This is the third voucher of the day. We actually bought the sushi pack for someone else. So, I guess I’m not really obliged to write a review about the sushi. Yay! If I do go to Bento, I would much rather have the noodles though.

The voucher was for one complimentary sushi pack when another sushi pack of equal or greater value is purchased. We saved at least NZD 7 this time.

After the Japanese themed lunch, I decided I needed some ice cream. For those who have never tried New Zealand Natural ice cream, you should. I have to admit it is expensive though. Anyway, with a regular ice cream, you can choose to mix two flavours. However, I was so in the mood for green tea ice cream that I didn’t bother mixing the flavours. Plus, what flavours do green tea go well with?

The voucher was for one complimentary regular ice cream when another regular ice cream of equal or greater value is purchased. We saved NZD 4.50 this time.

Official website: New Zealand Natural

Watch out! The sushi train is moving! Ok, just kidding. But do watch out for the trams on your way to Blue Fish though.

I had been craving tempura for the longest time; which is one of the reasons we ended up here for lunch. Since the little dishes on the sushi train won’t be enough to satisfy my craving, I ordered a tempura off the menu. But then… I can’t possibly not try the food on the sushi train. So off comes the little dishes, one after the other. It’s a really simple system. Take whatever you want off the train when it comes past you. The plates are colour coded by price. There are five different colours, ranging from NZD 2.50 to NZD 6.30 per plate. Most of the dishes we tried were green and red, which are NZD 3.30 and NZD 4.30 respectively. Most of the dishes have two portions, so it’s best to go with at least another person so that you can try more dishes. When it comes time to pay, the staff will count the number of plates in front of you and bill you accordingly. This was my first experience with a sushi train and it was really enjoyable. I would love to go back again sometime.

The voucher was for 25 percent off the total bill; up to NZD 20. We saved NZD 15.10 this time.

My brain runs on caffeine, caffeine, and more caffeine. I’ve recently started stocking up on V for all the late nights that I’m about to have trying to finish up that assignment. The Coffee Guy who recently just started to come round to our office was kind enough to give us a free coffee the other day. Thanks, Coffee Guy; or more accurately Coffee Gal!

Yesterday, I went up to Porters to do some snowboarding for the first time this season. Porters is the closest ski field to Christchurch that I’m aware of. Having never been to Porters before, I’m not quite sure what to expect. There has been lots of advice and comments from friends; and most suggested Mt Hutt is better. I decided to check out Porters anyway.

The drive was easy; taking approximately 90 minutes to get to the ski field car park. The access road is in good condition; it didn’t even require snow chain on this particular day, which saved me at least 20 minutes. Admittedly, the facilities are not as good as Mt Hutt. The rental gear looks old. They have T-bars instead of chair lifts. The cafe is smaller, and the car park looks like an organised mess. On a positive note, the crew are great; most of them anyway.

Last year, I did a beginners lesson at Mt Hutt and discovered that I’m goofy. As a refresher, I signed up for a half day beginners lesson. It was NZD 95 for the beginner lift pass, gear rental, and lesson. The lesson went rather well… that is until I have to learn to use the platter lift. There are no platter lifts at Mt Hutt. The platter lift looks easy but I just couldn’t get the hang of it the first few tries. I was not looking forward to keep walking up the slope. I did it once and it was a real workout. Luckily, perseverance and words of encouragement from the instructors and friend paid off. That and a few handy tips. Having the platter between my legs, and putting the bulk of my weight on the front foot with it slightly towards the heel side seemed to work really well for me. This allowed me to keep going up the platter lift and snowboard down the beginner slope almost non-stop for the whole afternoon. It was AWESOME. Other than getting used to the platter lift, I spent most of the time improving my control of the board. Being able to slow down and stop when you want to is surprisingly helpful. It is also great that the board goes where I want it to go; most of the time anyway. Due to where the lesson was conducted on the slope, I ended up having to ride fakie. On the upside, I can now go both directions quite comfortably. I can’t wait to get back up the slope.

When I first heard the name Winnie Bagoes, I thought bagels. Boy, was I wrong! You won’t find any bagels here. They claim to be the original gourmet pizza bar. I have no reason to doubt that.

We had our dinner at Winnies Ferrymead earlier this evening. Our dinner party had a little girl today, so we thought a pizza place would be a good choice. First off, finding a car park was a challenge. The restaurant and bar was crowded. Luckily, we managed to get a table. The atmosphere is what you’d expect of a bar—dimly lit, crowded, and noisy; not really that well suited for a little girl, but I liked it.

We ordered a few pizzas and a wedges to share. The food took a while to arrive but it was delicious. I thought the pizzas were a tad dry; but then again, I normally have everything with soup so it is most likely just me. I have no complaints about the staff either. They were friendly as.

The voucher was for 25 percent off the total bill; up to NZD 35. We saved NZD 20.75 this time.

Official website: Winnie Baggoes

I know I’m suppose to write something about every voucher I used but I really haven’t got much to say about this one. Anyway, here goes. We went to Beauvais for lunch this afternoon. In an attempt to not spend too much, I decided to order the full breakfast from the breakfast menu; which they do serve at that time. The full breakfast was pretty average. The hash brown wasn’t like the ones I normally see; I think it could be home-made. There’s nothing wrong with the hash brown; I’m merely making an observation. Other than that, there’s nothing particularly unique about this place. The staff are lovely though.

The voucher was for one complimentary main course when another main course of equal or greater value is purchased; up to NZD 25. We saved NZD 13.90 this time.

The main thing that attracted me to Beauvais in the first place is the name itself. It sounded distinctly French. I decided to Google it to find out what it means; the way I do for most things when I don’t know what they mean. It turns out Beauvais is a town in northern France. There you go. Learn something new everyday.

Browsers is a unique cafe in the heart of Riccarton – an old villa surrounded by sunny sheltered courtyards and overgrown wisteria, with a large fish tank to sit around.

There is definitely a certain charm about Browsers Garden Cafe. I’ve liked the place ever since the first time I visited the cafe a year or two ago. I still remember that first time. It was after a swim at Jellie Park on a Saturday morning. Boy, was I starved that day. Anyway, I ordered a Browsers Brekky today. The portion size seems to have become smaller. Nonetheless, it tasted great; just as I remembered it. The staff are still as friendly as always.

The voucher was for 25 percent off the total bill; up to NZD 15. We saved at least NZD 7 this time.

I think this is another one of those that I don’t really need to review as I imagine most people would have tried Tandoori Palace before. In short, the curries and naans are simply delicious. My favourite is the Butter Chicken.

I was surprised by the number of restaurants and takeaway outlets that Tandoori Palace has around Christchurch. They currently have restaurants at the Cathedral Square in the city, Ilam, and Ferrymead. They also have three other takeaway outlets spread throughout Christchurch.

The voucher was for 25 percent off the total bill; up to NZD 20. I saved NZD 8 this time. Tandoori Palace is also listed in the Entertainment book under B31 with a similar offer.

Official website: Tandoori Palace

As it was a lovely afternoon, we decided to head to New Brighton for lunch. Salt on the Pier is one of my favourite cafe. I ordered the Beer Battered Fish. You may be starting to notice a trend here. The fish and chips are great as usual, and the staff are friendly. Needless to say, I will be back for more.

The voucher was for one complimentary main course when another main course of equal or greater value is purchased; up to NZD 30. We saved NZD 20 this time. Note that this voucher is only valid at the cafe on the ground floor. The Salt on the Pier restaurant on the first floor is also listed in the Entertainment book under A32 with a different offer.

Official website: Salt on the Pier