+1. We'll be along presently. If not today, then before next Friday, when, if you really do have good service, we won't be able to get near the place.

Thanks for coming by and making yourself known, Louise. I’ll certainly check you guys…

at once the harshest and most forgiving reviewer

The piano is an idea from o'seas ganked by Waterfront Auckland. They've discovered it's cheap entertainment, and have organised a few spare pianos similarly painted.

WA knew it was a winner…

Eating a cheap lunch with mates on Friday is within reach of everyone. Unfortunately, it won't be at Louise's shop today, because, despite "absolutely support honest, no holds bared reviewing to keep us all on our toes", I don't have any idea which place is…

I aspire to your lifestyle.

A critical mass, even...

I'd like to give your establishment a try too. As mentioned, the Gelato was…

but please don't make blanket assumptions that your experience at one or two is going to be indicative of the whole.

I don't. I haven't eaten…

They're probably conspiring against you...

But watch out for the salt – often in the cheaper places it's chicken salt. Asking for vegetarian and actually getting it in SEA are quite divergent experiences. At least in the Indian places…

I travelled through the good…

Think nothing of it. Personhood is conferred, not axiomatic.

Yes. You'll mainly be eating tofu, simple vegetables, and the same Indian you trust back home. Most speak English well enough to make it easyish.

The large Indian population would likely be your best bet outside of KL I'd imagine. Malay food itself is rarely vegetarian.

In KL itself you can get anything…

My 5 months there were formative. My favorite encounter was with a drunk rural Maori guy who came in and asked for "1 fish and a dollar chips". The look of shock on his face when he saw how much $1 of chips…

I got the irony after I posted.....

Rather slow today after heavily meat infused pasta last night and cheap Italian red (the mention of such things normally gets a response like 'you have Italian food in Bangkok?')

1. A friend of mine stopped being a vegetarian a few months…

True, I was (badly) paraphrasing the vegan dude in the Scott Pilgim-movie.

Chicken isn't vegan?

Of course I should be saying, there is almost no such thing as vegetarian in Thai cuisine. Vegetarian food is widely available in Thailand.

sambal

The two core ingredients are Shrimp paste and chilli. Indonesian food is a little more vegetarian friendly…

I tell people I don't like to consume the souls of other beings. That really throws them.

This explains.

Fish isn't vegetarian!?

An alien concept in Thailand though. Even the most humble vegetarian looking dish uses fish sauce.

I don't think much of the food in the PFC is particularly authentic (tried to order in Bahasa at the Malay place and got a blank stare) but…

I can assure you the McDonald's is within the acceptable 1% variation that their quality control allows. The chips become disgusting at precisely 7 minutes after being lifted from the fat. The pickles are not crossed. The sundae gives you diarrhea for only one…

Lol.

Yes. I particularly like the grill place in the middle.

And the Lynnmall one is probably better than St Lukes, if you're malling.

My pleasure. Because I don't work in the city, when I go looking to eat out, I actually shop around, ranging across the entire city. Albert St is by far the best food court in this town. Only problem, it's so…

Thanks for showing us the error of our ways.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxBGzUhT-TM

You'll need to fight me for that food court. It's going nowhere!

Nikki Kaye could help you move it there on a tram.

I vote for a wholesale move of the Ponsonby Food Hall down to Wynyard Wharf.

Yes, I can't see tipping helping there. Foot-voting is a much better idea. And making them give a fuck about the internet by writing a shit-can review on every site you can find that even lists them. They may soon start to…

I'm sure he'd approve of the Welli waterfront's latest impromptu addition too.

Infinity minus one non-patronising points for all that. You've really got that good retail service is a long game – I might not max out the overdraft immediately, but I will be a PR Terminator for stores, restaurants etc. that don't treat me like a walking turd. Clerks who…

Friends went there last night: Late, undercooked mains, terrible service (one of them had a tray of drinks spilt on him) and a bill that bore little relation to what had actually been ordered. Half the group walked away without paying when…

I'm not sure that we're not talking at crossed purposes here. I'm still undecided about what's the best way to organize a bunch of people who are all giving their best, if the best…

I'm not sure whether to be happy or bummed by the story. It's nice to hear about people who like their work, not so nice to hear that verbal praise is all the reward they get for giving good service. I guess it's…

Can't see the distinction, sorry. You worked, you earned. People paid. Same difference. Do you really think that what you did was really no more or less valuable than…

The shop might be. The person working in it? Well, sometimes I'd like to make sure, on the rare occasion that someone makes an effort. NZers…

No-one has ever *given* me money Ben : the prizes some of my books have *earned* is a matter of fate.

I *have* been given gifts from fans & I LOVE those -

In restaurants, no, it seems OK. The concept is pretty basic, and we've learned to expect nothing more than what we usually get. In shops, though, it's often hopeless, and that's especially annoying since…

I lived there for four years and I ate out a LOT. Smarm is the default.

You could be overtipping. 20% sounds like quite a lot. If you really don't care for what you call smarm, then just cut it back. You'll soon find the "kiwi level".

Perhaps some of your traffic is using RFC1149 tonight

If a comment isn't posted, try clicking reload on your browser, you'll probably find it has been posted, you just haven't seen it on your browser (so what is happening is that you're posting twice). Refreshing…

Something' s a bit weird- co0mments arnt posted – but then turn up twice...

However, I do- and giving a thankyou gift is not as raw & actually belittling as offering money ("Here you are poor person – have some of my largesse." Veddy English, totally Yank-))

It just feels deeply wrong and un-egalitarian.

It surely isn't egalitarian. But I'm not sure egalitarianism is that great.

I have a visceral hatred of tipping and I dont agree with Ben's further comments that 'getting bitter…

I have a visceral hatred of tipping and I dont agree with Ben's further comments that 'getting bitter…

Excellent! :)

The Last Exit to Nowhere?
The Peter Off-Rampton?

Unless sitting in the back of a van, trying not to spit the nerve-settling gum that I've been chewing in a frenzy for four hours…

You'll notice he says in the middle of that spiel that he does tip for good service. Even he, with all his total lack of care for the plight of the waitresses, sees the…

Wearing elected rep hat…The (ultra vires) Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Transport tells NZTA where to spend the money (and under Joyce – it's on RONS). NZTA to their credit have…

It's also a way of many American retail employers dodging payroll tax obligations – so another downside might be having a state approaching the right size to drown in a bathtub while many of the nation's people struggle to live.

I'm going to hand the debate over to some guys in sharp suits. Some NSFW language.

Arrrggh. NZTA building cycleways alongside roads has been an amazing development. Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with Joyce?

NZTA would consider linking the old Nelson…

This guy sounds like he's gold and will go a long way in life. JBHiFi will be but a mere blip in…

Quite possibly. But if so, he could always just take it straight to his boss and say what happened. There is no…

When I lived in London I would often tip extremely generously, as it was expected, and I wanted to err on the side of caution. I found it quite refreshing…

I just think he might have felt as though he'd be at risk of being sacked for accepting money from a customer that didn't go through the till.

Personally, I think getting…

JB contends it actually pays more to junior staff than The Warehouse,…

Maybe one of these?

The Auckland Plan will include a Highline-like redevelopment of that off-ramp. I don't know that access to it has been sorted (it certainly makes sense to get it off K-Rd or down the back of…

Well, by writing the letter I was hoping that there would be some sort of trickle-down to the particular employee, which would let them know how awesome…

I've never given a tip such as yours in that setting, but I have had very good individual service from a young guy at JB HiFi and,…

I don't. He has $50 tax free he can spend, or if he really does have false consciousness, he could just give…

That's very generous and kind of you, but when you have no cultural context for it, really confusing. The guy's probably wondering what you mean by it, what…

http://transportblog.co.nz/2011/08/30/guest-post-why-are-there-cars-on-queen-st/

That's very generous and kind of you, but when you have no cultural context for it, really confusing. The…

Going over there today, straight, and bearing in mind your comments earlier, I…

What really irks me is the way the ++ (or in Singapore, +++) is added automatically to to accounts in many countries. The (+, or ++ in Sg) I get as it is the tax…

I'd hate to think what Opus would bill for the overtime.

very good. gas-mask on entry

When I saw it on Saturday night, I was flabbergasted, because it seemed that the metal screen cut off the entire view from the bridge, but it gets lower towards the middle.

This says to me that the architects had no idea…

Reckon. Or you'd have to call it 'Silt Bar'. Or the 'Hydrocarbon Cabana' maybe? 'CO Espresso' even?

There has to be some viable use for it though. Apart from bus storage.

I think it really got me on Saturday night because I've walked over the bridge so many…

The new design optimises views of the overbridge.

The fact that their whole revenue system is fscked is quite possibly their number one problem.

Uncomfortably so.

I had a few drinks with a barman from Boston the other night who was telling that on a good night he can pull $2000 in tips and never less than $300 so I guess it…

The new design optimises views from the overbridge

we can pretty much guarantee the street markets weren't part of the design brief

But yes, it does just feel wrong. I think partly because it's so exposed compared to the rest of the street. The old overbridge was admittedly dingy, but so is K Rd, so at least there was…

vista for visitors...
It shouldn’t be too difficult to remedy the…

So, not just me then.

I think most of the people who think it's great have only seen photos. It feels wrong in real life.

It fits perfectly into the US's whole blame-the-poor-for-their-poverty system, perhaps the most particularly direct expression of it.

I think it should be clarified the RWC stands for RugbyWorld Cup not Rugby WorldCup.
A subtle difference which means Global standards do not apply.
;-)

+1

The tipping system always seems to me like a form of social control.

If the cost of good service is putting people's ability to earn minimum wage on any given evening…

I remember when it…

They have ways around that law. Teapots in restaurants that don't serve tea and so on. Plus Malaysia ain't that far from Bandar Seri.

Nice mosque though.

At 3am? I suspect that'll be peak time for many wanting a packet of fags. Then again, the ability to focus on the phone's screen may well be gone as well by that time.

They are very quick to respond if you do advise them, and have dealt with us in renaming…

Or they know they're going to get a lot of business that way – the proper international food shop closest to me with the good Indonesian noodles and the Asian Home Gourmet…

Then watch all the games on the TV? You're…

Yes, Google is free for a reason.

You would think, however, that some of their employees in NZ might notice the grosser deficiencies. Or are they all hipsters who live in apartments in the city and never drive anywhere?

Advice for visitors: spend the $13 you would have spent on a glass of wine on a marked-down bottle of…

I found them fairly common a few weeks back, but as Sacha says most visitors will have them – and hopefully have reasonable international roaming rates that mean that they don't have…

I believe said vendor's business model relies on being notified. And Auckland Transport in particular has been working with Google on some projects. Probably lack of integration with Waterfront Development Agency..

Better that than the other way around, I suppose.

To be fair on the council, it's not their job to fix up the maps of third party vendors, and it's not like major roading upgrades are a big secret. Google didn't…

Yep, I verified that recently on Maps trying to send someone directions to the flash new Viaduct Events Centre.…

For sure. I just searched for "dairy" on my phone and it came up with one that's 2 km away, missing the 3 that are much closer. Tried "convenience store", and it got about 10 hits in…

AKT blog has a post with photos of the problems – which apparently include lack of basic protection from rain, something repeated across Auckland's transport network that should be a source of shame for designers. Compare with the earlier artful renderings.

Inevitably, there's a [[http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/Dislike-new-Krd-overbridge/265666743446643|Bookface…

The queues in the…

The people who conspired to steal such…

Mind you, I like writing letters when I am on holiday as well. Half the fun is finding the local post office.

I suspect they'll be the norm amongst our relatively wealthy rugby tourists ..

postcards and stamps

.. though maybe not all of them.

Auckland City Council, meet the widely known phenomena of the “Kiosk”

http://www.prestigekiosks.com/information.php?info_id=5

they sell newspapers, ciggies, lollies, chippies, postcards and stamps – all that sort of stuff that the punters want, AND they can be moved if they don’t work out.

Star Marts I'll grant you, dairies I'd be doubtful of -…

I just entered 'convenience store' in my phone and google pointed me to a bunch of local 7-elevens (and one Star Mart – they're not as…

All the more so when TVNZ7 sadly gets unplugged by tunnel-vision. Where to after that?

Which would be a pretty acceptable solution *if people could find it*. Dairies just aren't the sort of thing that end up on maps. (Plus,…

What a great collection. Makes me wish I'd ventured out, rather than opting for the alternative, which didn't quite go to plan.

He seems to be using jAlbum, which is my pick for making online albums in a…

Red Ken vs the Iron Lady, methinks? It'll look horribly spiteful if they actually do take a leaf out of the latter's book.

ideology. and that's all

Define "intoxicated"?

– over the youth limit for driving?
– over the adult limit for driving?
– obviously affected by alcohol?
– sufficiently annoying to other bar patrons as to drive a number of paying customers away that isn't…

With all due respect, Christopher – bullshit. You know as well as I do that licensed premises are not supposed to serve alcohol to intoxicated persons, or allow such persons on their premises. We both…

What's in their heads is they a) never expected Rodney to be able to force it through in one term so they didn't properly prepare for it, b) when they saw that it was actually going to…

It's a terrible thing, I know, but not actually illegal, and you'd think outside tables, at night, would be a permissible setting.

But…

In all cases I've seen, the majority of such folks don't flout the licensing laws. The licensing laws, as I've described before, means that it is very very easy to get a liquor licence and extremely difficult to…

I wish the same could be said for folks who profiteer off self-inflicted alcohol poisoning while blithely flouting licensing laws, but I won't hold my breath waiting...

Tis a question on everyone's lips. Answer: Not long (comparatively speaking in Auckland speak). Give it three years or so.

That'll impress our foreign visitors

Now how long is it going to take to run the tram all the way to Britomart?

Given the number of submissions to the Waitemata LB draft Plan asking for smokefree public places I would have thought cigarette vendors to be a sunset industry.

But, it seems, the people who go there do want one. It should be possible to get a cold drink or a packet of crisps without going into a bar. Yeah, I…

To be honest, I don't necessarily want a dairy down there, and I suspect Waterfront Auckland don't either. It's not the right place…

On the contrary, there are more experiences hospo staff in Auckland than you can shake your largest stick at, myself included. But most bail from the industry after realising we can make twice as much money in a…

Had to have a little snort at that but then realised that it actually made me a bit angry.
TVNZ's major foray into digital TV seen as "underground". Thank you Steven Joyce,…