LOVE LIFE, CHERISH MOMENTS: travelogue

Follow Faith to North Island, New Zealand (Auckland & Coromandel Penisula)

13:49

Hiyaa mates! It is so good to be back to my retreat sanctuary, which is this little online space of mine, to share beautiful views, amazing food and unique experience with my dear readers. I've recently returned from the southern land of New Zealand for a short family trip, in conjunction with my birthday and a new milestone in my medical career. We tried to make it an annual thing, making effort to spend time with each other while exploring the wonderful world out there. This time around, we chose to go NZ as dad is a huge fan of nature and what's better than spending some quality time with your loved ones, uninterrupted, fully soaking in the goodness of nature? So come with me, join me in this wonderful journey down south!

Just be prepared for lots of green and blue hues

First thing first, so we booked the trip rather late, approximately 1 month before. It was just an impromptu decision. We tried to get the best deal in September, luckily it was around the MATTA fair (travel fair in Malaysia), so we gotten some good deals via Malaysia Airlines. It costs us around RM 27++ per person for return flight from KL to Auckland. Next it was all hardcore research by yours truly because we opted for the 100% self-drive, free and easy tour around NZ. I just casually spent some free time reading travel blogs, YouTube travelogue and official NZ tourism guide. There are actually many reliable sources out there, you just need to search hard enough.

I've never notice the beauty of our own KLIA #prettylights

Here we go! The flight itself took roughly 10 hours, we were so exhausted from the rough ride

In terms of transportation, although NZ has some public transport (train and buses) here and there, but it is not extensive enough to properly cover the main attractions in the North Island. I would reckon that self drive tour is the only recommended option, especially when you are travelling in group. You could also rent a Camper-van (which most of the young couples do) or go for the hitch-travel. Renting a car is so simple and convenient in Auckland. Once you cleared the security, there will be various car rental companies (Herz and etc), feel free to compare prices there. However, i strongly urge you to inquire at the tourism information counter, as they will provide a lost of cheaper car rental companies around the airport. We were lucky to find Apex Rental just a stone throw away from the airport. It costs us about 430 NZD for a 7-days car rental + insurance. Shuttle service is provided by the company to and fro airport, with excellent service as well. Some important points to note: driving system in NZ follows the British way (driving on the right side). NZ roads includes Motorway (like highway or stateway, some requires tol), Highway (long and winding) and some countryside road which may not be tarred. Just be cautious of single way (especially when crossing narrow bridges) and animals crossing (really common)!

Accommodation wise, we chose to go with half hotel and half AirBnb, reason being we truly believe that the essence of travelling is to live like the locals, in terms of daily living. AirBnb gives us the luxury of living like a local kiwi at an affordable price. I'll share more in terms of that later on as we proceed in the travelogue. For Auckland, we went with Grand Millenium Hotel, right in the heart of CBD (Central Business District) Auckland.

View right outside of our hotel-Auckland Sky Tower

For the first night, we had a quick stroll around the vibrant city of Auckland before headed to Oyster & Chop for our dinner. This is a casual restaurant recommended by the lovely hotel staff, located just off the Viaduct Harbour, where all the happening night life is situated. Auckland by nature is a harbour town, blessed by tonnes of various fresh seafood, hence, seafood item is not to be missed. We ordered an oyster platter as sharing appetizer, followed by individual mains: Seafood Chowder, Fish & Chips and lastly Lamb Cutlets. The seafood items were pretty amazing with authentic flavours, personal favourite goes to the seafood chowder whereas the lamb was a disappointment. Some hits and misses but overall Oyster & Chop is not be missed if you are looking for a casual dinner with friends and family. Menu can be directed here.

Pardon my poor quality photos, as i totally forgot to bring out my camera

Fresh & Sweet Oyster Platter- 25 NZD

Seafood Chowder- 37 NZD
Creamy soup base with fresh mussels, clams, prawns, squid and seasonal fish, paired with sourdough bread

Fish & Chips- 26 NZD
Beer battered seasonal white fish, served with fries and tartar sauce

Lamb Cutlets- 43 NZD
Spice-rubbed lamb cutlets served with beetroot and mint peas

Viaduct Harbour

Auckland's night tackled, now time to explore its beauty during day light. We had some bomb bagels for breakfast at The Best Ugly Bagel, a local Auckland bagel chain store. This is truly a local's favourite breakfast place, with its energetic and casual vibes. All bagels are freshly made upon order, with a wide variety menu.

Clockwise from top: Bacon & Egg, Cream Cheese, Smoked Salmon- 6-14NZD
One of the best bagels ever!

Farmer's Market is not to be missed when you are visiting NZ, because this is where the local farmers bring forth their freshest home grown produce, local delicacies to market. We were lucky to catch one of the market happening during weekends (Britomart Farmer's Market). Albeit not that huge compared to Aussie's version, we still managed to grab some delicious snacks and fruits, quite a memorable experience to try out.

If you know me, pastry and coffee is my muse

Absolute charm: Mussel Fritters

Coffee-to-go at Chuffed- 3.80 NZD

Famous Aqua S seasalt icecream with seasonal taro and pumpkin twist-5 NZD each

My farmer's outfit to Farmer's Market

We skipped all the museums in Auckland and headed to Coromandel Penisula. I've read some travel blogs while researching for NZ trip, that Coromandel is not to be missed while visiting the North Island. Remember all the pretty postcards your friends sent you from NZ or the promoting photos of NZ tourism or The Chronicles of Narnia? These beautiful attractions can be found in the Coromandel, which is only 2.5 hours away from Auckland. Along the way, you will be welcomed by scenic ocean view, with never ending greeneries. We took the scenic Coastal Highway and found ourselves immersed in the beautiful shades of blue. Although it is a 2.5 hours drive, but the journey was never boring as we made a couple of stops in their small town like Thames, Whitianga, Coromandel town and more. Each of these little towns has its own stories to tell, if you are in North Island for a longer duration, i would highly recommend to stay in this beautiful coastal town for 3 days to fully explore its beauty and attractions

Fresh Oyster (a Dozen)--25 NZD

Coromandel Oyster Company for the freshest oyster

After some quick pit stop in Thames and Coromandel town, we finally arrived at The New Chums Beach. Rumors said that this is the only untouched, fully natural beach remained in The Coromandel region, offering the purest original beauty of white sands and clear blue ocean. We had to pass through some rocky terrain to reach the beach, which was a little bit challenging (slippery rocks). It would be better if you visit during a low tide season.

New Chums Beach

We spent some quiet time just relaxing by the beach before headed towards the iconic Cathedral Cove. On the way, do pass by Whitianga for some fresh seafood along the beautiful Mercury Bay and enjoy a cuppa warm coffee. The Cathedral Cove or some may have seen it in the movie of The Chronicles of Narnia is situated in the Te Whanganui-A-Hei (The Great Bay of Hei) Marine Reserve, south-east region of the state. It is a natural rock formation that had collapsed and formed a cave, with cathedral dome like structure, hence the name-Cathedral Cove. It is accessible via foot from Hahei Beach (70 minutes), kayaking (10 minutes) or by a short hike via the World War 1 Memorial Forest (35 minutes). We opted for the last option (highly recommended!) and was welcomed by trails of wonderful NZ habitat. Visitors can swim, snorkel and kayak around the reserve and further on to Gemstone Bay and Stringray Bay (towards Hahei Beach). The view here is not to be missed and is worth a visit.

View from the peak of WW1 Memorial Forest, so picturesque!

Sunset view from The Cathedral Cove

Next up, we stopped by the famous Hot Water Beach, which is around 10 minutes drive from Hahei Beach to experience the thrill of digging up thermal water by the beach, as its name suggest. Unfortunately, we missed the low tide timing and couldn't find any hot water, but the view and beach is still worth a quick pit stop.

With that, ends our 3d2n trip in Auckland and Coromandel Penisular. Of course there are plenty of attractions out there that we didn't manage to visit due to limited time (Auckland Sky Tower, museums, Coromandel hikes and train rides, water sports in Hahei beach), but with the limited time we spent here, it was more than enough to be amazed and fell in love with this piece of beautiful island. Next up, we headed down South to the land of Hobbits and thermal wonderland. Please stay tuned for the next write up soon! xoxo

More information:

New Zealand Official Tourism site: https://www.newzealand.com/int/
Auckland Official Tourism site: https://www.aucklandnz.com/visit/discover/attractions
Coromandel Penisular Official Tourism site: https://www.thecoromandel.com/
Oyster & Chop website: http://oysterandchop.co.nz/
The Best Ugly Bagel website: https://www.bestugly.co.nz/
The Best Ugly Bagel address: City Works Depot, Wellesly & Nelson St, Auckland, opens daily 7am-3pm

#foodiehitstheroad

Fine Dining in The UK @ The Kitchin, Edinburgh

16:50

Greetings earthlings! It has been over 3 months since i came back from my UK-Europe trip during spring time. Every time i look back at our photos, i can't help but long to return for another wonderful experience. One of the more memorable moments during this trip was in Edinburgh, Scotland. Mr. J and i along with our friends in Glasgow, took a bus ride to the historical city for a one day trip. Laine booked us a table in an amazing 1-Michelin-starred and multiple award winning restaurant called The Kitchin for us to experience first hand, what's fine dining in The UK.

After a brief walk around the city, we found our way to The Kitchin for our lunch, which we already reserved prior to this. The location is not difficult to find, along the Commercial Street, only stone throw away from The Victoria Quay, across the small stream, right next to The Scottish Government building.

The Kitchin is the proud brainchild of Chef Tom Kitchin, which carries the philosophy of 'From Nature to Plate' and this is also the main concept for the restaurant.

'From Nature to Plate' is a true reflection of Chef Tom Kitchin's passion for the finest, freshest Scottish seasonal produce and the cooking at the restaurant reflects Tom’s training under some of the world’s best chefs blended with his own Scottish heritage.

The Kitchin presents modern British cuisine influenced by French cooking techniques and an appreciation of the best quality ingredients available from Scotland's fantastic natural larder. The produce at The Kitchin arrives fresh daily thanks to a close team of selected suppliers who supply the restaurant with seasonal produce every day. All the meat and fish is bought in whole and all the butchering and filleting is done in-house daily.

~source from thekitchin.com

As we entered into the vicinity of The Kitchin, we were warmly welcomed by the front door staff. After handling our coats, we were escorted to our table, right in the center of the restaurant. The entire space of The Kitchin was designed in a way that is modern yet classic. The usage of unpolished wooden products in all corners together with sleek and sophisticated seating, colors and lighting successfully creates a warm and cozy dining space for customers to enjoy their fine dining moments. With these, Kitchin differs from the mainstream formal fine dining restaurants by bringing a touch of warmth, colors and new age experience. I especially love the open kitchen concept whereby the guests can observe the kitchen situation from the dining area and are able to appreciate the detailed work and effort that is put into creating the perfect meal on their table.

Food map, showing us the origin of ingredients used in The Kitchin.

We were introduced by the waiter with their 3-courses set lunch menu that consists of an appetizer, a main course and a dessert. Our designated waiter patiently explain to us in details of all the items in the menu as well as the concept and creation behind. This menu is themed Spring, offering various ingredients that were in season, obtained from locals and beyond. This set lunch is priced at an affordable 29.50 pounds, but various upgrades were available, for instance, cheese platter and red wine.

Spring themed set lunch menu

After placing our orders, we were served with bread sticks in 4 flavours and freshly made bread as light appetizers while waiting. These cute looking bread sticks were something new to us. They were paper thin like bread sticks, toasted to the perfect crisp with unique flavours such as parmesan cheese, squid ink and seaweed, rosemary and another one which i forgot, served with cream cheese. I especially love their seaweed bread stick, colored black with squid ink. The fluffy bread was served with house butter, tender and soft. Another pleasant surprise was the complimentary cold amuse bouche, which is made out of carrot pumpkin puree, with pickled carrot, radish and cucumber, topped with chives. This little one was refreshing and appetizing, inviting me for more of this delicious treat.

Bread Sticks served with cream cheese

Freshly baked Bread served with house butter

Complimentary cold Amuse Bouche
Carrot and pumpkin puree topped with pickled carrot, radish and cucumber.

Alright, let's begin with appetizer. I had the Scallop while the rest had the Pork dish. There were 3 scallops beautifully placed over a pile of sea salt, served with some fresh squid and garlic sauce. Our scallops were well cooked and the garlic sauce were incredible savoury, successfully complementing the natural sweetness from these seafood. The pork dish was something unique. A croquette is actually a breadcrumbed fried food, normally stuffed with mashed potato or grounded meat. In this case, the croquette was deconstructed, with grounded pork shin as the center, surrounded by a crispy ring that was not directly connected to the center. Best thing of this dish is definitely the leek and potato sauce that was rich and creamy.

Scallop
Orkney queenie scallops served with a wild garlic butter and squid.

Pork
Clash Farm Pork shin croquette served with a leek and potato sauce and a fried hen's egg

The inside of the master piece.

Next up, our main courses. Each of us ordered different mains, so we got to taste every single items in the menu. I had the fish dish, which is European plaice, or flounder, while the rest had the Chicken and Ox dishes. My fish dish was seasoned minimally and the creamy sauce was good but not great. Addition of rhubarb was a little bit odd to me. Although it was executed beautifully, but it was not my favourite. On the other hand, the chicken breast was alright, great flavours and varied textures. Personal favourite has to be the ox dish. As weird as the dish sounded, the flavours were impeccable, with explosion of flavours, from spicy to sweet, from salty to savoury. Each of the item within was well thought and perfectly done.

Plaice
Seared fillet of North Sea plaice served with a braised fennel, rhubarb and sea purslane

Have a closer look

Ox
Inverurie ox tongue boudin served with braised ox tripe and red pepper

Chicken
Haulkerton Farm chicken breast served with Jerusalem artichoke potato risotto and confit leg

Finally, we got our desserts. We had both of the Coffee and Rhubarb desserts. My coffee souffle looks incredible on the outside and tasted even better on the inside. The souffle has an excellent height to it, freshly baked from the oven. Its texture was warm, fluffy and airy, with intense coffee punch and chocolatey flavour from the ganache. Espresso ice-cream couldn't scream more AWESOME, with its incredibly strong espresso and creamy texture. Rhubarb is not a common ingredient in Malaysia. We seldom come across this food in any cuisines from home. Hence, when i tried out the rhubarb, i wasn't sure what to expect. The texture was soft and tasted sour, pairing with the sweet and rich vanilla cream, creating a perfect dessert. However, the rhubarb sorbet was too sour to our liking. Nevertheless, this dessert was still stunning and mind blowing.

Coffee
Coffee souffle served with chocolate ganache and espresso ice cream

Rhubarb
Rhubarb jelly and set vanilla cream served with poached Tomlinson's Farm rhubarb and rhubarb sorbet.

Look at this beauty

Overall, The Kitchin offered us a wonderful and memorable dining experience with its delicate food presentation, freshest and organic ingredients, quality and cutting edge cooking style along with top notch service and ambiance. None of the fine dining restaurant back home can compete with Chef Kitchin's one of a kind dining concept. He wisely combined the French technique with his origin--Scottish spirit in his cooking, creating a colourful, vibrant and impeccable dining experience for guests. The Kitchin is definitely the place to be when you are in Edinburgh and craving for quality fine dining at an affordable price. I hope you enjoy today's write up and i can't wait to show you more!