What a meal!

I am still full after the Japanese feast on Tuesday night. Three of my colleagues went to dinner with me at Auckland's best Japanese restaurant.

As the company colours are red and grey we had to start with .... what else? Then there was the sushi - Salmon, Snapper, John Dory, Scallops, Tuna, pickled plum rolls, natto rolls and cucumber rolls. I love the way Ariake restaurant makes the amount of rice small and the size of the fish slice large. I want to save my carbohydrate allowance for later on!!Next we have chawan mushi which for me is always like a treasure hunt. Buried in these delicious steamed egg custards are bamboo shoot, chicken, prawn, gingko nut and Japanese mushrooms. The flavour is a delicate slightly fish base and oh so delicious.Then there is broiled tofu, braised eggplant in miso sauce, deep fried chicken portions (with the most fantastic taste of powdered seaweed in the batter) and broiled vegetables (carrot, white turnip, broccli, lotus root) and of course Koshihikari Rice and Miso Soup. At this point the complaints about full stomachs began to come from all four of us greedy ladies!

And then the manager arrived with.... "congratulations on 20 years of service with JTB" he says and places in front of me a years worth of calories. Did I refrain? Of course not- its only once in twenty years after all!!! But somebody must have told him - it can't possibly be public knowledge or can it? One of my colleagues must have loose lips :-)

So after a wonderful evening a much more portly Margaret went home full of happiness to sleep well. "Tomorrow the gym to wear off these calories" she thought as she sank into blissful dreams!