plans on those bad boys, aren’t you? And finally, what do we normally get as a present when we’re unsure about the tastes of the Birthday person? A bottle of wine and candies (that is how it’s normally done in Russia, at least). Guess, you got the idea – we explore the world and create memories through food. So make sure you choose the best places while traveling. Here are my recommendations on where to eat in Hawke’s Bay.

You don’t get a perfect Birthday every year, agree? Otherwise there is nothing special in those that really stand out. But sipping on the sweet Chai Latte at the sunny Kitchen Terrace in Rotorua yesterday I noticed a lady next to me reading my article in the new issue of UNO. magazine. Gosh, I was so happy and surprised! And at that moment I knew for sure – my 27th Birthday is definitely the most amazing ever! So I wanted to share that relaxed yet exiting atmosphere of my special day with you today.

Did you know, that the amount of people, refusing to eat meat, fish, eggs and milk, in New Zealand increased by 27% in the last 5 years? Impossible to believe, but while Alex still can’t stand even a tiniest sip of soy cappuccino, others are happy to eat raw brownie or prepare green smoothie bowl for breakfast:) Noticing the trend, Rachelle Duffy and Little Big Events decided to organize Vegan Vibes festival in Tauranga.

Mount Maunganui is obviously the most vibrant, energetic and fashionable place of our town. A narrow piece of land, stuck in between one of the "World’s TOP-25 most beautiful beaches" and a picturesque port, that ends with one of maori’s sacred symbols (and the best viewing point of Tauranga) – Mount Maunganui itself. The chicest houses and the latest trends are located in here. Among the last are sports (just have a look at those surfers and runners!) and healthy eating. No surprise, Mount now is such a popular place for organic and healthy food. And one of the must visit cafes of that type is definitely the Wild One Wholefoods Eatery, that was opened in June.

If there were no pauses in between the travels, people should have invented them. Because that anticipation, plannings and that desire to experience new emotions an impressions are what the mood of a future journey is made of. But to my shame, I’m kind of a cheater: always trying to feel myself on the other edge of Earth even if I’m not going anywhere. That is exactly what happens while dinning in “45 parallel“, where minimalistic 8 pages of the menu include the cuisine of different countries, situated on that “golden parallel” – they produce the most harvest, have the best landscapes and the hottest temperaments – evaluated by Regis Triguel (the one to design Insta-favorite menu for “Brasserie Most”, by the way). So, let’s give it a try?

If you follow me on Instagram (@thestylejungle), you a) don’t know yet, that I’ve already visited that amazing and so emotional exhibition of Frida Kahlo works in Saint-P. (what I’m going to show tomorrow!); b) already know, that I was chosen to be one of two Russian ambassadors for the Swedish social project ShareWear.

ShareWear’s idea is to pay people’s attention onto a problem of throwing 7 million tones of fabrics every year and to offer a good solution. VisitSweden and Swedish Institute offer not to throw, but to share clothes! They collaborated with local brands to create a collection, that you can not buy, only borrow.

Riga. Such a cosy, photogenic, welcoming capital. Everything is clear here, everything is close (not only in km’s, but in a way of thinking as well). The hugest joy in Riga is just to wonder across the streets until the hunger will bring you to yet another cute cafe. And don’t even try to follow the map, God only knows, why are they never telling the truth! I tried several times, but failed all the attempts. So, it’s always interesting to just follow your eyes.