WOAP2015: The Grill at the Amora

Where? The Grill at the Amora (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map

When? Friday August 28, 2015

Who? Juliann, Jordan, Dwayne, Tim

Food Style? Contemporary European

The Grill at the Amora Hotel (formerly the Duxton) hosts several food events during the year, most notably the Chocolate Buffet which was held just last weekend. They boast a large dining area and catering facilities, perfect for business functions and private parties. Of course, we're not interested in that at all, we're here for their Burger Wellington entry - though, in typical Asian fashion, Juliann and I split a three course meal and the burger for maximum variety. Last year's burger was a double patty Sunday Roast - one patty made with lamb, the other made with roasted vegetables.

Entree: Coriander-infused pumpkin broth

With Wellington Trawling Co. tarakihi, fresh chilli and lime olive oil
A great pumpkin flavour to start off the meal, but not as thick or rich as a traditional pumpkin soup. Still, the spice was subtle but noticeable, and the tarakihi was excellent - sweet and fresh - and it accompanied the pumpkin very well. Love that they served it on top of two lemon slices - this ensures that lovely fresh and zesty juice doesn't disappear from the fish.

Mains: Slow-cooked Randwick Meats pork belly

With pear, fig chutney and prune jus
Not bad, but definitely nothing to rave about. Though the meat was soft and tender, there was no crackling (you can't give me pork belly and not have crispy, crunchy crackling :(!) The sauce was nice, quite fruity with the influence from the pear and figs, but nothing mind-blowing.

Burger: Wairarapa Game Burger

Char-grilled venison and chorizo patty with guacamole, nacho chips, salsa and coleslaw in a Pandoro burger bun, with kūmara chips
A very large burger that was difficult to split between Juliann and myself. Having half was probably the right amount - others at the table had a tough time eating the whole thing. It was okay, the predominant flavour was the sour cream in the burger which made it taste like a plate of nachos, but without any spice or excitement - the chorizo was not noticeable at all. The kumara fries were a bit soggy and felt like cardboard - Burgerfuel does better kumara chips! - but the salsa and guacamole I thought were pretty good. On the whole, a bit disappointing but not an awful experience - would have probably been worse if I had to eat the whole burger. I gave them a six out of ten.

Dessert: Limoncello crème brûlée

With feijoa ice cream
Individually, the creme brulee and the ice cream were excellent, but together they tasted odd. The biscotti had pistachio and cherry, and worked well with the brulee. The ice cream was refreshing and the feijoa came through quite nicely. Not a bad way to finish the meal.

Pretty good meal overall, but others at the table who had simply too much food were a bit disappointed. Subsequent comparisons with other peoples' experiences led me to believe that some restaurants have had some serious consistency problems with their burgers, and that's what it looked like here.

Posted by Jeremy at 8:09am on Tuesday September 8, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: Lux Festival and Gelissimo Gelateria

Where? Gelissimo Gelateria (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map

When? Thursday August 27, 2015

Food Style? Gelato

The Lux Festival runs annually around the same time as Wellington on a Plate, treating viewers to an array of light and sound installments dotted along a route from Hannah Laneway Courtyard to the TSB Bank Arena. It's a showcase of light, art, technology and design, and what better way to complement your smell and taste experience from Wellington on a Plate. This year, Gelissimo Gelateria and Powershop have partnered together to show off their Glow in the Dark Gelato and Pavlova!

Gelissimo are next to Mac's Brewery, in the NZ Stock Exchange building. Their walls are adorned with several gelato and sorbet awards, and rightly so, because they've got some fantastic flavours you won't find anywhere else. My favourite? Durian, of course! For Lux and Wellington on a Plate, they're open until 11pm and have set up a black light inside and outside to showcase their contribution.


Naturally, the first question that comes to mind is "what makes it glow?". Rest assured, the answer is simple, edible and natural: vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and vitamin B12 additives to the gelato cause it to fluoresce under ultraviolet light. Go science!

Oh, and their glow in the dark pavlova was delicious.

Posted by Jeremy at 6:07am on Tuesday September 8, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: Basque

Where? Basque (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu

When? Thursday August 27, 2015

Who? Tim, Damon, Jordan, Thomas, Jimmy, Reagan, Joe

Food Style? Northern Spanish

We're sometimes at Basque on a Thirsty Thursday because they have some of the best sangria in Wellington. They've got a pretty swanky rooftop bar as well, right in the midst of Courtenay Place's nightclub and bar area. I find their tapas food a bit pricey (like most tapas), and haven't tried their paella or pizza, but their Burger Wellington entry sounded good, so we scheduled a Thirsty Thursday there.

Burger: Chuck the Conquistador

Preston's beef with white wine cheese, burnt onion sour cream and semi-dried tomatoes in a Clareville Bakery bun, with baked potato and remoulade
A good, flavoursome burger with bits of jalapeno to add some spice and some great cheesiness and smokiness prominent through the burger. It was weird that the bun was so oily, but apart from that, it was pretty solid and enjoyable. I thought the baked potato was a nice addition in lieu of fries.

Would definitely eat again over most of their menu. I gave them eight out of ten.

Posted by Jeremy at 5:41am on Tuesday September 8, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: The Bresolin

Where? The Bresolin (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu

When? Thursday August 27, 2015

Who? Nic, Jordan, Tim

Food Style? Contemporary European

The Bresolin opened late last year after their owners, Leonardo and Lorenzo Bresolin, decided to close Crazy Horse Steak House and begin a new venture at the Edwardian Villa near where Willis Street meets the Northbound Motorway. Complete with rotisserie outside and stocked with beer on the inside, the Bresolin offers shared plates and woodfire meats, but also on the last Sunday of the month, you can see the smoke billowing out of the chimney there, signalling that a whole roast pig is currently being cooked.

Following on from our disappointment on Wednesday night, we resolved to get there early at Thursday lunchtime to guarantee our burgers. They've been recommended by Lizzie and her crew, so we're keen to give it a go as well.

Burger: Game Changer

Double beef patties with cheese, streaky bacon and The Bresolin BBQ sauce in a wagyu fat brioche bun, with fries
Not for the weak-hearted, you might feel a bit of chest pain after this one. Full of flavour, juicy and cheesy, definitely loaded with a lot of meaty goodness. Didn't particularly notice anything special about the bun, but overall, a pretty good burger. If Dukes did McDonalds, then the Bresolin have done Burger King.

I gave them eight out of ten for their burger.

Posted by Jeremy at 1:42am on Tuesday September 8, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: Tequila Joe's

Where? Tequila Joe's (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu

When? Wednesday August 26, 2015

Who? Jordan, Damon, Tim

Food Style? Mexican

We actually tried to go the Bresolin for their burger on Wednesday night, but they were so packed that they pretty much snubbed us and told us the wait time would be two hours. We left.

Tequila Joe's has never really been on my radar, but something about them piqued my interest. Dale and Christine have mentioned that they're quite fond of their chicken wings, and they weren't too far away, so the four of us headed there for a feed. The restaurant is filled to capacity, but we squeeze in at the end of the bar, awkwardly in the thoroughfare between the kitchen and the dining area. Fortunately, another group leaves so we relocate to a less busy spot.

Even though it's Wellington on a Plate, many of the patrons are here for the All You Can Eat Wings Wednesday. They also do Taco Tuesdays and Every Third Food Item Free Thursdays! We're here for their burger, but it's also on their Dine menu, so we opt for that instead.

Entree: Grilled Mexican sweet corn

With cumin-limegarlic mayonnaise and Zany Zeus chilli feta
Wow. It had that classic streetfood vibe to it - simple but bursting with amazing flavours, the first bite was full of sweetness, it was juicy and tangy and delicious. After I had devoured the corn, I was scooping up the bits of feta that had escaped my mouth the first time. It was so good. Probably the best entree I've had in this year's Wellington on a Plate. I was so surprised and impressed, excellent start!

Burger: Rancho Chicken Dipper

Pillow battered 4S chicken with Zany Zeus ricotta, peach mayonnaise and tomato in an Acme & Co oil roll, with ranch tortilla chips
By itself, the burger seemed to lack something. Though the chicken was succulent and juicy with a wonderful crispy and tasty batter, there was not much else to it. However, this is the "Rancho Chicken Dipper" burger, so following those instructions and dipping the burger into the sauce really brought everything together quite nicely. Not sure where the tortilla chips went though. And I still don't know what 4S chicken is. Nevertheless, pleasantly surprised! I gave them an eight out of ten.

Dessert: Mexican custard flan

With agave caramel sauce and whipped cream
I love flan. The first time I had flan was in San Francisco 2011, when I was helping to set up a project with Crowdstar. They got catered lunches every day, and for Cinqo de Mayo, they served a stunning buffet of Mexican food, with flan for dessert. It was amazing. This flan hit the spot too. It was pretty solid but magnificently smooth, and it felt like melting caramel butter in your mouth. The orange took the edge off the sweetness ever so slightly, which suited me perfectly. A fantastic dessert.

Very impressed by the food at Tequila Joe's. It's nice to be surprised like this - the sweetcorn was so memorable and full of classic Mexican flavours. I must try their Wednesday Wings sometime.

Posted by Jeremy at 1:04am on Tuesday September 8, 2015 :: 0 comments ::