Wellington on a Plate 2011: DINE Wellington roundup

As I said last time, I haven't gotten as much Wellington on a Plate action this year. I had such high hopes, plotting out which set lunches and dinners I wanted to try on the little calendar I keep at my desk. And then, bam! It was suddenly the last week of Wellington on a Plate and I hadn't made any lunch or dinner reservations as planned, and time was running out.

Luckily I had a couple of lunch dates last week as well as a food bloggers' dinner at Fratelli on Friday night (I have to apologise for the grainy photos, some of which were taken on my phone... I was more focused on eating this time around!):


Burger Wellington: Smith the Grocer


A friend and I ended up at Smith the Grocer after our first Burger Wellington choice for a quick & informal Lambton-area lunch, Astoria, was sold out of their burger* (it wasn't even 1pm!). Some hasty phone research and quick eliminations ("do you think we would've needed a booking?", "hmm, their burger sounds pretty standard") led us to Old Bank Arcade where there was plenty of room for us to sit and burgers were coming out of the kitchen left and right.

Smith the Grocer's offering for Burger Wellington was a Moroccan lamb burger ($17.90): a spiced Wairarapa lamb patty with the usual lettuce, tomato & cheese, in a Pandoro bun. Though there were a few things that could've been better (I wished the cheese was on top of the patty rather than underneath, the patty could've been juicier, the bread was a little on the dry side), it satisfied my burger craving and eased the initial panic that set in after we couldn't get a burger at Astoria ("where else around here does burgers?" "...BK?"). The tzatziki that came on the side good and we both ended up smearing some inside the burger. And although the fries weren't crinkle cut (as per the menu) they were nice and crispy and I was perfectly happy finishing them off (er, almost!).

*my friend went back the next day and said Astoria's burger was worth going back again for. Sadly, I missed out on it this time. But you can read about it on Delaney's burger blog here. 


Smith the Grocer
Old Bank Arcade
233-237 Lambton Quay
Wellington CBD
0800 764 843

Open Mon-Fri 7:30am-5pm; Sat 10am-4pm; Sun 10am-3pm


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Burger Wellington: Bisque on Bolton


A couple days later I was back on the burgers, this time at Bisque on Bolton in the Bolton Hotel, conveniently located across the street from my work (no rushing back down Lambton Quay on a full stomach that day!). Aside from the location, I was really excited to try Bisque's burger: the promise of paua fritter and crayfish mayonnaise was great.

"Pāuā for the People" ($22), a paua fritter with crayfish mayonnaise and salad greens, was good but there were a few things that detracted from its potential awesomeness. The fritter was tasty but was almost drowned out by the bap it arrived in (a bit dry) and the robust salad greens and tomato (a bit slippery). The crayfish mayonnaise was delicious, but most of it seemed to have soaked into the bread. I probably would've been happier deconstructing this one and eating the paua fritter with some of that crayfish mayo slathered on top. In fact, I'd happily pop back over the road if that was ever on offer at lunchtime.

The other thing I'd totally go back for were the kumara fries that came with the burger. Not your all-too-common soggy, greasy kumara fries, these. These were gloriously crispy on the outside and smooth and creamy and kumara-sweet on the inside. Some people don't like kumara fries. I am not one of those people. But I don't think it's just because I have a soft spot for kumara fries that I thought these were fantastic. If only these appeared on Bisque's regular menu... I can keep dreaming, though. 


Bisque on Bolton
Bolton Hotel
Corner of Bolton & Mowbray Streets
Wellington CBD
(04) 462 3770

Open for breakfast: Mon-Fri 6:30-10am / weekends and public holidays 7-11am; lunch: Mon-Fri 12-2pm; dinner: 7 days 6-9:30pm



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DINE Wellington: Fratelli


On Friday evening a lovely group of food bloggers and other food-type people met up for dinner at Fratelli. It was pretty funny seeing this come together: Andrea suggested it on Twitter as she was going to be in town, there was much to-ing and fro-ing on venue choice, lighting, a Twitter hashtag (#woapfbd) was born, and eventually Rosa took charge and booked us in at Fratelli.

I'd never been there before (for reasons perhaps not entirely logical or fair, I always seem to overlook the bars and restaurants on Blair and Allen streets) but was pretty excited about the $70 three-course set menu (with matching wines, of course) they had on offer. Not to mention spending an evening with the likes of these lovely ladies.

For my entree, I chose the Wairarapa beef cheek ravioli in Napolitana sauce with basil & Kapiti parmesan. I don't want to say it tasted predictable, but it tasted exactly as it should: the beef was tender, the pasta perfectly cooked, the tomato sauce just the right thickness and just enough cheese sprinkled on top to add a bit of a nutty bite. Thoroughly enjoyable.

The pan-fried fish* with celeriac puree, sauteed prawns, shaved fennel & cavolo nero was stunning (and a much more manageable portion than poor Andrea's** enormous veal shank!). The fish was perfectly seasoned, perhaps a shade overcooked for my liking but otherwise I couldn't fault the dish; it was gone in no time. I especially loved the contrast of the meaty fish, the robust cavolo nero (by far one of my favourite greens) and the smooth celeriac puree. I'll be cooking something like this at home soon.

For dessert I chose the trio of gelati and completely neglected to photograph it. To be honest, I was far more interested in tasting each of the flavours: pistachio, passionfruit & salted caramel. Each one was beautiful but I'd have to say my favourite was the pistachio, with little bits of nut (salted caramel was a close second, though!). Amazing.

Overall it was a very enjoyable dinner, and the company was just as good as the food (if not better!). The rest of the menu looked good too: I'll definitely be back.


*and here I show my total lack of attention at what fish they were using that day: I was too swept up in the conversation and in how absolutely delicious this was.

**she had come from a full day of the Fisher & Paykel Masterclass... a marathon day of food, to say the least!


Fratelli
15 Blair St
Wellington CBD
(04) 801 6615

Open for dinner Mon-Sat, 5:30pm onward.



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Hippopotamus Restaurant

I can't believe how hideously long this blog has laid stagnant. For anyone out there who really wants to know (otherwise just skip ahead), since moving into a new place a couple months ago I've been living (mostly) without internet and TV. At first it was strange, and I didn't know what to do with my time, but then it felt a bit like being on holiday, the days stretched into weeks, and all of a sudden it's the end of November. So here I am, reviving this old thing.

Anyway this post dates back to pre-hiatus times, so I'll do my best to recall. It's from (gasp, yes it has been that long) the Wellington on a Plate $35 set lunch at Hippopotamus restaurant in the Museum Hotel.

I was super excited about the booking I'd made for this lunch, and had hightailed it across town on my lunch break to make it there.

Before our meals we were brought these gorgeous little bread rolls and butter, a lovely surprise. The roll was perfectly round, at once chewy and soft, and I had to restrain myself from taking another one when we were offered more.

For his entree E ordered the salmon carpaccio with shaved Wairarapa fennel and red onion salad, drizzled with tomato and citrus salsa. I was especially excited to see little baby pea shoots adorning the dish, a delicate hint of the (at that time) coming spring.

I had the Kapiti Kikorangi tortellini with creamed leek and walnut froth. Kikorangi is probably my favourite blue cheese, and it paired dreamily with the nutty flavours of the sauce. And again, those delightful little pea shoots.

While I had my sights set on dessert, E opted for a main as his second course, the sirloin steak with port wine jus, fries and mesclun salad. No fancy ingredients for this one, just simply, beautifully executed.

I couldn't resist stealing a bite of the steak. Cooked to a beautiful medium rare, it was juicy and tender, complemented perfectly by the jus.

I was even less bashful about stealing some of E's fries, perhaps the best fries I've ever tasted - incredibly smooth, almost creamy on the inside, with a crispy exterior.

But the highlight for me was definitely this exquisitely presented traditional apple tarte tatin, with vanilla ice cream and toffee sauce. Like the steak and fries, this was hard to beat - there's nothing quite like the basics done well. The pastry was flaky and tender, the apple caramelised to a deep russet colour, the ice cream melting into the hot toffee sauce.

Before we knew it, my lunch hour was over and it was time to haul myself back across town. While it's a bit of a splurge, I know I'll be back (perhaps for their high tea!).

 

Hippopotamus Restaurant

Level 3, Museum Hotel

90 Cable St

Wellington 

(04) 802 8935

www.hippopotamus.co.nz  

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Matterhorn - Wellington on a Plate Food Bloggers' Lunch

Last Saturday I had lunch at Matterhorn with a fantastic bunch of visiting (and not-so-visiting) food bloggers, hosted by the lovely ladies from Positively Wellington Tourism and Wellington on a Plate. It was the first day of Wellington's favourite new food festival and I arrived with my stomach empty and my heart full of anticipation. Not only was I excited to meet everyone, but I also had never had a full meal at Matterhorn before, though I've long been a fan of their drinks and bar snacks menu, the cool-yet-casual vibe, the airy courtyard and the live music that's often played on weekends. 

We were there for the $35 set lunch that Matterhorn is offering as part of Dine Wellington 2010 for Wellington on a Plate. The concept behind Dine is that each restaurant offers a set lunch (and/or, in many cases, dinner) where you choose two courses plus a glass of Wairarapa wine and tea or coffee. Very exciting stuff, and I perused the menu whilst waiting for everyone to arrive. Soon all nine of us had gathered, introductions were made, coffees arrived at the table and we fell into conversation, naturally, about food, photography and blogging.

While we chatted away, exchanging business cards and food-blogger stories, we nibbled on a few starters from Matterhorn's regular lunch menu. The white bean and lemon dip with crispy pitas and spring onion relish ($8) was a treat; I especially loved the crunchy, lightly seasoned pita chips.

I'm a lover of olives, so I was thrilled to see this olive selection with reggiano shortbread ($7). I loved the big, juicy green olives and the little, almond-sized ones (I only wish I knew what the different varieties were!), and I snuck a piece of the shortbread - it was light and buttery with a hint of sharp, salty reggiano cheese.

When the entrees arrived, the table became a flurry of photographic activity, everyone concentrating on getting the best shot. It was definitely a new and different experience for me not being the only one at the table surreptitiously fiddling with my camera and whipping it out whenever food arrives, but I'd like to think I learned a bit about food photography after watching these guys in action.*

I decided to choose a main and a dessert as my two courses, but I was lucky enough to get to try some of this carpaccio of yellow tail kingfish with rhubarb, grapefruit and ginger buckwheat. The fish was light and fresh-tasting with a hint of citrusy flavour.

As a main I had the crayfish basmati in risotto style with prawns, fennel and lemon.  The rich, savoury crayfish flavour permeated the rice; it would almost have been too rich for me had it not been balanced by the succulent prawns and the delicate shaved fennel, cool and crisp with a hint of aniseed flavour. On the whole, all the elements came together beautifully - this is definitely something I could eat again and again.

Most of our group chose the wagyu skirt steak with red wine onions, celeriac remoulade and parsley salad. Peter generously gave me a piece of his steak - it was tender and juicy, and the remoulade was cool, creamy and crunchy. 

Most of the others in our group left before dessert as they were scheduled to go to another Wellington on a Plate event, but a few of us stayed on as we still had two desserts coming. And I'm glad I did - this vanilla roast pineapple with coconut panna cotta, passion fruit sorbet & nut biscuit was by far my favourite part of the meal (I can't help it, I have such a sweet tooth!). The pineapple was mellow and syrupy, providing a sharp contrast to the tangy sorbet, the crisp, airy biscuit, and the smooth, delicate panna cotta. If I had to pick favourites I'd have to choose the panna cotta: the coconut added a subtly different dimension and I thought I detected a hint of something cardamom-y in there, though it could have just been my imagination. Superb. 

All up, it was a fantastic lunch and a wonderful start to Wellington on a Plate. The atmosphere was great, the food well-presented and the company was delightful. The wines included in the $35 set menu paired well with the meal; pictured above is the Ata Rangi Petrie Chardonnay 2008 and the other choice, the Ata Rangi Celebre 2007, seemed to have been enjoyed as well. 

I'll definitely return to Matterhorn soon, not just for my usual pursuit of awesome cocktails and bar snacks but also for their lunch and dinner menu - great for a special occasion! Hmm, I do have a few of those coming up... 

Matterhorn

106 Cuba St (in between Rex Royale and the comic shop, down a long corridor)

Wellington

(04) 384 3359

www.matterhorn.co.nz

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Millie dined as a guest of Positively Wellington Tourism and Wellington on a Plate. Thanks!!

*if you're not familiar with the following blogs, you should definitely check them out - they have stunning photography and never fail to make me hungry!

A Table For Two (Sydney)

So D'Lish (Auckland)

Grab Your Fork (Sydney)

He Needs Food (Sydney)

Hungry and Frozen (Wellington)

Souvlaki for the Soul (Sydney)

Time to chow down...

Well! How quickly a month goes by. Apologies for the lack of updates on this blog - both Florence and I are currently away from Wellington* and therefore haven't had much Wellington food stories to report. Luckily I had saved some photos from before I left for a couple of posts, so now that I'm back from my holiday (I use "back" loosely here - I'm in the South Island for a few weeks**, but I'm back to work*** and regular internet access), I guess the time is ripe to post them.

So, without further ado, Chow.

This is probably one of my favourite restaurants in Wellington (well there are 2 locations in central Wellington, 1 in Petone and they've expanded to Auckland too). The theme is "Fresh Asian" - which is exactly what it sounds like: Asian flavours, fresh ingredients. Not bad.

My friend H and I went in to the Woodward St location (there's also one on Tory St, in Petone and they've expanded to Auckland too) the week before Christmas for lunch, and we were given complimentary cups of miso soup (normally $3). I forgot to ask if this is the usual practice, since I haven't often been in at lunchtime, but it was a nice touch. The broth was superb; the natural umami of the miso was enhanced by toasted sesame seeds, and the interplay of textures between the silky tofu and almost-crunchy spring onion slices was fantastic.

H and I split the roast Pekin duck salad ($18). Juicy slices of duck were tossed with beansprouts, slices of orange, Southeast Asian-inspired herbs (Thai basil, coriander and mint) in a chilli palm sugar dressing. It was cool, crunchy and refreshing - yet substantial enough due to the hefty duck slices.

Chow's menu has an array of what they call "long plates", which are tapas-like in concept: small (though long and thin) plates of usually bite-size morsels of food. They're meant for sharing, and not that big - the menu recommends two long plates per person - but on this occasion I wasn't that hungry so one dish each sufficed.

The rib of beef ($17), seasoned with a coconut, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime and chilli marinade, was succulent, a little sweet yet spicy, a bit messy but totally worth the sticky fingers. There's never really an elegant way to eat ribs, and these were no exception. I polished off quite a few, sucking the last caramelised bits of marinated meat off each bone.

We also got jasmine rice free with our meal, which nicely filled in any remaining gaps in our stomachs (though there were few).

Somehow we managed to fit in dessert - H had a brownie and I had this sorbet trio ($9) with cinnamon, star anise and saffron syrup. The sorbet was fruity and refreshing (I would have written down the sorbet flavours had I known I wouldn't be writing this till a month later! But I'm sure one of the flavours was passionfruit, and I seem to remember a melon-y flavour as well - don't quote me on this), and the syrup was divine. I found myself desperately trying to scrape up every last drop from my empty plate - not very good table manners, I know!

Anyway, if you live in Wellington, you're probably aware of Chow. If you haven't been there, I'd recommend it. It's pretty reliable for decent Asian-influenced food (though bear in mind that portion sizes might be smaller than at other places since it's really more for sharing). The atmosphere is casual, yet sophisticated (but not pretentiously so) - attracting a mix of younger and older, laid-back types and the more straightlaced; a good cross-section of Wellingtonians, perhaps?

Plus their "1+1 Mondays" are great - order one dish, get another free - a bargain, really. On Wednesdays they have a selection of pretty decent cocktails that are 2 for 1 as well. Service is generally good; although it does get pretty busy on weekends and on Mondays, the staff usually seem to keep it together pretty well.

RATING: 4.5/5



Chow Woodward
11 Woodward St
Wellington
(04) 472 8585
Open Mon-Fri, noon - late

Chow Tory
Level 1, 45 Tory St
Wellington
(04) 382 8585
Open daily, noon - late

Chow Petone
306 Jackson St
Petone
(04) 589 8585
Open daily, noon - late

*Ah, Wellington, how I miss you...
**Mostly working on one major project, but on the side I've been helping out at my aunt's exhibition at Gallery O in the Christchurch Arts Centre - this is a shameless plug, but if anyone reading this is in Christchurch, by all means feel free to check it out! It's pretty cool, and not just because the my aunt's the artist. Plus proceeds from sales of her cards are going towards the Banks Peninsula Tui Restoration Project, which is doing great work so far.
***Sort of... as I type this I should really be packing because I'm going to visit a friend in Queenstown for a few days tomorrow morning! So, I guess technically I'm still on holiday. Or something.

Oh hi Logan Brown!

I've been absent from the blog for a while, mostly because I've been away on holiday in beautiful Tonga. The only downside to the trip was that whilst swimming with whales I managed to destroy my camera... in any other circumstances I would have been pretty sad, but the whales (2 males and 1 female humpback) were so breathtaking that the loss of a camera seemed fairly minor. Until I find a replacement I'll be trying to use E's camera for reviews, which I'm not so confident about... we'll see.

Before we left, we were lucky enough to have lunch with friends at Logan Brown. Lured in by the promise of a $35 set lunch as part of the Wellington on a Plate festival, we had narrowed it down to the White House, Martin Bosley's, and Logan Brown, and eventually settled on the latter: its central location fit our time constraints better. And, the day of our lunch we learned that Logan Brown had been named Supreme Winner & Best Smart Dining Metropolitan in Cuisine Magazine's Restaurant of the Year Awards - their review here.

The Wellington on a Plate lunch menu, as far as I can tell, is the same as Logan Brown's regular bistro menu ($39.50, available for tables vacated before 7:30), with a glass of Palliser Estate Riesling. Of course, the bistro menu is likely to change, but here's what we had:

For the entree, there was a choice of a Spanish onion tart with chevre, beets and chorizo or a smoked fish cake with gribiche and prawn beignet (pictured).

The fish cake was soft, almost creamy, and the gribiche sauce pleasant, but the real standout in this one was the prawn beignet: a succulent prawn encased in a thin layer of deep-fried dough.

For the main course, there was a choice of wild venison osso buco with parsnip puree, cavolo nero and gremolata and the pancetta wrapped monkfish with soft organic polenta and tomato fondue.

E had the venison, and I managed to sneak a bite of the tender braised meat (and E most generously donated most of the cavolo nero to me as it's one of my favourite greens). Definitely rustic comfort food, this one - and I wouldn't be surprised if a less elegantly presented version came out of my kitchen on a blustery spring day sometime soon.

I had the monkfish, which had a firm, meaty texture offset by the creamy polenta and green beans. If you're a fan of flakier fish species then the monkfish may not be for you, but I quite enjoyed it. The tomato topping had a couple of capers lurking in there - as you might be able to tell from the photo.


The mains were both pretty tasty but R pointed out that they tasted a bit undersalted. I agreed - perhaps a bit more levels of flavour could have been brought out by a tad more salt, but then again, my tastebuds are probably skewed because I tend to use a lot of salt in my cooking (maybe I need to pare this down a bit!). We thought it would have been nice to have a bit of salt and pepper available on the table, though this raised a discussion of whether this would be changing the essence of the chef's creation - this post from Becks and Posh sums it up quite well.

By contrast, the truffled fries with reggiano parmesan ($11 lg/$8 sm) we ordered additionally to the set menu were quite generously salted and topped with a heap of freshly shaved parmesan.

Ordering the fries was a good call on R's part because we were all hungry that day, and of course fine dining establishments tend to practice "quality over quantity." (Strangely, though, after 3 courses, bread, wine and coffee I was more full than I normally am upon leaving a restaurant)

Back to the set menu: for dessert the options were the baked organic vanilla custard with cherry compote and almond sable and churros con chocolate.

I had the custard, and it was probably my favourite part of the meal: smooth and creamy, reminiscent of the interior of a creme brulee but thicker and more decadent, yet not stiflingly rich.

The cherry topping provided a juicy, tart contrast to all the creaminess and in my mind it couldn't have been better.

I have a fond place in my heart for churros - as a kid in Chicago I used to get the crunchy, sugar-coated fried dough sticks at theme parks, baseball games, and anywhere I could lay my hands on them. There, they were almost always filled with chocolate or some variation of a vibrant-red artificial strawberry filling and left in the glass-fronted warmer until they got kind of dried out, which I liked because it made them extra crunchy. Logan Brown's version is perhaps more true to the Spanish variety, served with a rich shot of hot chocolate for dunking. These were light and airy, the interior toeing the fine line that separates "soft" and "mushy" (maybe a little too close to mushy for me?).

It's easy to see why Logan Brown wowed the Cuisine Magazine judges: the dishes seemed well thought-out, the plating artfully done, and service impeccable. The interior of the restaurant, in an old Bank of New Zealand building, is at once classic and contemporary (and I would LOVE to have dinner one day in the upstairs private dining area). But I can't really say it's the best restaurant I've ever been to - maybe it was the salt thing, or maybe it was something about the atmosphere - ambient jazz just feels a bit too cliche for a contemporary metropolitan setting, perhaps? In any case, I'm glad I went, and enjoyed the lunch thoroughly.

RATING: 4/5




Logan Brown
192 Cuba St (Corner of Cuba & Vivian)
Wellington
(04) 801-5114
Open 7 nights for dinner, Mon-Fri from 12pm for lunch