Happy Birthday To Me!

Over the weekend I celebrated my birthday With a romantic and special dinner with my boyfriend Chris.

On July 12th, I celebrated my birthday and I felt so much love this year! I feel like as I’ve aged I’ve come to really appreciate the gift of growing older and experiencing a new year of life so coming into my 26th year of life, I’m full of gratitude.

For my birthday this year, my boyfriend Chris surprised me with a romantic and special dinner. He said he wanted to combine my love language of quality time and passion for food by gifting me with an experience which combined the both. When Chris told me that this was what he had planned for my birthday I started crying. He honestly melts my heart sometimes.

I dressed up in a beautiful silk wrap dress from PIA Boutique that can be worn off the shoulder if desired and is flattering for any shape or size. This one is a Magenta but they have a few different colours. I’ve had it for a while but nowhere to wear it so my birthday dinner was perfect!

I was treated to dinner an intimate dinner at The Grove, one of the top restaurants here in the heart of Auckland city. The Grove serves modern New Zealand food with a degustation menu showcasing local ingredients with flavours driven to the fullest. This is my absolute favourite way of eating!

We wanted a to enjoy the full experience so went for the 7 course degustation which also included snacks, sourdough bread, and petit fours.

The menu was such an experience with so many delicious dishes! My favourite was the “True” Farm Egg Yolk dish which was a ravioli with truffled potato and egg that was topped with crispy chicken skin and potato chips. We were spoilt with this dish bought out by Head Chef, Ryan Moore who shaved fresh truffle on top. I also really loved the Cambridge Duck with Rhubarb, Hazelnut and Peacock Kale. It was served with a cone of Duck Liver Pate which was pipped right at the table.

To finish the night, I was bought out a little birthday treat and an Espresso Martini - my favourite drink right now! It was such a memorable and special evening that I’ll think of for years to come.