Eating in New Zealand

I mentioned in a blog post before about the original Japan mart on Anzac Avenue being closed, and how I spotted a shop front in Newmarket with the same name but different signage; well, it appears that this one in Newmarket is the real deal! It was scheduled to open on 25th March according to the employee I talked to while they were stocking up the shelves; but as I visited there was another notice saying that store operation was pending City Council permissions. I guess I’ll just have to wait a little bit longer to satisfy my Japanese instant noodle and Mochi cravings!

[Shopfront photo included for your spotting convenience]

If anyone is after Japanese-imported food stuff (T-Mark on Short street has some Japanese food supplies but not too much) then this is the place to check out - especially their selection of Japanese Instant noodles! It’s very expensive (non-special prices start at $4.50 for a small-ish bowl; average price is $3 for the usual portion sold) but the top-end ones are well worth my money. I’m waiting to stock up so I can complete my Instant noodles review feature because no instant noodle reviews are complete without coverage of the Japanese brands! (in my mind anyways)

Also a little note on the updates on this blog - as I’m currently busy doing job applications, updates will be more scarce than usual - but fear not, once I find a job (or get rejected and crying in a corner) things shall resume as usual. I am doing fieldwork every week to explore new (and familiar) eateries so stay tuned and as always, I love comments and interacting with my readers so don’t be shy :)

Location detail of Japan mart Newmarket:  It’s listed as 435-437 Khyber Pass Road, but the shop entrance is actually via Gillies Ave, right opposite the BP petrol station. If you can find the BP corner on Khyber Pass road, you’ll find Japan mart. Will try more of the store when it opens, but for now I’ll be getting my fill of Japanese food from restaurants!

On this particular day, me and a few friends felt a slight craving for eating out - something along the lines of noodles that weren’t too oily and expensive, and preferably in the city. Given that we’ve just recently eaten at Daikoku ramen, we decided to try out this other place that I’ve eaten at previously that does pretty good ramen too - Ichiban Ramen on Albert street in the city.

For my pick, I chose the Shoyu ramen which is pretty much noodle in a soy soup based. The noodle portion is ample, along with the spring onions; alas, there is only one slice of meat to go along with the noodle, soup and sweet corns. Their noodles are chewy but not too rigid, and the healthy serving of chopped spring onions goes well with the ramen. The sweet corns add a sweetness to the soup base and does make the whole affair slightly lighter, than say the Tonkotsu / pork bone soup base ramens.

Although I always feel that the amount of meat served in ramens is usually few, for the price of $8 the size of the bowl, the amount of noodles and soup alone is more than enough to make a filling meal! Definitely a staple treat for those living the frugal, student life :)