JAPANESE FEAST ON THE GO

Quick announcement for The Bento Bar community: 🚫 No Takeaway This Friday 29 March 📅 School Lunch Closures: 29 March (Friday) & 2 April (Tuesday) 🌟 We’ll be back in action starting April 5th and every subsequent Friday for lunch takeaway. Due to overwhelming demand, our Friday lunch service will continue throughout the April school holiday. So, if you’re staying local, bring your kids along for a family bento lunch! Wishing you all a wonderful Easter break filled with joy, gratitude, and delicious meals. 🌸🐰🥚

Ready to get your onigiri action on?? Here's the menu for Friday March 22 🍱 ONIGIRI MENU 🐮Sukiyaki Beef - Tantalizing affair 🐷Miso Pork - When pork meets miso, they're soy-mates for life 🐟Tuna Mayo - The combo that conquers the rice world 🥕TriColour Veg (v) - Threesome in rice triangle 🥒Nori Pickle (v) - Salty couple in a romance called umami 🍠Candied Kumara (v) - A sugary makeover makes kumara the belle of the onigiri ball SALADS OF THE DAY Edamame "Confetti" Salad: Where edamame, corn, and capsicum throw a wild Holi party in your mouth Carrot Salad with Sesame Miso Dressing: a symphony of umami whispers and crisp desire Intrigued?? Takeaway available from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM at 386 Broadway, Miramar

🍙Join us for a Bento Friday! 🍱 If tender morsels and umami-packed bites are your thing, don't miss out on the 2 special ONIGIRI items on offer today. Swing by between 12-2pm and treat yourself to these delectable delights. Tag your foodie friends and spread the word!

🔥 Today’s Menu Highlights 🔥 Japchae: Korean sweet potato starch noodles (dangmyeon, 당면), also known as glass noodles. These noodles are made from sweet potatoes and are naturally gluten-free. They have a unique bouncy texture that pairs perfectly with a rainbow of vegetables. 🍙Today's Onigiri Special🍙 In addition to our usual classics, we have Superfood Salmon: A succulent blend of flaky salmon and nutrient-packed superfoods spinach, tucked in a cozy rice blanket. See you between 12-2pm!!

Happy Bento Friday y'all!! Here's what we've got going today: Menu: Sukiyaki Beef, Miso Pork, Tuna Maya, Superfood Salmon Vegetarian Onigiri Menu: Miso Egg, TriColour Veg (vegan), Normal Pickle (vegan) Side salads: Japchae (sweet potato noodle) salad, Carrot & purple cabbage coleslaw Hope to see you between 12-2pm!

Come on down to Miramar Community Center to grab your bento dinner 🍙🥢😋 We will be here till 8pm or until we sell out!! Also come check out some crafts, clothes, accessories etc by local artists/producers 💕

📣 Attention, foodies! The Bento Bar is gearing up for the Miramar Night Market this Saturday, and we’ve got some exciting news! 🌟 New Onigiri Flavor Alert: 🌟 We'll be debuting a brand-new onigiri flavor featuring delicious salmon! 🐟🍙 Whether you’re a seafood enthusiast or just curious to try something new, this onigiri is a must-try! 👉 Follow this space for more mouthwatering details on what we will be offering.

@ardiesavea you can grab your onigiri "fix" from your Miramar local @thebentobar.nz when you are back in Welly!😋🍙🍱 Hope you are enjoying Japan 🇯🇵🏉

How is it already Friday!?? Luckily for you, we will be delivering school lunches, then we will open shop for takeaway from noon till 2pm (or until sold out...whichever comes sooner!) Here's the takeaway menu for Friday 16 Feb: ONIGIRI - Beef, Pork, Tuna, Salmon (new!), Miso Egg, Mixed Veg (v), Nori Pickles (v) SIDES - Pork meatball, "Japchae" glass noodle salad, Tri-colour edamame salad Hope to see some of your faces 🧡🍙🧡

BENTO FRIDAY is upon us!! We are open 12-2pm for takeaway today after the school delivery. Here are the side dish menu for today: - Korean Japchae (potato noodles) salad [GF, dairy & nut free, vegan] - "Shichimi" (七味 Seven Spice) carrot salad [GF, dairy free, vegan] - Garlic miso chicken tender [GF, dairy & nut free] - Kumara rosti [GF, dairy & nut free, vegan] - Tamago omelette [GF, dairy & nut free] PLUS new onigiri menu slow-cooked salmon available on request 🍙 Hope to see many of you🧡

Haaappy New (school) Year!! We are back this week from the summer hibernation. Our school lunch delivery for Term1 starts tomorrow (30 Jan) so load up your Kindo account and order away! We are also happy to reopen our Friday takeaway (12-2) - Look for the blue flag out front during takeaway operation this term. We will be closed for Easter 29 March to 2 April. Looking forward to bringing the existing & new customers the healthy & tasty lunches this year!! Let's go~~🤜🤛

It was so exhilarating being a part of a sold-out event last week, creating the Studio Ghibli inspired bento for The Boy and the Heron premiere at The Roxy Cinema @roxycinemanz. It was the biggest and most intricate operation to-date, but our team stepped up and smashed it!! Thank you for those who came to the screening and made it special. And for those who couldn't make it, we have ONE LAST TAKEAWAY for this year on Friday from 12-2pm.

New menu alert - introducing TORI CHICKEN for our Friday takeaway line-up!! 🐔 🍙 (limited #s only) Come grab your onigiri fix tomorrow between 12-2.

An announcement for Seatoun parents: we can deliver the year 3/4 kids bento to Akau Tangi tomorrow for the EOTC programme. Kids can certainly use proper sustenance for the all-day affair, so order away!!🤸🏃‍♀️🤸‍♀️ For other year groups, the delivery to the school office will carry on as usual.

Happy Friday!! 🎶 Did you know: you can purchase individual onigiri by itself if you're feeling a bit snacky, or if you simply want to give it a go...🍙 A single onigiri starts from $4~

A special announcement 🎉 The Bento Bar is teaming up with The Roxy Cinema to commemorate the release of the new Hayao Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli film "The Boy and the Heron" on the 9th December. For one day only, the tickets for the lunchtime screening will include Ghibli-themed bento box to be enjoyed during the movie. (Adult/kids size available, Meat/Vegetarian/Vegan options available.) 🎬🍱😋 Seats are limited! For more info, and/or to grab your tickets, visit https://www.roxycinema.co.nz/bento-box-event-screening

Well, that was quick...we were met with such an enthusiasm at the super well-attended #huttjapanfestival2023 and sold out within the first hour! Sorry for those we missed. Next time we will bring a truck load of bento for all. Thank you for the warm support ❤️

We will be at #huttjapanfestival2023 tomorrow with our popular bento boxes 🍙🍱 rain or shine! The event goes from 11-3pm and we will be there until we sell out. There will be lots of things to see & buy, with market stalls and fun performances scheduled throughout the day. Hope to see many of you out there!

A special warm treat for those who are sick of this silly weather😫We've got miso soup with daikon and carrot (vegan) to add to your bento today for $4 for a bit of morale booster 👍 See you 12-2 for takeaway!

Here's our menu of the day: Edamame salad Daikon salad Gochujang spicy chicken + usual selection of ONIGIRI Open for takeaway from 12-2pm - see you soon!!🍙🍱

Come grab your Friday nourishment - we are open 12-2pm for takeaways!! 386 Broadway, Miramar (under Taste HQ sign)

Happy Friday (...the 13th! eeek😨) to the BENTOnistas!! We are BACK from the school holiday and will be open 12-2pm for takeaways and pre-order collections (via TheBentoBar.com). As a welcome back special, we're giving away *FREE MISO SOUP* 🥣🍜😋with all bento purchases. I mean who wouldn't want a nourishing cup of miso soup on a windy day like this!?? (* limited to the first 20 only)

Happy term 4 (also, eek! how is it already T4!?😬) to all parents and kids!! The Bento Bar is back in action tomorrow with new inspiration, vigor, and appetite gained from a brief visit to the motherland! 🇯🇵🍚🍡🍜🥟🍤 A refresher on the ordering process - you can place your order for the bento set or onigiri by themselves either weekly, or for the whole term. When there is sickness or event and you need to cancel your order for the day, contact the kindo/ezlunch helpdesk below: Email: helpdesk@tgcl.co.nz Phone: 09 869 5200 If you're NOT part of the affiliated local schools with the delivery option, you can place orders from our website TheBentoBar.com (currently limited to Fridays only) for the store pick up, or you can simply pop in between 12-2pm to grab as takeaways. For corporate or event catering inquiries, or should you have any questions/concerns, please email me directly at mana@thebentobar.com

Hard at work researching onigiri shops in the motherland 🍙🍙🍙

Just a heads up - we are taking a wee school holiday break starting on 22nd (next Friday). We are open for takeaway tomorrow, so hope to see many of you then!

Happy Bento Friday y'all!! We're open from 12-2 for takeaways for the next 3 weeks before a brief closure during school holiday (22 Sept - 8 Oct). Come stroll out to Strathmore (Next to Oikos restaurant) to get your fix 🍙

DID YOU KNOW - you can pre-order your BENTO lunch on TheBentoBar.com to avoid the queue?

Yaay for Friday!! We will be open 12-2pm selling Bento Box 🍱as well as individual Onigiri for those who are peckish 🍙 If you want to avoid the queue, you are welcome to pre-order & pre-pay through our website, and we will try our best to have them ready for you. Go to TheBentoBar.com/shop

We are super excited to share The Bento Bar will be open to public every Friday for takeaway starting today! We will be offering freshly made ONIGIRI rice balls (with various filling options), and a selection of daily salads / side dish for a complete and balanced meal, which is what BENTO (🍱弁当) is all about! Our food is made fresh, 100% gluten free, and with vegetarian/vegan options. We are open Fridays between 12-2pm. You can find us under the Taste HQ sign at 386 Broadway in Miramar - Help us spread the word!!

Thought this photo captures my current feeling 💛💛💛 So much love and appreciation for the bento community for coming back strong after my medical hiatus. Sooo good to be in the kitchen making nourishing food for you again, l could burst!!!🎉 Like my page and join the community! #thebentobar

GOOD NEWS for the bento fans & beyond - The Bento Bar will soon be providing lunch service as part of EZlunch (a.k.a. Kindo) network 🎉🎉🎉 We hope this will simplify the ordering process for our customers and help bringing our healthy and scrumptious lunches to a wider network of local schools. As such, we are temporarily suspending lunch services in order to focus on getting up to speed on the new ordering platform. Thank you for your understanding and we hope to be able to share more details and the service start timing in the coming weeks...watch this space!!

We had a busy yet exciting week catering our scrumptious BENTO for the hard working team at Weta FX in addition to our usual school deliveries! And we are so proud to have delivered them waste-free by collaborating with Reusabowl, which is a Wellington start-up on a mission to eliminate single-use packaging waste. Their awesome reusable product helps with the circular economy: each bowl is made from rice husk (a byproduct of the rice-making process), can be used hundreds of times, and is collected and composted at the end of its usable life. You can go to www.reusabowl.nz for more info. We are actively looking for better, kinder, and more sustainable ways for our business to operate. So far, we have only tried this out as a one-off collaboration between The Bento Bar x Reusabowl x Weta FX, but we are hoping to incorporate the waste-free philosophy for our school lunch deliveries for the better future💕

aaaand WE ARE BACK!! Thank you for your support and kindness while we went and did the Covid thing. We so missed delivering lunches to those smiling faces of your kiddies💕 So ready to flex my cooking muscles again 💪😤 [insert bone-cracking sound here] Here's what's on offer this week ⬇️

Sorry everyone, but I am in isolation and sadly have to cancel this Friday's and next Tuesday's service 😔😞

Hope you're staying dry and keeping warm🥶 Let's get some good sustenance in your systems and keep the bugs away!! Store pick up available from 12-1pm at 386 Broadway in Strathmore or Seatoun Dairy. https://www.thebentobar.com/store

Seatoun parents, School Swim Sports Day is upon us come Tuesday! Year 3-8 Kids will return to school tired and hungry from the action-packed morning, ready to dig into the delicious bento lunch😘 You can now order a weekly subscription so your Tuesday lunches are sorted for the rest of Term 3! Continuing with the same menu as last week due to popular demand - be sure to order before the 8am cut-off on the delivery day.

A couple of announcements... 🍙 The Bento Bar is starting a weekly bento delivery at Miramar North School on Fridays starting this week 5 August🎉 🍙🍙 You can now sign up for a weekly subscription through our website so you won't miss out on the bento day! (You can cancel anytime, or skip delivery when your child is not at school...just let me know by 8am) 🍙🍙🍙 Parents with 2 or more bento lovers in the family now receive 5% off when you sign up for the weekly subscription. 🍙🍙🍙🍙 2 local collection points now available (must pre-order & pre-pay by 8am): Seatoun Dairy - Tuesdays 12:15-1:30pm Roxy Cinema - Fridays 12:15-1:30pm So much goodness & excitements!! Let's do this 💪

Are you as tired as I am after day1 of Term3!? Good news - The Bento Bar is back bigger & better for T3😁 https://www.thebentobar.com/store We are resuming the Seatoun School delivery tomorrow (26th) and will be adding a couple of new schools in the coming weeks. (yay!) Please note we now have a few different pick up locations locally, so please get in touch with Mana if you'd like to find out more. LEEESSGOO!!!

Here we go!! The last delivery of Term 2 🤜🤛 I hope you survived this crazy term filled with viruses and isolation

Hope everyone had a fabulous Matariki weekend and enjoyed the colourful fireworks!🎆 ..speaking of colourful, have you ordered the Tuesday bento yet?? Here is this week's menu: Full Range (=meat and fish) - Candied Salmon - "Oyako" Chicken & Egg - Tuna Mayo Vegetarian - Soy Veg - Miso Tofu "Mince" - Veggie "Furikake" Sprinkles Have a great week y'all!!

We had so much fun debuting our bento at the Japan Festival on Saturday. Thank you for all your support, and sorry to those who visited after we sold out! Next year we will bring a much bigger squad so more people can get their hands on our yummy bento, we promise! #thebentobar

We will be offering our BENTO at the Japan Festival this Saturday from 11am to 6:30pm (or until we sell out). Pop by the TSB Arena and experience/eat/learn/meet everything Japan this weekend!!

We are trying something new this week - In addition to the usual 2 size bento options, we are taking A La Carte orders for the upcoming week. If your kids like onigiri but find other stuff undesirable, there is now a way to order 1, 2 or 3 onigiri in a box so we can cut the loss as well as reduce food waste ;) Order away for the 14th Tuesday delivery now at TheBentoBar.com

It's almost Bento Tuesday!! A sneak peek of the Onigiri line-up tomorrow: Full range L size: Beef, Pork mince, Veg "furikake" flakes Full range S size: Beef, Pork mince Veg range L size: Curry corn, Veg "furikake" flakes, Caramelised Onion Full range S size: Curry corn, Veg "furikake" flakes Order directly from TheBentoBar.com now.

NEW LOCATION ALERT!! We are happy to share that our BENTO can now be collected from The Roxy Cinema @roxycinemanz counter on Tuesdays!! If you are not attending Seatoun School, please be sure to select "Roxy Cinema" under the Pick Up Location when you pre-order your Tuesday lunch from TheBentoBar.com. (Please note BENTO must be ordered and pre-paid by the Monday midnight cut-off, as they won't be available for purchase at the collection point.) #thebentobar #roxycinemanz

pssst...did you know?? The Bento Bar is committed to waste as little raw ingredients as we possibly can, so all the unused part of veggies after cutting out the fun-shaped pickles get used in the side-dish (e.g. meatballs) or as flavoured "flakes" inside of the rice balls. So you might see some veggies coming home uneaten, but that doesn't necessarily mean your kids skipped the veggies...because we're sneaky like that😜 Order for next Tuesday 17th and beyond can be made via TheBentoBar.com (Deliveries are for Seatoun School only at this time, but we are working hard on offering to other schools and organisations in the area...so more to come!) Like my page & Join the community #thebentobar

Now delivering to Seatoun School every Tuesday during school terms! Join the bento community #thebentobar

Welp, it's OFFICIAL!! The first batch of bento orders have been delivered & devoured🎉🎉 🎉A big thank you to those kids who gave it a go and for all the wonderful feedbacks💕Please help me spread the word!!!🍙🍙🍙

Who's excited about kids returning to school for Term 2 tomorrow!? (I certainly am!!😁) If you haven't already, put in your BENTO order for Tuesday May 3rd to help with the back-to-school week morning madness! Find out more on this page and help spreading the word!! https://www.thebentobar.com/ The order cutoff is 8am Tuesday *unless* products run out prior. PLEASE NOTE: Deliveries are only available for Seatoun School and Worser Bay School kids & teachers only at the moment. We hope to reach other schools in the nearby area soon - watch this space! #thebentobar #schoollunch

We are now taking pre-orders for kids attending Seatoun School and Worser Bay School! Go to thebentobar.com/store

Only one more week to go until the The Bento Bar launch!! So excited to be starting the weekly school lunch service for the kids at participating schools! Pre-order info coming soon🍙🍙🍙 #thebentobar #lunchbox #schoollunch

Try these triangle triumph 🍙 #thebentobar

COMING SOON❤️ #thebentobar

Practice makes perfect... #thebentobar

#thebentobar

website in the works! #TheBentoBar

#thebentobar

#thebentobar