WOAP2015: Egmont St Eatery

Where? Egmont St Eatery (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map

When? Tuesday August 25, 2015

Who? Juliann, Navi, Mana, Jade

Food Style? High Class Tapas

Newcomers to the food scene, Egmont St Eatery sits unassumingly around the corner from Four Kings/Five Stags on the tiny little street that runs behind the Soho Apartments. I find them a bit overpriced for what they serve, but at least the food is good quality. I didn't originally schedule these guys into my plan, but several recommendations from others meant I couldn't pass this opportunity up. We went in instead of our regularly scheduled Spicy Food Tuesday restaurant.

Burger: Cheese, Beets and Meat

PrimeStar aged beef patty with housemade smoked beetroot relish, fried pickled onions and Jack cheese blend, in a fresh steamed bun
A good solid burger with plenty of well-balanced flavours - sweetness from the beets, savouriness from the onion, saltiness from the beef - and just that extra richness from the cheese. Though the buns look a bit black and burned, they were more caramelised to accentuate the smokiness and give it more crunch.

An impressive burger that hit the spot. I gave them eight out of ten.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:39am on Thursday September 3, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: Ti Kouka Cafe

Where? Ti Kouka Cafe (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu

When? Monday August 24, 2015

Who? Juliann, Nic, Jordan, Sam, Andrew, Julia, Tim, Lizzie, Rob, My parents

Food Style? Contemporary European

Winners of the 2013 Burger Wellington competition, Ti Kouka have always been frontrunners with a classic Wellington stance on food - local, sustainable and organic. They're always super packed at lunchtimes, so really the only times I seem to go there are for Wellington on a Plate. They are literally across the road from the PikPok offices, so we had quite the crowd keen to try out this year's burger entry. My parents were a bit burgered-out, so they opted to share the Dine Wellington menu and a burger each.

Burger: Aporkalypse Now

Slow roasted bourbon glazed Longbush Pork shoulder with ginger ale bacon, apple and smoked BBQ mayonnaise in a Leeds Street Bakery grilled bun, with hot sauce, crackling and pickles
First bite, and I knew this was a winner. Everything was amazing, the pork was full of flavour, the chilli sauce had a really good kick to it that really lifted the mood. The salad was great and though the apple was subtle, it was noticeable enough to bring some sweetness to the burger. I thought the buns were perhaps a bit too oily, and it was a little messy to eat, but otherwise, I'd rate this as the best burger I've had so far in Wellington on a Plate.

Mains: Yellow Brick Road fish

With crayfish bisque, Greytown Gold saffron and seaweed
Not too bad. Instructions were to pour the bisque over the dish to warm up the greens. As a whole, everything worked well and it was tasty, just not outstanding. I've clearly had a great time with the burger and everything else pales in comparison.

Dessert: Red Rabbit coffee curd

With Wellington Chocolate Factory cocoa nib mascarpone and Leeds Street Bakery salted caramel crunch
The fruit on the mascarpone is rhubarb, and combined with the saffron, the flavours on the right side of the plate were well balanced and worked a treat as a whole. However, the coffee curd (which very much reminded me of dau fu fa - sweet beancurd jelly) didn't really fit with the rest of the dessert.

I think everyone on the table agreed that this was a fantastic burger. They have been very popular, with reports of them running out during the day several times, so we're lucky to be one of the ones to try it! I gave this nine out of ten.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:30am on Thursday September 3, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: El Matador

Where? El Matador (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu

When? Sunday August 23, 2015

Who? Reuben, Shereen, Sam, Julia, Andrew

Food Style? Argentinian Asador Grill

One of Reuben's requests for Wellington was to go somewhere that served steak. Naturally, the first place that came to mind was El Matador, with its mountains of meat on platters that will feed even the hungriest of meat eaters. Their burger this year was a vegetarian one, so I wasn't too keen on that, but their Dine Wellington menu sounded good. The others ordered off the regular menu but had struggles eating everything!

Entree: Sweetcorn croquetas

With Cuba St Fruit Mart lime and chipotle aioli
Fantastic start to the meal. The sauce is spicy and zesty, the lime bringing a wonderful acidity. The corn croquettes are crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside, and they're warm and hearty to eat. Three is a pretty generous serving, they're quite filling (especially since the mains are massive)

Mains: Wood-fired Harringtons pork loin

With chilli apple, crumbed cauliflower fleurons, warm lentils and walnuts
You really can't go wrong with pork and apple. Succulent and juicy, full of flavour, though the lentils felt a bit out of place and didn't fit - it was though it was added just to bulk out the meal. The salad should have been dressed, but the cauliflower was very well done. Very enjoyable, and this was a lot of food - even for me!

Dessert: Panqueques

With dulce de leche, Carello del Gelato ice cream and praline
The dulce de leche here has never disappointed me, and today they're as good as ever. The pancakes are pretty standard and this dessert delivered exactly what I expected. Good way to end the meal - and boy was I stuffed after all of that!

Though the dishes themselves were not tremendously strong, I thought El Matador had the best overall dining experience so far. Always a good time here.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:15am on Thursday September 3, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: The Larder

Where? The Larder (Miramar, Wellington, New Zealand) Map

When? Sunday August 23, 2015

Who? Reuben, Shereen, Sam, Andrew, Julia, Linda, Campbell, My parents

Food Style? Contemporary European

It's a little out of the way, but the Larder is still an insanely popular place, probably because it's right in the middle of Weta territory, and they don't have many good food restaurants there. So because it's in Miramar, us city folk had to wait until the weekend to try out their Moreton Bay Bug burger - which, thanks to watching several episodes of My Kitchen Rules, I know is a type of lobster.

I heard a few horror stories about their unpreparedness for Wellington on a Plate (seems to be trend with a few restaurants this year); the substitute burger was composed of fish and prawn instead of the bug, so I had to call up well in advance and request a table for ten - they don't normally take bookings but because the party was so large, they were happy to accommodate.

Burger: The Bug Burger

Moreton Bay Bug with fermented chilli, cucumber, capers and iceburg lettuce, with shoe string fries and lemon salt
First bite was to check to see if this was fish and prawn, or bug. Definitely bug. The bun, though it was soft and buttery, was just too much compared to the amount of meat we got. I ended up eating all around the sides of the burger getting not much except bun and salad, so the last three bites of the burger I had were magnificent. The chilli was barely noticeable.

A bit disappointing, perhaps I was setting my expectations too high - I was hoping for something like the Hummingbird crayfish burger I had in 2013, which was a perfect 10/10 for me. The Larder's previous burgers have been pretty good, and this one was just okay. I rate it seven out of ten.

Posted by Jeremy at 5:15am on Thursday September 3, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: Muse on Allen

Where? Muse on Allen (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu

When? Saturday August 22, 2015

Who? Juliann, James, Navi, Reuben, Shereen, Sam, Andrew, Julia, Thomas, Astrid, Rob, Jill, My parents

Food Style? European Fine Dining

Muse on Allen won last year's Best Dish award for Wellington on a Plate 2014, with their Textures of Mandarin - a skillful and artistic dessert that tantalised your sense of taste and feel. I had their Wellington on a Plate menu last year, and was quite impressed, so I was back again this year with a big party. This year, they've served a three course meal with two options for each course; I'm greedy and I've partnered with Andrew to cover the whole menu for maximum variety.

Amuse-bouche: Spiced pumpkin soup with toasted pinenuts

Wonderful and warming with some nice richness from the coconut. A great way to start the night.

Entree #1: Kāpiti paddle crab tortellini

With Wairarapa lemon bubbles and crab bisque
This wonderful seafoody aroma wafted down the table when it was first served. It was rich but not as thick as I imagined it to be. I think the champagne was subtle but added some nice acidity. It wasn't to everyone's liking, apparently, but I thought it was nice.

Entree #2: Capital Produce purple cauliflower textures

With Scotty's Meats bacon and thyme
A skillfully executed dish that was reminiscent of their mandarin dish last year. It delivered exactly what it said. Great use of the cauliflower in so many different ways, and the bacon gave the dish some additional texture and flavour. The moral of the story is that bacon goes well with almost anything.

Mains #1: Preston's lamb rump

With lamb shoulder with Parkvale mushroom jus
Nicely cooked, but I would have liked the fat to be rendered a bit more to make it soft. The pea puree worked well and the potato top having more meat on the inside was a nice surprise.

Mains #2: Stephan’s Cook Strait Butterfish

With Te Horo parsnips and red pepper textures
Good buttery flavour with plenty of bite to the fish, and nicely charred on the outside to give it that crispiness. The unexpected winner was the pieces of sweet and intensely-flavoured capsicum that really brought some life and freshness to the dish.

Dessert #1: Ōtaki Carrot Cake My Way

A deconstructed carrot cake with none of the textures that you would expect. Full of delicate flavours that worked very well together. I think this was the stronger dessert of the two.

Dessert #2: Capital Produce poached pear, almond and raisin crumble

With Whittaker's White Chocolate sorbet
Would have been nicer with a bit of cinnamon or nutmeg to spice the pear. It could have used a bit more poaching too. The crumb wasn't too bad either.

Cocktail: Espresso Martini with Dessert Donut Burger

L'afarre espresso martini, vodka, butterscotch and Whittaker's chocolate snow. Accompanied by Dessert Donut Burger: Clareville Bakery doughnut bun with Whittaker's chocolate marquise, rhubarb jelly and housemade Zany Zeus custard.
Extremely clever use of the ingredients to create a dessert that looks exactly like a burger. Masterfully executed. Cocktail on the other hand... should have had it before the dessert. >_>

A few of us had ordered some sides as well - last year's brussel sprouts with bacon were quite memorable so Thomas and Astrid were keen to get those again. Unfortunately, the sprouts were inconsistently cooked, some being completely raw and inedible. It felt like a few things had been rushed to cater for so many people, and those at the other end of the table had quite a bad experience with their food. Furthermore, their unpreparedness showed further when they tried to charge us for an extra meal, exacerbating what was a rather disappointing night. Their menu was definitely stronger last year, and the whole payment debacle left quite a bitter taste in my mouth.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:48am on Monday August 31, 2015 :: 0 comments ::