Yelper Party: So Fresh & So Clean

Once again Alex D., you’ve nailed it! ‘So Fresh and So Clean’ absolutely lived up to its name as Unilocal Auckland’s «biggest party of the year».
The event was a brilliant showcase of creative and delicious homegrown talent, satisfying anyone’s appetite for all things local. Little Eats did an awesome job with their canapés — the creamy vanilla bavarois indeed had me returning for seconds! Equally as delicious were the chicken sandwich, refreshing salad cups and Hummingbird cake squares from Honeytrap. But the highlight of my evening had to be the selection of sweet treats from Bluebell’s Cakery. Salted caramel and jam-​filled donuts, mini cupcakes, decadent chocolate brownies, gluten-​free cake to name to few… oh my! I don’t drink so ’twas great to have Antipodes Water on board as well. Whilst mingling with fellow Unilocalers and vendors, we were also serenaded by Miss Bridget Walsh. Her covers, her voice… just wow.
Like the others, it was struggle town for me trying to juggle food, a drink, camera and a little succulent pot from Room by Room, but I managed! And how cool is the Thievery Studio? Unassuming from the outside, but the white walls, high ceilings, separate rooms and wall-​mounted taxidermy zebra was a great space for the event.
Unilocal, you rock!

What a buzzing party– Thank you Alex for such a beautiful, well-​put together event, yet again.
So many people– it was awesome to see, next time I really need to remember that so I don’t swelter in the space. Lots of neat nooks and crannies in the Thievery Studio with homegrown talent showcasing their beautiful arts, delicious foods and great drinks. Had such a great time with friends doing the rounds and soaking up the good vibes and tunes.
Can’t wait to see what’s in store next for Unilocal

Another fantastic evening put on by Alex and co. I had a fantastic time and thoroughly enjoyed the food and wine on offer. A real highlight for me was defiantly the vibe of the party and the way it had been decorated was so cool and interesting. The Zebra and Deer with flower crown were some of my favourite pieces.
The vendors in attendance were especially good, and I rely enjoyed talking to all of them as they were friendly and very knowledgable. Will have to pick up a cook book and have some new favourite wines to add to my buy list.
Once again an awesome event.

Had an AMAZING time last Friday night! Everything was fabulous, from the venue, to the food, drinks and entertainment (Miss Bridget Walsh was brilliant), plus it was my first Unilocaler party!
The event titled ‘So Fresh & So Clean’ was held at Thievery Studio, a space above La Gonda Arcade in K’Road — and what a great venue it was! White walls, spacious areas to move in and out of and overall, the perfect place to showcase delicious foods, drinks, music and crafts.
The highlight of the night was definitely the Bluebells Cakery stand. When I heard last minute that they were showcasing at the event, I was over the moon! I have tried their cupcakes at other events, but haven’t had a chance to get out to their Hillsborough bakery. Karla Goodwin and her team showcased the most delicious array of treats… think salted caramel doughnuts, chocolate brownie, red velvet cupcakes, ginger crunch, peanut brownie cookies and a moist gluten free almond and orange cake… bliss. I was literally in seventh heaven!
Other highlights included the mix between Cocoloco coconuts and Stolen Spiced Rum — I mean, who doesn’t love cocktails in coconuts?!? I also loved Honeytrap’s chicken and celeriac sandwiches and hummingbird cake, Garage Project’s variety of beers (in rad as cans), the crème brulee desserts from Little Eats, the rabbit and cactuses from Room by Room and last but not least, the life-​size skeleton and zebra!
As mentioned in the other reviews, it was very hard juggling a drink, food and camera, but on the other hand it made the night fun and challenging! And a chance to stop by each stand and just focus on eating/​drinking one thing at a time, rather than trying everything at once.
Overall, I really enjoyed myself. Thank you Alex for another awesome event with great food, drink and of course, lovely company!

Congrats Alex on a fun-​filled evening oozing with style, class and cool ambiance. Delicious treats to sample — everything from delicious Bluebell sugary donuts to Invivo wines.
A fantastic forum to meet new people and enjoy the company of other Unilocalers.

Thank you Alex D. for another fabuloussss party!
After ascending the ‘giant staircase’ of K’road’s Thievery Studio, we were welcomed to a glorious open space filled with an array of nibbles, beverages, flowers, music and more. It was a pretty packed event, so I was thankful we had three rooms to weave in and out of for some breathing space.
As others have mentioned, I kept having the same recurring thought throughout the evening: TWO HANDS IS JUST NOT ENOUGH. Sipping on a Cocoloco coconut while trying to sample Honey Trap’s Green goddess salad AND hold on to your Unilocal-​issued wine glass requires legitimate talent, which apparently I do not possess ;)
Other highlights included Wellington’s Garage Project beer (in love with their artistic cans!), all the treats from Bluebell cakery, the gorgeous displays /​concept of Room by Room, the Invivo wines and Little Treat’s crème-​brulee-​esque desserts. Phew, so many options, so little time.
Thank you Unilocal and of course to our garland-​chique CM! :)

Awsome event! Living in AKL for 5 months and it was a great way to learn about local restaurants and free food and drinks and cactus plant was a cute plus!
Thanks for a fun night out! Continuing my quest to discover more cafes and restaurants in Auckland before I leave!

We rocked up 7.15pm and it was buzzing with so many people already. Lots of new Unilocalers keen to explore this world and not shy to ask where I got what.
Came right on time to be able to try every stall before some ran out an hour later. Loved the chicken subs from honey trap! And bluebells had so much to offer that I couldn’t try everything *cries*. That bird on a wire dip though… Soooooo good.
Only downside was the smaller room was really hot. The bigger room was also hot but thankfully they turned the air-​con on later. Also people didn’t know what to do with their rubbish that accumulated that it ended up on chairs etc
Also wished I had more hands to hold everything lol. Coconut in one hand. Sandwich in another. Hugging the room by room plant and the wine glass they gave at the entrance. Skills.

Another well executed Unilocal event. Before I list off all the positives, one down side to the event. Rubbish bins. Fairly early into the event the few chairs were covered in discarded food containers, and even the beautiful floral displays became victims of the trash which had nowhere to be disposed of. That aside this was a great event. The music was great and actually kept at a level you could still have a conversation which is so rare at so many venues. We tried a couple of items from little eats, actually my favourite of the night their heavenly dessert offering. The food offerings from the honey trap were not really to my liking, although I could totally eat a much larger slice of that banana cake. Invivo wines; all I can say is inspired. There is a reason their Sav has won awards, and because I couldn’t get a coco loco drink I went back for seconds. I would say I would add this to my cellar, but I would be lying if I implied it would be in my cellar long without me drinking it ALL. Tried some nice beer from Garage project. Beer is not my thing but if it’s yours then definitely worth a taste. A highlight of the night was talking to the girls from Room by Room. Even my husband was looking at the incredible wallpapers on display. If interior designers can get him excited about decorating then they definitely have some talent. Overall it was a fun night and im so thankful for the opportunity to attend :-)

Having just moved from Canada to NZ, I was thrilled to attend this very well organized event! As the night progressed, the many drink and food options became apparent… Cakes, creamy custard vanilla goodness and even a lovely salad to fill the tummy. Oh, and it’s not at every event that one can enjoy a coconut filled with rummy goodness, a selection of (Canadian strength) beer (including one simply entitled «beer»), splendid sparkling water, a Spanish «champagne» and of course a Pinot Noir named after Michelle.
Truly I was overwhelmed by the friendliness of so many people, and met a couple absolutely fabulous folks that made me feel very welcome.
I live in Hamilton and I can totally say that this party was worth driving a few hours north for!

Unilocal Auckland — you did good. Thievery studio is an understated, urban, artist’s ‘dream space’ for photographers (namely Garth Badger), filmmakers, event producers, fashion designers and anyone wanting a creative hideaway on the infamous Karangahape Road. Attending ‘So Fresh & So Clean’ last night was an outstanding event showcasing ‘Honey Trap’ (Hummingbird Cake & Mini chicken club sandwiches), ‘Cocoloco’ (Pure coconut water & Spiced Stolen Rum with coconut water) — truely orgasmic. ‘Room by Room’ (affordable & accessible) interior design consultation, who gave away gorgeous cacti wrapped in recycled brown paper. ‘Invivo’ sampling delicious red wine, ‘Garage Project’ with their array of craft beer from Te Aro, ‘Antipodes’ sparkling & flat water that I can never drink enough of. ‘Bird on a Wire’ with paleo-​style fare. The dip was heaven. ‘Little Eats’ was sampling a deconstructed crème brûlée-​like sweet & a bite size spicy pastrami treats, ‘Bluebells Cakery’ offered ginger crunch, chocolate brownie, mini jammy donuts & more gastronomy! I drunk the Clasico & Rose Cava and nibbled on most of the above. The highlight was the Spiced Stolen Rum Cocoloco, the carefully positioned life-​size zebra mounted on the wall, ‘Honey Trap’ clubs and Unilocal for always exceeding my expectations — Unilocal me!

What an awesome event! Being brand new it was a lovely welcome to the Auckland Unilocal community and a chance to find out about some awesome local businesses.
Some highlights:
— coconut water and spiced rum served in the coconut by Cocoloco
— salted caramel donuts by Bluebells Bakery
— the duo playing in the smaller studio. Didn’t catch their name.
— the beautiful floral display by Markantonia
— the Unilocal swag! I picked up some mints and buttons.
This was my first Unilocal event and I’m keeping my eyes out for the best one!

What an amazing event last night at Thievery Studio! Alex D. You just keep nailing it!
Firstly, Thievery is a photographic/​video studio, but also doubles as an event space. It has everything you need for fab ambiance — including a zebra (and yes, Zoot as we christened him, is real).
With an amazing array of sponsors fresh and clean products to try and view, a few of my faves were MarkAntonia — gorgeous floral art and their own line of scented candles, Bluebells Cakery, Little Eats, Coco Loco coconut water, Room by Room interiors, seriously good Spanish Methode Traditionelle which is available at Farro and the gorgeous pipes of Bridget Walsh who added the final touch of hip as she belted out some great tunes!
Great night. Loads of cool peeps and very well managed. Unilocal rules!!!

There was a sense of anticipation as you climbed the substantial stairs up to Thievery Studio to see just what treats and delights awaited the senses at the aptly named So Fresh & So Clean Unilocal event.
A queue greeting me at the top of the stairs was actually a good sign of things to come as it showed plenty of people were also keen to share an evening of drinks, food and entertainment.
Spread between two different spaces we were able to indulge everything from boutique crafted beers from Garage Project to fine wines from Invivo, always refreshing Antipodes water and pure and natural coconut water from Cocoloco. (my fav!)
To tempt the taste buds there were sweet treats from Bluebell and delicious sandwiches and cake from Honeytrap. It was also great to see Room by Room with their fresh take on interior design ideas as well as their novel giveaway of small potted plants. Fab!
What makes these Unilocal events is of course the people, their enthusiasm for their products or services and being able to connect with them in a relaxed setting.
So all on all a very enjoyable night mixing and mingling and satisfying the senses at Thievery Studio. Unilocal,once again you stole the show!