WOAP2015: Mishmosh

Where? Mishmosh (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map

When? Saturday August 22, 2015

Who? Tim, Jordan, Dianne, Sam, Andrew, Reuben, Shereen, My parents

Food Style? Casual Quick Eats and Tapas

Situated right in the heart of the upbeat area of Courtenay Place, Mishmosh is trying to make itself known for its food by offering some pretty solid $10 burgers every night until 10pm. Their menu also boasts some cheap pizzas and fried chicken, and not to mention, a fully operational bar. If you're in the mood for some cheap eats, Mishmosh is pretty accommodation up until 10pm, when it starts getting a bit sleazy and the drunk crowd swarms the dance floor.

Entree: Black Dog battered bluff oyster sliders

With shallot vinegar and greens
I'm normally not a fan of battered oysters - I prefer them au naturel - but these were excellent and full of flavour, and the lightly dressed greens served as a great accompaniment that didn't take the focus away from the protein.

Burger: The Helmsman

Ocean Direct snapper and crayfish burger with chunky Elaia Gourmet Olive tartare, caramelised onions and Kingsmeade Grasslands Gouda
Pretty good. The crayfish was small in comparison to the amount of snapper that was served, but it was evident when I was eating which bites had crayfish and which bites had no crayfish. To be perfectly honest, I prefer their $10 burgers over this - they're juicier and far better value for money.

Dessert: Kaffee Eis PB & J gelato

With salted caramel popcorn, waffle lady fingers and Whittaker's sauce
This could have been served as two separate desserts. Neither part really matched or augmented the other, but as individual dishes, they would have been strong enough on their own. The chocolate Whittakers was rich and dark, and waffle fingers were nicely done. However the PBJ gelato and salted caramel popcorn was absolutely amazing, and wasn't overly sweet thanks to the saltiness. If there had been more gelato, it would have been too much. Great end to the meal.

Not a bad Saturday lunch at what I've thought was a sleazy dance club (wow I sound so old saying that). I give them a seven out of ten for their burger. Again, if you're feeling hungry before 10pm and want some cheap food, give them a go.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:24am on Monday August 31, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: Matterhorn

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

When? Friday August 21, 2015

Food Style? Contemporary European

I've previously raved about how good Matterhorn was, so my parents were eager to try out the Wellington version of the restaurant. I was supposed to be joined by Rob, Jill and Juliann, but all three bailed on the day for various reasons, so I'm here with just my parents in the classically smokey and dimly-lit interior of Matterhorn. For Wellington on a Plate, they've served a four course meal.

Entree: Waikanae crab served in various consistencies and textures

Crab salad, crab gel, crab roe ice cream and crumbed crab ball
Starting from the left, the crab salad had a lovely coconut aroma and delicious. Good acidity and whatever that crispy thing was, it was delicious. The crab gel was an odd texture but full of flavour. I found it unusual because it was cold. The crab ice cream had a strong and rich roe flavour, but the fact it was cold and creamy really confused me. My brain just could not process savoury ice cream and I was not enjoying this. My dad thought it was really good though, so you can take his word for it. Finally, the crumbed crab ball had some great spices and plenty of crunch, my favourite of the four textures.

Mains: Wharekauhau Texel lamb rump

With smooth Jerusalem artichoke, confit dates, lentils and Lot Eight olive oil refined sauce
Beautifully pink and tender, the natural meatiness of the lamb is well respected. The gravy (so I'm told) is emulsified with olive oil to give it a much smoother texture. Combined with the savouriness of the lentils that have soaked up the sauce and the sweetness of the artichoke, the dish has a lot of depth and complexity beyond what you can see in the photo. Each element plays a significant and purposeful part to the dish, and for me it's the best dish I've had so far.

Savoury Dessert: Zany Zeus savoury cheesecake

With candied quince
Interesting but confusing set of flavours. The cheesecake is salty and peppery like pâté. There's an apricot sorbet with fennel on the top and a tomatoey jam on the base with candied walnuts. It's sweet and savoury and the combination is thought-provoking, but I'm not a fan.

Dessert: Yoghurt panna cotta

With Flight coffee ice-cream, Matterhorn rooftop honeycomb and chocolate rocks
Not normally a fan of coffee, but the honey granola took the edge off the bitterness, so it was quite nice. The pannacotta was smooth and nicely done, but as a whole, the dessert wasn't as mind-blowing as the mains.

Overall, not a bad meal but their menu last year definitely felt stronger. I think their desserts let them down (even if I don't really like coffee), but the entree and mains were excellent.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:09am on Monday August 31, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: Louis Sergeant Sweet Couture

Where? Louis Sergeant Sweet Couture (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map

When? Friday August 21, 2015

Who? My parents

Food Style? Fine French Dining

Louis Sergeant is known more for their exquisite pâtisseries and aromatic teas than their savouries - a stunning array of reds, greens, yellows, purples and browns adorn the cabinets as you enter the premises. Each dessert has the French touch of elegance - c'est parfait! - and the expertise and finesse is evident.

For Wellington on a Plate, they've offered a two course menu. I'm here with my parents, and we've decided to have two mains and two desserts to share between the three of us.

Mains #1: Petit Sale aux Lentilles

Preston's cured, slow-cooked pork belly with puy lentils and On Trays smoked sausage
The smoked sausage was the best thing on the plate - tasty and meaty without feeling overly fatty or artificial. The pork belly was soft and tender, breaking away nicely as I stuck a fork through it, but would have been better with a bit of crackling (I am a huge sucker for crackling). High quality food, but wished there was more.

Mains #2: Whole baked Le Marché Francais chèvre

With rocket, mulled red wine pear, On Trays smoked bacon and housemade warm bread
That's "whole baked goat's cheese from Le Marché Francais (The French Market)". It's not as crumbly or delicate as feta. It had a more solid texture to it, like a softer version of halloumi, but still had that nice saltiness and cheesiness to it. The bacon and pear were nice, but I thought the rocket was a bit misplaced.

Dessert Selection

Petit Fours (Selection of Louis' handcrafted pâtisserie) and Tarte au Citron (Handcrafted sweet pastry with Capital Produce lemon zest curd and Italian meringue)
The desserts that we were served for Wellington on a Plate are different to what you normally get from the cabinet, but they are of the same extremely high calibre. Not overly sweet, great balance of flavours, rich and delicate. Highlight of the petit fours was the salted caramel choux pastry - yummo!

As can be expected from fine dining institutions, the quality of the food is extremely high, but the portions were quite small and unfulfilling. Their high teas are very highly rated, so if that's your thing, I would give it a go, otherwise I'd stick to the desserts and the tea. Try the L'Intense - it's my favourite of the lot!

Posted by Jeremy at 10:57am on Monday August 31, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: Thunderbird Cafe

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

When? Wednesday August 19, 2015

Who? Jordan, Nic, Tim, Rob, Sarah

Food Style? Southern American and Tex-Mex

People often draw comparisons between Thunderbird Cafe on Featherston Street and Sweet Mother's Kitchen due to their similar menu styles - hearty, soulful, southern American and Tex-Mex food with staples like burritos, tacos, gumbo and fried chicken. Fortunately for Thunderbird, they're closer to work than Sweet Mother's is, and I was quite impressed by their southern style crayfish burger last year. Their Dine menu did look rather uninspiring though (macaroni and cheese? Really?), so the six of us that went were all happy to contend with their Burger Wellington entry.

Burger: Mothertruckin' Monster

Island Bay Beef patty with bacon and Swiss cheese in a Pandoro bun with house made onion ring and hundred thousand island dressing
The entry on the menu for the burger came with a disclaimer: note this entry differs from what was printed in the guide. For reference, the guide had: "Wagyu beef patty, Randwick Meats bacon, Kāpiti smoked cheddar and Thousand Island dressing in a Pandoro bun, with onion rings and dirty milkshake shot". So essentially the same set of ingredients, maybe not as high quality as Wagyu beef, but unfortunately missing the plural on the onion rings (the burger only had one) and the dirty milkshake shot.

Anyway, thanks to some solid organisation from my part, our burgers arrived literally the moment we sat down. Good start! Onto the verdict.

The bacon was the star of the burger. Crispy and succulent, it lent a lot of character to the dish. The beef patty was okay, and I wish it was wide and thinner - the burger itself had a lot of height and was a bit difficult to eat at times. I wish there were more onion rings, because the one I got was pretty good and added some nice crispiness. Nice job, but a step down from last year's crayfish burger - which is to be expected, really, because crayfish is amazing. It doesn't come with sides, so consider ordering some curly fries or a milkshake to share. I'll give them a seven out of ten - greater attention to the finer details of the burger would have earned them a higher score, but still a quality burger with lots of flavour.

Posted by Jeremy at 5:50am on Thursday August 20, 2015 :: 0 comments ::

WOAP2015: The Tasting Room

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

When? Monday August 17, 2015

Who? Juliann, Jordan, Dwayne, David, Reagan

Food Style? Contemporary European

The Tasting Room is known first and foremost for their legendary Beef Wellington, which I've never actually had - partially due to the fact it's got mushrooms. I have brunched here previously, and would recommend their roesti. Their entry for Burger Wellington last year was okay, and this year their ingredient list sounded quite interesting - especially the popcorn shrimp bit. It went down on the list and I gathered a crew to try it out.

Burger: Pimpin Shrimpin Beef

Beef burger with popcorn shrimp, smoked Kapiti cheddar, chipotle BBQ sauce and peanut slaw in a Pandoro bun
It was okay, I guess. Nothing in the burger was particularly outstanding, though the popcorn shrimp was quite nice, but it did give the burger a lot of height which made it a little difficult to eat. There wasn't a strong sauce to bind all the flavours together - my first bite sent a deluge of white sauce onto the wooden board, so maybe that's why it was missing something. It was only until I read the description that I realised that there should have been a chipotle BBQ sauce. I thought the bun was very average. The burger was nice, just not very inspiring. It really lacked a wow factor.

I give this one a six out of ten; the burger's saving grace is the popcorn shrimp.

Posted by Jeremy at 11:27am on Tuesday August 18, 2015 :: 0 comments ::