Showing posts with label auckland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label auckland. Show all posts

4.7.14

Aucklandland Final : Bar twentyone, TomTom, Industry Zen


This is the last bit of our Auckland trip, and it has been amazing. 

After Devonport, we had dinner at Tom Tom Bar and Eatery . Doug had gotten a deal off GrabOne, and it was far than what was shown or described on the website. It was located on Drake St, Victoria Park Market - I dislike the area at night, it was quiet and Tom Tom was incredibly hard to find if you don't really know Auckland city like me. Anyway, we got there to find that it was almost empty aside from another couple who was there too. Looked more like a bar than an eatery.

We felt quite awkward because there we were, expecting it to be something more like a restaurant, according to how it was described on GrabOne, and just sitting quietly among empty tables and chairs. However, the waitstaff were very friendly to us - good service.

We had our entrees, mains and dessert.


I had the steak. 
Ordered medium rare, but it was more or less well done and chewy. Hmm.


Doug's pork on kimchi rice.
It was so-so. The pork was quite juicy.


Red Velvet Lava Cake with ice cream for dessert. It was really good!


 Couldn't remember the names of the different ice cream flavours but I remembered them being really yummy, with the crunchy flakes underneath. 

A three course dinner for 2 people for a little over $40 was really cheap, considering you'd get that much food! Can't complain much at that price, as it was definitely a bargain. After we were done with dessert, we got on with our night!

Walked around Viaduct Harbour, and did a little bit of night sight-seeing. Then decided to go for something special that was around the corner. 


Yes - we were back at Industry Zen for more Soft Shell Crab Rolls!! I'm quite sure that the staff recognized us from the day before and were more than happy to serve us! 


and also some Yakitori. They were just as delicious and tender. I am super biased towards this place. Love it so much!


Had some Sake too. I love Sake. I love the way it warms up my throat and body. Yummers.


<3

Realizing that the night was still young, we went back to SkyCity and the Casino to people watch before visiting Bar twentyone. It was a Saturday night, so I assumed there'd be good music, and curious about the Auckland party crowd.



Maybe we went to the wrong place to experience the proper nightlife of Auckland City on a Saturday night, because at 12 am, the place was pretty much filled with older people (had to feel my eyes burn watching old people twerking, getting down and dirrty, making out, being touchy feely, the list goes on...), the music was quite monotonous.. and Ke$ha's "Timber" song just turned me off so much. I got there before 12, the DJ seemed a little older, and his tunes weren't so flash.

Not very impressive photos of the club too, but that's as much as I wanted to take. It was a bigger club than most clubs/bars in Wellington, so I guess that was a plus. But music at clubs here always make me go meh. I need to find a club that plays good music with deep bass. It's quite rare... which makes me miss music we use to have at events like Hennessy Artistry and Johnnie Walker. Those DJ's were top notch.


The following day, it was time to say goodbye to Auckland.




One last hurrah at exploring eateries - is this Ramen place we discovered located underground, at one of the lanes. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember the name of the  place, just that the Ramen noodles were really good.


One large bowl like this for $9.


It was enough to share among two of us. Great way to start the morning!


For the first time in a long time, I didn't feel stressed out or sad packing my bags and leaving a holiday destination. It was really just free and easy with Doug. I certainly don't need a rushed day to end our trip. I'm sure he didn't, too.


We spent the afternoon walking about and then met up with someone very special who knows me since birth and she took us to the airport. :) It was a pretty awesome catch up session! She's one of those people who's as close as family to my mom and I, although we're not related. She's actually one of my mom's ex-students and encouraged me to study in Wellington. 


Also good to speak freely with the Malaysian lah's and ah's rolling our tongues while we had dinner together. It was a nice ending to our Auckland trip.

Till next time, Auckland. 
This is definitely not the last time we'll be here.


Feeling like a grown up planning and going for vacation without parents too, in another country, no less. Then I remembered that I was 21...still getting used to it! Haha

xxx,
Ashley M.

1.7.14

Aucklandland Pt.3 : Devonport Day


This is a continuation of my prev post about my trip to Auckland with Doug. It is long due but better late than never! It was one of the best trips I've ever had in my life, and it deserved to be remembered, for me, at least. :) 

Second day in Auckland and we did a trip to Devonport!
But before that, we made a stop at Grand Harbour Restaurant for Dim Sum. I was happy already.


It's been awhile, beautiful, beautiful, delicious, juicy, hargao (prawn dumplings). Costs so much more compared to those in M'sia. But oh well.


Interior of Grand Harbour.
I miss seeing and eating in restaurants like these. Having proper dimsum rather than those half-assed ones and paying in NZD for them.


Hi Boyfriend.


I can't not order these when having dimsum. This girl loves her egg tarts! So much that I would actually make them at home if my cravings get too unbearable.


Quiet city at 10am on a Sunday morning.
Went to the Harbour and got a ferry ride over to Devonport. Extremely jakun-ly excited cos I have not sat on a ferry before. Don't judge. Doug was amused though.





Yaaaay FERREH.




Arriving at Devonport.
This is going to be pictures > words post, if you can't already tell. Devonport was a very scenic place, so I got heaps and tons of pictures worth posting. 




<3


$10 for a carriage ride around Devonport town.
Cute, but not my thing. We took a tour of the town in a van instead.




One of the highlights of the tour is the historical houses they have there - some of them built during the Victorian Era and so forth. Also heard that property is super expensive here.





This tunnel-like thing existed during the war, where soldiers stored their weapons.



Looked quite spooky in there. Kinda reminded me of when I was playing Tomb Raider on PC.





Very awkward picture of Doug who was trying to take a close up shot of the mushroom-looking things. Haha





Made a stop at the Devonport Chocolate Factory. 
Some of the chocolates looked too good to be eaten!


There you go. A glimpse of Devonport, New Zealand. 
Quiet and quaint, if I had to describe it in 2 words. It's nice to visit as a tourist, but I reckon that one visit was enough to see everything here! Stoked to get back to Auckland city for some more food hunt! 

Till the next post,
Ashley M.