During my first trip back to Australia since the pandemic, I choose to fly with Air New Zealand, through Auckland, rather than direct with United. This meant for very long days, but, considerably better food, wine, and friendlier staff. It also meant time in the airline lounges in Auckland, and after spending my initial time in the Air New Zealand lounge, I went over to the far less crowded Strata lounge, which I have access to through Priority Pass.
It lived up entirely to my memories from before: a much smaller lounge, with simpler offerings, but, considerably more calm, and generally higher quality. The offerings however were greatly reduced from my visits pre-covid.
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| Marshmallows / Candy. |
As always, I was quite happy to see the marshmallows and gummy airplanes. I don't understand why we don't have marshmallows like this in the US ... these are the standard, basic marshmallows in Australia and New Zealand, and they are just so much better (better texture, better flavor, better everything!). And the plane have the kind of chew I like.
Breakfast
My visit was brief around 8:30am before boarding, and since I had breakfast #1 on the flight from San Francisco, where I had actually
really decent poached eggs benedict, and sampled a few things in the Air New Zealand lounge, and had another breakfast ahead of me on board the next leg, I only tried a few items.
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| Yogurt / Muesli. |
The yogurt lineup was minimal compared to Air New Zealand, just a plain and berry yogurt, and almond milk based bircher muesli. I love bircher muesli, and was happy to try this. It was a different style, with ... crunchier elements, and not as creamy as a yogurt based version, but I did like it. I found it needed a touch more sweetness, so I drizzled the liquid from the stewed apricots over it, and did enjoy it. ***+.
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| Cereal. |
The cereal lineup in the Strata lounge was double that of the Air New Zealand lounge, and in much easier to serve big bowls, rather than annoying dispensers. They had the same basic corn flakes, toasted muesli, and Light N Tasty, along with cocoa and regular rice crispies.
There were no pastries, just some bread to toast.
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| Fried Rice. |
The hot food lineup was a bit random. Fried rice, that looked fairly mushy. Chinese item: check!
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| Baked Beans. |
And then very runny baked beans. British item: check!
There was also hash brown patties and should have been scrambled eggs, although they were out when I was there. There was no more congee that I had enjoyed during previous visits.
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| Miso Soup. |
And then ... miso soup. Japanese item: check!
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| Crackers, Seeds. |
The charcuterie and cheeses were no longer offered, but there was one kind of crackers, and a seed mix (that also seemed to have dates in it). I do really like those rice crackers. ***+.
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| Tomato & Cheese Croissant. |
I nearly grabbed the tomato and cheese croissant, but, I had to leave for gate basically then, and knew I'd get a meal soon. It looked inviting though ...
Evening
On my return trip, it was late afternoon, so I got to experience the evening lineup. I've really enjoyed the evening offerings in the past, and this time I found a few gems, but, mostly it was mediocre.
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| Garlic Bread |
The area that normally has warm meat pies or sausage rolls sadly had just some garlic bread toasts.
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| Pumpkin Soup. |
The pumpkin soup was incredibly watery, and flavorless. **.
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| Penne Pasta. |
The pasta offering was just penne with pesto, which you'd think I wouldn't even bother trying, but, I really had enjoyed the pastas before, and really had loved the gnocchi.
I did like it, strangely. Yes it was dry, but, somehow it hit the spot. I can't explain it. Very simple pasta, barely any sauce, but, yeah. ***. I can't explain why it was satisfying, but, it was.
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| Veggie Thai Curry. |
I was pretty happy to see a vegetarian thai curry, it seemed perfect for my mood. However, it was not good. The veggies were too soft, mostly just carrots and greens beans, plus a few pieces of broccoli. The real issue was the curry sauce itself, which, like the soup, was incredibly watery. This was thinner than a soup. It was also lukewarm, and didn't have all that much flavor, certainly no spice.
Very lackluster. **+.
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| Sweet & Sour Chicken. |
The sauce for the sweet and sour chicken really didn't look good ... I was going to try just the sauce, but, it was pretty clear looking at it what the quality level was. I moved on.
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| Salads. |
The salad lineup was ... odd. And not labelled. No basic green salad at all, just three composed salads.
I didn't try the beetroot one as I don't care for beetfroot, but I tried the others.
The baby corn one was just strange... kinda marinated baby corns with some cooked carrot batons? Not bad, but not good. I think it might be fine tossed on top of a green salad or something, but it was certainly an odd creation. **+.
The potato salad I actually liked. German style, not usually my goto as I prefer mayo, but, the potatoes were cooked decently, not too soft, and it had reasonably tangy flavor. ***.
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| Chicken Club Sandwiches. |
I didn't touch the single sandwich offering.
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| Bbq rice crackers. |
I was really into rice crackers during this trip, the hotel I was staying in had these salt & vinegar rice crackers that became a staple for me. I hoped these would be just as good, as I like bbq in general just as much, if not more, than salt & vinegar.
They were fine ... crispy rice crackers, slightly stale tasting, slightly mesquite taste. Not bad, but not something I wanted more of, unlike the ones from my hotel, where I was rather addicted. Still, nice to have something light to munch on. ***.
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| Capers & Jalapenos? |
I have no idea why there was capers and jalapenos. There was no smoked salmon, no charcuterie, nothing that you'd normally see alongside these ... that said, I liked the capers, I added them to my salads, so, I guess I'm not complaining?
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Petit Fours.
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The dessert lineup begins with petit fours, which I had found very tasty in the past. This time there was what looked like chocolate rocky road (that had been fantastic before), plus two other bars, one that sorta looked like cheesecake, and the other a layer cake, perhaps vanilla cake with raspberry?
The fruity cake one was fine - reasonable moist and buttery cake, reasonably fruity bits, pretty sweet but I liked it. Not remarkable, but not bad. ***.
The chocolate one was fantastic. It was basically a fudge, rich chocolate fudge, with something in it that was slightly chewy that I couldn't quite identify - I think gummy candy? Or big pieces of dried fruit. But quality nice chocolate it was. ****.
The other I think was also maybe a fudge, a blonde one. It was rich, sweet, and delicious. ****.
These were highlights of the lounge, no question.
This was ... ok. The panna cotta didn't particularly have any flavor to it, actually a bit like a yogurt almost, and the texture wasn't perfect, it was a bit grainy, but, it wasn't bad exactly. The one on my flight just a few hours before though was considerably better, better consistency and much better flavor (caramel).
The topping though ... it said peach, mango, passion fruit, but what I tasted was pears. I really was confused, as I didn't taste anything remotely tropical fruit tasting. It tasted like pears, and I wasn't into it at all. The chunks were kinda hard too. Just, not my thing. I really wanted fresh fruit with it.
So overall, not great, but, I did enjoy having a pudding. **+.
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| Chocolate Mousse. |
The other pot was a chocolate mousse, something I always enjoy, so I was interested to compare it to the chocolate pudding from the Air New Zealand lounge, as they had one too (with coconut base).
This was really quite good. Honestly, one of the lightest, fluffiest mousses I've ever encountered. The texture was remarkable. The flavor was very "hot cocoa" flavored if that makes sense, I suppose light cocoa flavor? It had a few bits of chocolate on top.
This was very delicious, and I liked having the lighter style, rather than the thicker, richer one from the Air New Zealand lounge (that was also good, but left me more weighed down). More toppings would enhance it, really, I just wanted some cocoa nibs, a touch of whipped cream perhaps, but, it was still good without.
I'd get this again, no question. ****.
I've never been impressed with the food in
Air New Zealand lounge in Auckland. The space is great, but, the food ... no. Not for breakfast, not for a snack, not for dinner, not even for dessert. Sadly.
So on my recent layovers, I decided to finally check out another lounge, the Strata lounge. It is located near the other airline lounges (Qantas, Emirates), rather than further away and isolated like the Air New Zealand one.
On all my visits, I found the wifi unusable. I could barely load any pages, let alone download images, or stream content. Sadly, the Auckland Airport provided free wifi didn't reach inside. The Emirates wifi did, but I didn't know a password for it.
I also checked out the shower suites, but it was immediately clear that the Air New Zealand offerings were far superior. Towels are not stocked in the rooms, but you can get one at reception. Only a single purpose body wash/hair was was in the shower, no conditioner, no shampoo separate. There was only one for women, one for men, one accessible. The Air New Zealand showers are much nicer, and plentiful.
But ... this is Julie's Dining Club, I'm here to tell you about the food. The lounge has some high points, like cans of sparkling water, candy, and decent
baked goods. And really, really good cheesecake pots.
Setting
As it was only 5:30 am my first morning visit, it was quite empty. My second visit was an hour later, 6:30 am as my incoming flight was delayed, but it was still very empty.
In the afternoons, when I visited around 5pm, it was certainly more busy, but not full. Definitely considerably less busy than the Air New Zealand lounge, which was nice.
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| Dining Tables Near Buffet. |
The lounge does have an appealing design, and is quite large. Wood tones, dark colors, clean and modern. It overlooks part of the terminal.
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| More Dining Tables. |
Seating options are extensive, although most sections featured dining tables. I was a fan of the standing height bar, as I was pretty sick of sitting after 13 hours on my flight, and was gearing up for another 3 hours on an airplane.
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| Couches. |
There were also couches, generally occupied by families camping out.
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| Open Kitchen! |
They even have an open kitchen, with big windows overlooking the prep area. However, no action was going on my first visit, as it was very early. During later visits, I saw baked goods being finished off in the ovens. I've never seen a airport lounge with an open kitchen before.
Dining
I visited during 3 different meal periods: breakfast, snack, and dinner.
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| Buffet. |
The dining options are a buffet, self-serve, located in a large, spacious area in the middle. They win points for this, even though it was obviously not crowded when I arrived, it never got crazy crowded, unlike the Air New Zealand lounge, which is often really difficult to navigate and backed up.
Breakfast
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| Toast. |
The buffet had both continental and hot items, starting with some basics like breads and a toaster.
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| Rolls / Seeds / Crackers / Whole Fruit. |
Moving on were rolls, seeds, and whole fruit.
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| Smoothies, Cold Cuts & Spreads. |
The next station had "Breakfast Smoothies", one red, one green, no details provided on what they were.
There was also a board with cold cuts, cheese, tomato, mustards, pickles, and more. Perhaps for making a little breakfast sandwich?
I had some pickles, they were fine. As was the egg salad.
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| Pastries. |
I didn't try a pastry at first, they looked fairly generic.
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| Pastries Proofing. |
And then I saw that they at least bake them off fresh, the open kitchen showed racks of proofing pastries.
So on my next visit, I tried a few.
The raisin custard swirl was … mediocre, but not horrible. The pastry was crispy, the filling creamy, and I liked the sweet glaze on it. But meh to raisins, and it wasn’t particularly good pastry.
The little lattice danish was slightly better. Again crispy pastry. I selected one with red filling, expecting strawberry or raspberry, but I think it may have been guava? It was just a goo, but a decent enough fruity goo.
So overall, the pastries were pretty mediocre, and not worth getting, but not awful, and I finished them, glad they were mini though.
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| Cereal. |
A good range of cereal options was next, including cocoa puffs and Weetabix, both of which I do kinda like.
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| Yogurts / Bircher Muesli / Fruit Salad. |
The yogurt station was quite varied, large format plain Greek yogurt or low fat berry yogurt, then some pre-designed individual pots, labelled "Yoghurt with Tropical Fruit Compote", clearly two varieties, one orange (mango? Pineapple?) and one red (berries?).
I tried a dollop of the berry yogurt since I could try just a bite, and found it runny and exactly the style I dislike.
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| Bircher Muesli. |
I went straight for the Bircher muesli though, something I love in New Zealand and Australia ... sometimes. When its the right style - not too mushy, not too apple forward, not too sour ...
It is hard for me to evaluate the muesli. Because it was hard to reach. On top was a ridiculously thick layer of ... applesauce? Ugh. I hated, hated, hated it. Mushy, not flavors I like. Did.
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| Yoghurt with Tropical Fruit Compote. |
Disappointed, I went back for a yoghurt pot.
I tried to like it, since I do like mango and that is what the topping seemed to be, but it really was just canned fruit, stewed, sweet. The yogurt was plain.
I tried the other one the next visit, the cherry topped one, but I didn't care for it either.
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| Congee / Baked Beans. |
The hot food lineup was considerably larger than that in the Air New Zealand lounge, a mix of both Western and Eastern items.
I tried the congee on my second visit, and found it enjoyable. Warm, comforting, and there were plenty of toppings on the side to add on, like fried crispy onions and garlic chips.
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| Fried Rice / Stir Fried Noodles. |
I tried the noodles, kinda just randomly, but they weren't anything special, no real flavor, no real mix-ins besides the garnish on top.
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| Scrambled Eggs. |
The eggs looked like every standard version of bad buffet eggs.
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| Roast Tomato / Sausages. |
If I were hungry, I would have tried a sausage, I do sometimes just adore breakfast sausage.
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| Pancakes / Hash Browns. |
I also would have tried a pancake my first visit, and went to get one, only to see that there was no syrup or toppings available. Butter, jam, spreads for toast, but no syrup, let alone fruity compotes, sauces, or whipped cream.
Luckily, my next visit had maple syrup. The pancakes were a particular style, crispy from being oven baked probably, but, not bad exactly. If I needed something, I'd have another.
I did try a hash brown, and ... wow it was greasy. Crazy greasy. Crispy, but so greasy. It reminded me of fast food hash browns.
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| Liege Waffles. |
My third visit, I was *thrilled* to see ... liege waffles!!! You know how much I love
waffles.
They were fine. Not really warm, but this style of waffle is actually fine at room temp. Crispy, loaded with pearl sugar.
I really wanted whipped cream or nutella or something to slather on, but alas, the only option was syrup, which doesn't quite go with this style of waffle. Still, I was happy to see, and try, these.
Evening
In the afternoon/evening, the buffet offers salads, sandwiches, sushi, cheese and crackers, desserts, and some hot items.
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| Salads. |
The lineup of pre-made salads: Roasted Carrots, Olive & Qunioa / Italian Orzo Pasta / Herb Caper & Parmesan Salad / Eggplant, Date & Kale, Lemon Tahini Salad / Ceasar.
None looked particularly fresh. I tried a little Caesar, and the lettuce was fairly wilted. The dressing was ok.
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| Thai Noodle Slaw. |
On another visit, they had a Thai noodle slaw, that looked decent, with cashews in it (presumably rather than more traditional peanuts, because, allergies).
It was pretty boring though, just thin rice vermicelli, with shredded carrots and cabbage, and it kinda lacked any flavor.
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| Club Sandwich / Sushi. |
The sandwich actually looked ok, with some kind of interesting spread, and meat and cheese, but I was pretty stuffed and not really hungry.
The sushi was a bit sad, a couple pieces of a cucumber roll. Not sure if sushi with seafood was ever available, or only vegetarian.
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| Creamy Chardonnay Mushroom/Spinach Potato Gnocchi. |
The gnocchi however wasn't bad. As in, I liked it.
It was soft and a bit gummy, but, I really did like the creamy sauce. If I needed a meal, I'd be pretty happy with this.
Update: I've seen had this several times. I didn't take photos, not realizing how poor this photo was. It really did look more appealing on the other visits, although, its still buffet gnocchi, no question about that.
I always like it, in a way that confuses me. Its creamy, its rich, the mushrooms have a good chew, and the goopy gnocchi I do kinda like. I also discovered its great if you mix in some pesto from the sandwich area too.
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| Creamy Spinach & Mushroom Pasta (October 2019). |
I gleefully marched up to the buffet 6 months later, to find that my precious gnocchi was replaced with pasta. Still, creamy pasta, with spinach and mushrooms.
It was good. Really creamy, and well seasoned, and I really did like the flavor to it. Decent amount of spinach and mushrooms too.
The pasta was cooked fine, not too mushy, not hard and gross from sitting out, but I still wished it was gnocchi.
I was still pleased with this.
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| Italian Lamb Ragu with Pasta. |
The other pasta option though, not for me.
Lamb! The aroma just from lifting the lid to take this photo was too much for me. I really dislike lamb smell.
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| Roasted Vegetables Basil Dressing Toasted Pine-Kennel. |
"Toasted Pine-Kennel"? Yeah, no idea.
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| Steamed Green & White Vegetables / Wasabi Miso Dressing. |
I laughed at the sign for this too "Green & White Vegetables". Otherwise known as green beans and cauliflower. I'm sure the green veggie changes out sometimes, but what other white vegetables are there? Potatoes?
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| Massaman Curry. (October 2019). |
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I tried this on a whim, and was pleased with the flavor of the sauce. I didn't actually have any chunks of beef since I had beef cheeks on my flight there and wasn't craving more meat, but, the curry was flavorful and decent, really.
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| Miso Soup / Italian Vegetable & Lentil Soup. |
I didn't try the soup.
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| Beef and Guinness Savory Pie / Capsicum and Spinach Quiche. |
I tried a savory pie because a fresh batch was brought out when I was there.
They weren't awful, the pastry crispy, the filling creamy and savory. Points for ketchup squirt bottle on the side.
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| Danishes. |
The danishes were an odd offering, perhaps left over from morning service?
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| Muffins. |
My second visit had mini muffins instead of danishes, they looked corn-like, so I grabbed one.
However ... it was lemon! NOOOOOO.
Lemon with a gummy top, and fake, preservative tasting base. Not for me.
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| Petit Fours. |
The little dessert bars were just labelled "petit fours", but there was a chocolate brownie, a 7 layer bar, something that looked like a caramel slice, and a white chocolate rocky road sort of thing.
I tried them all.
The brownie was pretty generic, although it had a thicker chocolate ganache on top I kinda liked, and some little white chips. Skip-able though, unless really craving chocolate.
The 7-Layer bar had a cake base, and lots of things ... coconut, choc chips, raisins ... I think dates. It didn't come together for me though, meh.
The thing I thought was a caramel or dulce de leche slice was also not very good, a shortbread crust that wasn't sweet and buttery like good shortbread, and then a slightly sweet, slightly gingery thick topping? Meh.
The only one I really liked was the white chocolate rocky road, with fluffy marshmallows and nuts inside.
Sadly, in October, the petit fours were there, and fully stocked, but alas, no rocky road.
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| Desserts! |
In this section we had little potted desserts! Fruit Salad / Non Bake Lemon Cheesecake / Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel Sauce / Chia Seed Pudding w/ Kiwifruit and Mint.
I adore
puddings, and
panna cotta, and these all sounded great, so I eagerly took one of each (except the melon containing fruit salad of course).
Non Bake Lemon Cheesecake: This was really, really good. Not a cheesecake in standard form obviously, since a potted pudding creation, but the consistency was good, really creamy but thick. It wasn't too sweet nor too lemony, and it did taste of cream cheese. And I really liked the sweet crumble on the bottom. The top was pretty too! I really liked this, one of the best lounge desserts I've ever had.
Update: I had this again a few weeks later, and again enjoyed it, although I found it very rich. I wanted some light whipped cream on top perhaps? But still, for a lounge dessert, it was quite good.
Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Salted Caramel Sauce: This also was decent. Much like the cheesecake, not really a panna cotta, but a nice pudding, good consistency, and the salted caramel sauce was sweet and tasty. But the cheesecake was the clear winner.
Chia Seed Pudding w/ Kiwifruit and Mint: And ... even this was good! It was creamy, the chia texture was nice, it seemed to have some coconut milk/cream as the base. The kiwi and pineapple on top were fresh enough.
All of these were quite good, and I'd gladly have them again. Sooo much better than the puddings in the Air New Zealand Lounge.
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| Puddings. (October 2019). |
Fruit Salad / Non Bake Berry Cheesecake / Vanilla Panna Cotta with Rhubarb / Chocolate Mousse.
I was quite glad to see the potted deserts were still there a few months later, just a slightly different lineup this time.
Non Bake Berry Cheesecake:
The cheesecake switched from being topped with lemon to berry, with cocoa nibs on top too. It was still fabulous, the highlight of the lounge, just a great texture and consistency, rich, nice cream cheese flavor, and the berry compote I certainly preferred. I liked the crunch from the cocoa nibs. The base was even fine, usually a throwaway component for me, but they do this well, so sweet and crumbly.
I will continue to get this whenever offered. A+, best lounge dessert. Note to future self: get two. Get three. These are just so delicious!
Vanilla Panna Cotta with Rhubarb:
The panna cotta swapped out salted caramel for rhubarb, definitely a downgrade for me since I don't care for rhubarb at all. The panna cotta also was not a great texture nor consistency, more firm, jelly like than is standard. I'd skip this in the future.
Chocolate Mousse:
And the chia pudding? Replaced with chocolate mousse! Clearly an upgrade.
The mousse was also good, rich, chocolatey, fluffy. I wanted some whipped cream with it, just to contrast with the rich chocolate, but, I just added a little cheesecake, and that kinda worked. My second favorite, and I'd gladly have it again too.
Drinks & Snacks
Drinks are all self-serve.
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| Drinks. |
Drinks are all self-serve, basic juices, soft drinks from a fountain. No sparkling water on top, only still.
Coffee comes from a robot machine, no barista service here (like Air New Zealand lounge). I didn't try the coffee.
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| Bar. |
I never tried any wine, beer, or soft drinks, opting only for sparkling water (in small cans). The savory snacks were just pretzels.
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| Lollies! |
I did quite enjoy the gummy planes (ha! planes!) and the marshmallows, particularly during my morning visit, alongside coffee.
I really love the marshmallows from Australia and New Zealand, they seem fluffier, and the sweetness is ... just different. They taste more "real", less plastic?
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| Mini Marshmallows. |
On my next visit, the marshmallows were still pink and white, but ... they were mini! Still a sweetness I like more than US based marshmallows, but not as good as the bigger ones.
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| Gluten-Free Cookies / Marshmallows / Jet Planes / All BLACK Afgans. |
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My next visit had the same marshmallows and gummy jets, but added two types of cookies, gluten free separately packaged ones, and chocolate ones labelled "All BLACK Afgans".
I'm not a
cookie girl , but I had to try one right? I also needed to look them up to learn more about them, as the name was clearly specific.
I took a bite first, and was surprised. I thought this was going to be a fairly generic cookie, but instead, well, it was almost like a crispier rice crispy treat, but chocolate, but cookie shaped. I liked it, sweet, great texture, but it was not the item it looked like at all.
A little digging taught me about ... afghan biscuits, a traditional New Zealand biscuit, made with cornflakes (aha!) and no leavening (double aha!). They usually are topped with chocolate icing and a half walnut, but alas, the lounge ones did not have these elements.
Well, thank you Strata lounge for introducing these to me, and I'd gladly have another.
[ No Photo ]
Bhuja Mix.
The savory snack offering is the same bhuja mix that the Air New Zealand lounge has, always pretty satisfying, crunchy, crispy.
