Been too long yet again

Haven't updated in such a long time! I've just been working these past few months, and I did take a two day road trip earlier last month which I'll try to post!  I have planned a three day getaway to Queenstown later this month with a friend! I'm so excited about it since I've never been. The tickets were super cheap so we grabbed them before the prices changed and now we are looking for places to stay in Queenstown!

My annual leave is coming up and I'm keen to plan my holiday! 

RAMEN TAKARA IN BROWNS BAY

Ramen Takara in Browns Bay, Auckland

Open 7 Days at 4 Anzac Road, Browns Bay, Auckland.

Takara is famous for their ramen and the good pricing, even been featured in Metro Magazine's Cheap Eats more than once. It's always been talked about in my circle of friends. Those who have tried it rave about it and those who haven't always say Takara is a place they want to try out. So as someone who loves Japanese cuisine, I was also keen to try it out. A week ago, it was Shuyiin's birthday and we all thought it was a perfect opportunity to finally make the journey. 

We didn't make a booking and arrived early with four of us. We weren't picky with the timing and was prepared to wait. When we arrived, it was clear that the restaurant was busy and we were greeted by a staff member once they noticed us loitering outside. He seemed to relax a little when we told him that we were happy to wait until a table was available and he asked for our name and number and offered to call us as soon as a table became available so that we don't have to stand around blocking up the entrance. It wasn't a long wait at all and we were called soon after we left our contact information.

After we received the table, service was good and whenever the staff came to our table, they were polite and friendly if not a bit rushed. There's not much to say really as we didn't interact with staff too much. There is a section of the restaurant with a few tables that is secluded off from the main open area of the restaurant so it seemed like the restaurant was smaller than it is. We were in this section and even though it felt a little tight, it was comfy. 

 Kotteri Shio Ramen $14.50

Sea salt and shrimp extract base. Pork belly and vegetable stir-fry, garlic chips, spring onion - gluten free option available upon request.

The Kotteri Shio Ramen was the special of the night. Now in my experience, the special of any restaurant can mean either one of two things. The first being, it's kind of like an experiment/the restaurant has got some amazing ingredients and the second being, the dish isn't as popular as the others and the restaurant would like to promote it so they don't need to waste ingredients.

Since we ordered pretty early on in the night, I was very surprised when we tried to order two specials, they told us they've sold out and only one was available. Well, no matter, we just changed the other order. If you don't mention anything, then the ramen given is the thin and straight noodle. You can opt for thick and curly or add $1 for gluten free rice noodles. Takara makes their noodles fresh on-site everyday and use only quality NZ ingredients. Due to this, I wish the staff member prompted us instead of assuming as we intended to get two thick ones for the experience but we were distracted and completely forgot about it. Their broth is prepared every morning for over three hours which is a shorter time span than the usual 6+ (some even over 24 hours). So of course, it should be expected that the soup to be lighter than I've experienced. However, due to the name 'kotteri', I thought that would reflect the dish and get a richer/thicker and more oily soup. We also found the soup from our other orders to be lighter, less saltier as well as less flavourful than the usual ramen. The real let down was the pork belly which I expected to be melt-in-your-mouth or at the very least tender. Unfortunately, the meat was hard and dry. I suspect it was braised too long or the ingredients were old.

Not sure if there were garlic chips in the dish but it came with an egg which I didn't expect as it wasn't included in the description.

 Tori Shio Ramen $15.00

Sea salt and shrimp extract base. Chicken chashu, egg, bean sprouts, yuzu flakes, shredded leek, nori seaweed.

My friend ordered the chicken version which uses the same base so the review was much similar to the pork belly option - light, less flavourful and not very salty or oily. Ingredients were delightfully fresh.

Shoyu Ramen $10.00

Original soy base. Chashu pork, egg, bok choy, spring onion, bamboo shoots.

 Shoyu Ramen with corn and butter additions $12.00

You can add extra toppings to your meal! It costs $1 each for extra corn and butter which I think is slightly expensive. My friend who ordered this only had one comment: why do I get less spring onion than the original Shoyu Ramen?

 Shoyu Ramen with corn and butter additions $12.00

The butter melting in action.

Ramen Takara Dinner flatlay shot

Karaage Chicken 10 pieces $18.00

Takara's famous fried chicken, salad, mayo, lemon.

Unfortunately we were all disappointed with this dish. We absolutely love fried chicken so we had high expectations. The table next to us received fried chicken that looked better than ours did. In comparison, ours looked like they were over fried but that's not too much of a big deal as the chef did a good job with draining the oil. Our karaage wasn't super oily which is always a plus. The pieces look like they are huge. But unfortunately they were more crunch than meat. The protein sizes were inconsistent where some pieces were a fair size with proportional batter while other pieces were almost all batter (or skin) with only a little bit of meat. But, the familiar karaage marinade was obviously present and despite the inconsistent protein sizes, there was a great deal of crunch which is a major part of what makes fried chicken so irresistible. Pushing aside our high expectations, it was a good dish.

If 10 pieces seem too much for you, a smaller 6 piece option is available for $12.00.

Took a bite out of my chicken piece!

Compared to other ramen both in NZ and Japan, Takara goes down lighter and less hearty, feeling healthier, fresher and you stay comfortable afterwards instead of feeling lethargic, bloated and regretful. If that's what you're looking for, then I would definitely recommend this place! But if you're after the signature ramen taste of heavy, thick, salty, hearty comfort food flavours then this probably isn't what you're looking for.

Overall an enjoyable experience, and if I'm on the lookout for fresh and light ramen, then I would definitely return.

THINGS TO DO IN AUCKLAND: ONEHUNGA BAY RESERVE

A couple months ago, I wanted to go out somewhere close to home for a walk. Sort of like a precursor to a commitment to hiking. I had to stay close to home but I wanted some sunshine and a bit of fresh air. So I headed to the nearby Onehunga Bay Reserve and the foreshore. The Onehunga foreshore is still being worked on and when restoration is finished, there will be new parklands, beaches and provide easier access to the Manukau Harbour.

It was a very pleasant day and the sun was forgiving which is saying a lot down here. At this moment, there's not much to do here but exercise and relax. There's lots of open space for a good walk or run... and heaven for dogs! Of course, a great place for some nice photos too! 

Just before heading over the bridge, I insisted on taking a couple of photos.

Made it over the bridge and needed another shot so I was called narcissistic. So I promptly returned to taking photos of the area instead...

Taumanu Reserve opened to the public late last year which means easy access to a couple of beach areas to the locals. 

Final flowers of the iconic Kiwi Christmas tree for the summer season. I was quite surprised that there were still some red flowers when I took this photo. Pohutukawa trees are usually in full bloom and very obvious around Christmas time so I certainly wasn't expecting to see any flowers.

Great place for bird lovers to come watch a variety of birds!

A day out on the beach for a family and friends picnic is now possible for all busy city folk. With it central location and super easy access by way of buses or the train, you don't need to drive far. 

Saw this group of buddies enjoying some KFC and it made me want some so bad!

 But I persevered in my bid for a healthier afternoon... took a photo to remind myself why I was on this walk in the first place hahaha...

Just behind the reserve is SH20 motorway. And if you go over the pedestrian crossing bridge, you can finish the visit in a loop.  

Tried taking a photo of the bridge and accidentally made it look like a dark day... 

A final goodbye at the end of the loop to the beautiful Onehunga lagoon. I'm really looking forward to seeing further development to the area. Can't wait for all the cafes and eateries to start popping up!

Have you visited here? What's your favourite local spot?

THE BODY SHOP: BRITISH ROSE COLLECTION

Annnnnd it's finally here in New Zealand! Anyone who's a fan of The Body Shop would have known of the British Rose collection when it first released. If you didn't know already, this range has been added to The Body Shop staples! Unless the sales do badly, I'm pretty sure it's here to stay and I'm super glad about it. I've been waiting for its release in New Zealand stores the moment I first heard about it a couple of months ago simply because the packaging is so beautifully done. So naturally, I spent hours on the internet trying to decide which products I'd buy and when the day finally came, I went straight to the shop to get my hands on them asap. My decision did change once I tried out the products at the store and so here's the post about them.

For the release event, if you were a member, you got 25% off any of the pre-made gift packs as well as any product from the British Rose range. I love anything with pre-made gift deals because I like to buy in bulk throughout the year then break up the package and make my own little gift packs to give as Christmas or birthday presents.

The British Rose Collection is a rather large one with both a wide variety of skin and body care products as well as bits and bobs of cosmetics. The roses are grown organically in Herefordshire, England then are handpicked, air-dried then infused in fresh mountain water. Since the release, I've heard many people say it isn't sickly sweet or overpowering. I stayed skeptical as rose scents from other brands have been too sweet or sickly for me. So I was determined to physically test out and smell these products instead of ordering them direct online. I'm so glad to say that this range is just the right balance for me. After using it, there is a pleasant lingering of rose notes that don't make me want to gag.

After trying them out in person, I was more taken with the body care side. I thought the cosmetics range took too much effort as you had to build up the product to get more colour. I'm much too lazy and always running late to put in that extra effort so I steered clear.


I got one of the smaller pre-made gift packs which came with a full size 200ml British Rose Instant Glow Body Butter, and a smaller size of the 30ml British Rose Hand Cream, 60ml British Rose Shower Gel and 50ml Vitamin E Moisture Cream. Then I added on the full size 100ml British Rose Hand Cream, 250ml British Rose Shower Gel, 250ml British Rose Instant Glow Body Essence and the 100ml Vitamin E Moisture Cream.

The Instant Glow Body Butter retails at $36.95. I find some of their other body butters to be too oily on my hands after application. This version isn't and the consistency of the body butter is closer to cream. It feels super soft, light and at the same time feels super rich on moisture. There's a subtle glow on your skin as well as a nice light scent. I'll definitely be using this product heaps.

The Instant Glow Body Essence retails at $45.00 and is much lighter, almost a little watery but I found that it absorbs really fast into your skin (or maybe I just have tragically dry skin). There is a bit of a pearlescent glow and I was trying to figure out if it was because there's glitter in it. But it is a very even glow and I couldn't see any clumps of glitter on my skin. It comes in a handy pump bottle so even if it is on the watery side, the flow is easily controlled.

Now of course, I wouldn't buy a collection without getting the shower gel. I've been a fan of their shower gel even before I started using their body butters. In fact, it was this particular packaging design that made me really lust for this collection to come to New Zealand. I absolutely love the pink and black. The 250ml Shower Gel retails for $16.50.

Now I'm absolutely obsessed with all things hand cream because of my job. Due to consistently being in an air conditioned environment, I end up with super dry skin and so I always have a hand cream stashed somewhere close by so I can try to keep my hands from becoming too dry. So of course I'd get the hand cream. The 100ml Hand Cream retails for $23.95 which is a better deal than the smaller 30ml size which goes for $12.75. But the real rediscovery for me was the Vitamin E Moisture Cream which truly needs no introduction being one of The Body Shop's best sellers. 

At the moment, you can receive a free gift with purchase when you spend $90 or more. You just have to purchase one pre-made gift or any product from the British Rose collection.

Love what the collection looks like on my table top! Going to leave it for a while longer! I'm sure my favourite is going to change with use, but at the moment, this entire collection is pretty high on my list. 

Which one's your favourite?