WOAP2015: Plum
Where? Plum Cafe (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu
When? Saturday August 15, 2015
Who? Dwayne
Food Style? Classic Wellington Cafe-Style
Right by the iconic Bucket Fountain on Cuba Street, you'll see the tables and chairs of the outside dining area of Plum in typical Wellington cafe fashion. I was moderately impressed by what they served last year, so when Dwayne was keen to grab a bite after badminton on Saturday, we thought Plum would be a good choice.
Burger: For Richer, For Paua
Moana Pacific paua and PrimeStar pork patty with caramelised pineapple, pickled cucumber in a Zaida's squid ink bun, with salt and vinegar chips and Kiwi onion dip
Care needs to be taken with seafood burgers - it's easy for their flavour to be lost in other ingredients. Unfortunately, that's exactly what had happened - the paua was not prominent at all, and all I could really taste was the pork. The combination of pineapple and pickled cucumber with the patty wasn't bad, and the squid ink bun is really just for the aesthetic, but this was definitely a step down from 2014's entry. I feel like they could have added something else that wasn't paua for texture, like maybe prawns. Paua is a top-tier ingredient and if it's not going to be the focus of the burger, it might as well not be in there.
For this burger, I give it a six out of ten.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:17am on Monday August 17, 2015 :: 0 comments :: 
WOAP2015: Charley Noble
Where? Charley Noble Eatery and Bar (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu
When? Friday August 14, 2015
Who? Juliann, Tim, Jordan, Nic, Rob
Food Style? Contemporary European Woodfire Grill
Tucked away in the Huddart Parker Building at 1 Post Office Square, through some glass sliding doors and an unassuming entrance, you'll find Charley Noble Eatery and Bar. Charley Noble is the sailors' name for the galley chimney, a nod to the shipping history of the building that they are situated in. The galley chimney is responsible for drawing the heat from the stove and carrying it safely above the ship deck. The woodfire grills are in full force at the back of the restaurant, and you'll see exactly why they've named the restaurant Charley Noble.
Last year they served the "Shooting Charley's" burger: Taylor Prestonʼs beef patty with On Trays Monterey Jack, bacon and pickles, with house cut chips. For their efforts, they were crowned Burger Wellington champions of 2014, and rightly so, in my opinion. The burger was a solid 9.5/10 in my books, so when WOAP came around this year, they were the first to go on my list. However, their choice of burger this year was odd; they're very good with their meats and I've enjoyed my past dining experiences here, so when I saw that they were offering a fish burger (The Ebisu Burger: Moana Pacific fish burger with house chutney and Japanese mayonnaise in a Brezelmania squid ink bun with shoe string fries), I was a bit skeptical. Nevertheless, their Dine menu seemed quite appetising, so I went for that instead. To maximise the variety, I recruited my good friend Juliann and we split the menu and shared.
Starter: Urlar Sauvignon Blanc cured salmon
With Florence salad
The salmon is perfectly smooth and silky, and the salad is nice but could have used a bit more acidity. The snippets of coriander and mint are subtle but enjoyable. I had a similar dish at Matterhorn two months ago, and would rate that better than this.
Mains #1: Middle Earth rotisserie lamb shoulder
With pumpkin and Zany Zeus yoghurt
From the moment this appeared on the plate, you could see how beautiful and richly coloured the pumpkin puree is - absolutely fantastic and wished there was more of it. The sprinkling of pumpkin seeds gave it a wonderful crunch. The lamb itself was cooked perfectly - you can see the pink in the photo - and was juicy and flavoursome. The smoothness of the yoghurt and puree worked well, and the dish as a whole had a nice set of varied textures. There were some great bits of fat on the lamb - rendered perfectly and oh so delicious. Very enjoyable, and my favourite dish of the meal.
Mains #2: Charcoal-roasted Turk's free range chicken breast
With cauliflower and truffle butter
While the first main took 15 minutes to come out, it was more than one hour before this appeared. Despite the unfortunate wait, the chicken was well cooked and full of buttery goodness, with the truffle oil adding that wonderful finesse and decadence to the dish. The meat itself had that nice smokey grill flavour to it, and the accompanying bacon added to that as well. Pretty good, but not worth the wait.
Dessert #1: Spiced, baked Greytown apple
With Eco-Egg custard and candied walnuts
Elegantly presented, with the walnuts being the star of the dish - really nicely candied, sticky and crunchy like hokey pokey. The apple itself is nice, but just doesn't pack a lot of flavour to it - perhaps it would have been nicer if it had been baked a little longer. The custard was good, but wouldn't have minded it being a bit thicker.
Dessert #2: Greytown Gold saffron rice pudding
With rhubarb sorbet and freeze-dried raspberries
Almost two hours after being seated, the final dessert arrived - except it wasn't what I ordered. So they had to take it back and get me the rice pudding, which took another 15 minutes. Anyway, I'm not really a fan of rice pudding in general, but was interested in the saffron combination. Though each element was pleasant - the rhubarb and the raspberries had a lovely tartness and the saffron had its own savoury overtones, it just felt like the dessert as a whole didn't work and didn't really wow me.
All in all, the food was pretty good but the service really let them down that day. They even called me up the day before to ask how long we wanted our lunch to be (I said 90 minutes). They themselves admitted they were unable to cope with the pressure of Wellington on a Plate, and they were very apologetic about the slowness of the dishes coming out. We got some free tea and coffee for our patience, but it was hard to overlook the fact that lunch had taken 2.5 hours. Hopefully they'll improve as the festival goes on.
Posted by Jeremy at 9:59am on Monday August 17, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Wellington on a Plate 2015
As the coolest little capital in the world, Wellington boasts a higher number of food establishments than New York, per capita (everything New Zealand is good at is measured in per capita, like Olympic gold medals). It's no wonder that we're crazy about our food here; the cafe culture is well and truly alive, with Wellington consistently appearing on coffee aficionados' lists. One of the year's highlights for foodies such as myself is Wellington on a Plate. Established by the council's central tourism branch, Positively Wellington, and the regional economic development agency Grow Wellington, this festival showcases the region's food and beverages, and encourages the growth and celebration of the Wellington culinary community.
There are several aspects to WOAP. We have Dine Wellington, where restaurants offer a special Wellington-inspired two or three course menu. Garage Project's Burger Wellington competition seeks to find the ultimate burger and Garage Project beer matching. There are events ranging from pop-up eateries and food perspectives to cooking classes and showcasings. New to this year, we have Capital Cocktail, where Wellington's top mixologists battle it out with their perfect cocktail concoction and tapas match.
My first WOAP experience was in 2012, with my good foodie friend Mel, at the Boulcott Street Bistro. Since then, I've been hooked. I went pretty hard in 2013, and possibly a bit overboard last year, so I have tried to tone it down this year and have been a bit more picky about the restaurants I go to. The menus and ingredients must sound appetising and the restaurant must have a decent reputation; a few of the places last year had good sounding burgers that were very poorly executed.
As is tradition (apparently), I've drawn up a spreadsheet of places I intend to visit, and had my friends fill out what they wanted, then organised everything into a tight schedule. This year, my parents will be joining me on my WOAP adventures, as well as five of my KCC friends from Auckland, so expectations are high! You too can experience the glory of Wellington on a Plate by regularly checking out this blog over the next two weeks. I'll be posting the things I eat, as well as verdicts, stories and pictures as they come.
It's time to plate up!
Posted by Jeremy at 9:37am on Sunday August 16, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Matterhorn
Where? Matterhorn (Wellington CBD, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu
When? Wednesday June 17, 2015
Who? Dale and the PikPok Crew
Food Style? Contemporary European
The Matterhorn has been an iconic Wellington institution since 1963, when it was opened as a coffee shop. 52 years later, and after various changes of owner, style and menus, Matterhorn is under the guidance of Mark Keddell and executive chef Sean Marshall. They've recently opened up a branch in Freemans Bay Auckland, by Victoria Park Market, but let's face it - the standard in Wellington will always be better!
The interior is dimly lit, but cosy, and quite smokey - expect to come out smelling delicious after your meal! I'm here for Dale's birthday with a bunch of colleagues, both current and ex-employees. I was very impressed by their Wellington on a Plate menu last year - they presented a three course meal with conflicting and complementary flavours that really challenged my perceptions of flavour combinations, so I was expecting good things tonight. Since there was such a large group of us, they had to split us over two tables and offer us a reduced menu. I went for a full three courses, with a few sides for the table to share.
Entree: Tuna Sashimi
With wasabi, hijiki, radish and yuzu
Fantastic texture with a strong taste of freshness and a lovely hint of wasabi to really open the nostrils. There was a good balance between the natural saltiness of the tuna and the bittersweet citrus flavours of the yuzu. The seaweed had crunch and the fish had bite, but was still silky smooth as you'd expect fine sashimi to be. Great start to the night, and loved the elegant artistic brush of squid ink on the plate.
Mains: Grain-fed Beef Rump
With glazed cheek, arugula, red wine onions, potato fondant and garlic caramel
So good that all fourteen of us ordered it! Masterfully cooked - you can see how perfectly pink the beef slices are in the photo. The gravy was deliciously rich with just the right amount of saltiness to really enhance the flavour of the meat. I loved the smoothness of the potato fondant and the sharpness of the pickled onions, and the crispy deep-fried rosette of butter sitting atop the meal was just divine.
Side: Smashed Potatoes
With preserved lemon and smoked garlic
The potatoes were light and fluffy yet had a crispy skin. The seasoning was super tasty, and the preserved lemon was quite noticeable.
Side: Green Beans
With sun-dried tomato, lemon, garlic and sauce choron
The beans were wonderful and crunchy with a deliciously rich and creamy sauce that had quite an intense tomato flavour that complemented the greens.
Dessert: Caramelised Pear
With apple sorbet, calvados custard and croustillant
Beautifully smooth like a brulee. The flavours were so light and refreshing that I could have easily had three of these. The nuts provided some great crunch and it's not overly sweet, just the way I like it.
A thoroughly enjoyable dinner that definitely lived up to expectation! The food here exudes elegance and style, with top quality ingredients and an emphasis on local and seasonal. It's no wonder that the place is so popular for its food and drink, and I'm looking forward to trying their Wellington on a Plate menu for this year.
Posted by Jeremy at 11:26am on Thursday July 2, 2015 :: 0 comments ::
Om Nom
Where? Om Nom (Melbourne CBD, Melbourne, Australia) Map
When? Tuesday December 30, 2014
Who? Just Me, Again. #foreveralone
Food Style? Artistic Desserts with a Magic Touch
Who can resist the allure of a restaurant called "Om Nom"? Situated in the Adelphi Hotel on Flinders Lane, just down the road from Chin Chin, Om Nom boasts intricate desserts, where every plate is a work of art. I'm here in the dimly-lit but cosy restaurant by myself, again, because this place is so insanely popular that bringing a group of people reduces the chances of getting a table. I arrived at 6pm on the dot, just when their full dessert menu becomes available, and it is quite empty at the moment, however previous attempts to get in after dinner time have been unsuccessful.
Today I am having dessert first and dinner later, because I am a responsible adult. I've been walking around half of Melbourne, visiting the southern end where the Rod Laver Arena and the Botanical Gardens are, and only a few hours ago was I stuffing my face full of delicious hawker-style food from Chin Chin. Nevertheless, the appetite is back and I'm ready to see what's on offer. As I'm sitting, I can catch a whiff of some caramel aromas. It's wonderfully tantalising. I'm the only single person at the table; everyone is paired up and I'm getting a little self-conscious. The apathy will kick in once I get my dessert.
Sure enough, a wooden block with several components arrives and I'm treated to a full explanation of the dessert and how you're supposed to eat it. As the waitress talks, she pours a small dish of Bacardi over the dessert and flambés it.
Exciting!
At the end of her spiel, I blow out the flame (after taking a photo, of course) and I tuck into Om Nom's finest.
Smoked Banoffie
Banana, smoked caramel, gianduja, rum, chocolate, almond, vanilla, passionfruit, hazelnut, caramelised white chocolate and popcorn
Oh my goodness. The first bite was amazing. The bitterness of the alcohol immediately gave way to the smokey banana and caramel. It was like a perfectly toasted marshmallow. I began to combine all the components to mix flavours; the hazelnut truffle, popcorn and caramelised white chocolate. Each part added so much more complexity to the dessert and my only regret was how small it was and how quickly the happiness was gone.
Absolutely fantastic if you have $25 to $30 to spend on a dessert. I could not stop gushing over how impressed I was to the waitress as I paid, and I was so elated after that experience that I couldn't stop smiling all the way home. A momentous way to mark the end of 2014.
Posted by Jeremy at 10:28am on Sunday March 15, 2015 :: 0 comments ::