How Sweet it Is

Chocolate is the elixir of love. - Casanova

~~~

Sometimes when I think of a chocolate factory, I envision oompa loompas and rivers flowing with milk chocolate.  In New Zealand, one would even expect hobbits making chocolate, at the very least.  This wasn't entirely the case at Cadbury World (there was a chocolate waterfall).  But, it was still a grand time.

I purchased a GrabOne voucher for $10 and went with a lovely Abbey College group last Saturday.  Since it was the weekend, we didn't see anything on the production side of things, just videos of the production process at various stages of the tour.  This was fine by me because the videos were interesting... or, maybe it was the fact that Carol, our guide, had pockets full of candy that she handed out to us just before she was about to snap on a video or break into a monologue on chocolate making.

We weren't allowed to bring cameras on the tour, but I'm sure you're okay with not knowing what chocolate crumb looks like.  The walk around the factory was nice - people who have difficulties with stairs probably wouldn't appreciate the short climb to the tower where we saw the chocolate waterfall, though.  I learned about Cadbury's history (the first bar of Cadbury chocolate made in New Zealand was here in Dunedin in 1930) and some other facts that aren't coming to mind at the moment.  Within 45 minutes we were back at the start.  So, it was a nice way to get out and see something without devoting an entire day to it.

I'm looking forward to the Chocolate Carnival in July, particularly the Jaffa Race!

Green Light for Green Man Brewery

M'mm. I love beer. And, I love brewery tours.  Thankfully, Dunedin is home to Green Man Brewery!   I purchased a GrabOne voucher a little while ago: $32 for two tours, two pint glasses, and three beers to crack open and drink on the tour.  This weekend was the perfect opportunity to check out what they have to offer.

The brewery is really close to Abbey College, about a 20 minute walk towards the city center. It's definitely on the quant side as far as breweries go (at least out of the ones I've been to).  In fact, it's size made it a little hard to find at first because it blended in with the student flats on Grange Street (luckily, the Green Man mural on the outside gave it away).

Green Man prides itself on running a sustainable business.  Their efforts to be "green" are commendable, but I think their real pride and joy should be their tequila beer.  It's deeeelicious! 

I will spare you the details of beer making.  But, I will share with you a photo of me looking into the container that holds a beautiful mess that ultimately has the mush removed and eventually gets bottled. 

Beer lovers should definitely plan a stop here.  "Joe" was a friendly, chatty tour guide that entertained us with his out of control hand gestures and enthusiasm for Green Man Brewery.  Aside from the tequila beer, I tried a stout and a pilsner.  I liked the pilsner better, but I think it's only because my tummy was still recovering from the vino the night before and so it didn't really want stout - it actually only really wanted something fried to the point of not being considered food anymore.  

Hence, a trip to the Flying Squid was in order (thank you, Mandy, for the recommendation!).  

This little fish 'n' chips stop is known for having the best (cheap!) fries in Dunedin.  But, I didn't stop there. Ohhhhh, no siree!  I got a vegetarian burger and I was not let down.  Typically, I avoid white bread and fried brown patties of "stuff"... but there was something about those ingredients plus a slice of tomato, a few shreds of lettuce, a slice of cheese and a fried egg (yes, a fried egg) that made my day complete!