Getting Cultured at Burger Culture

When you hear somebody mention Nelson, you generally think of long golden beaches, beautiful sunny weather, and marvellous mountain walks – but you don’t really think of its food do you? Well, think again, because of the past few years Nelson has been carefully crafting its hospitality scene so it can compete with the likes of Auckland and Wellington for being known for New Zealand’s best bars, cafes and restaurants.

Within the last 3 years, old restaurants have been given a lick of new paint and devised menus inspired from Michelin eateries around the world – but it’s the new places that are really something else. From American style food to vegan takes on everybody’s favourite dish – Nelson’s food scenes got everything going on. But I think the whole city can agree with me when I say the best place that’s graced the streets on Nelson is Burger Culture. Now, this place ain’t any old burger shop. Oh no. Think of the best burger you’ve had in your life, then think about a chicken version of it, or a lamb, or fish, or chickpea or jackfruit…basically, what I’m trying to say here, is that these guys know no burger boundaries. Every single burger they’ve got on their menu has been carefully crafted with local ingredients that when combined together creates nothing less than the perfect burger.

When it comes to burgers, I like them bougie. I’m not gonna go around spending good money on something I can cook up at home – I want to be eating a bun-hugging combo of flavours that I’d never even think of putting together. That, my friends, is the only negative about Burger Culture. That being they have too many god-damn delectable burgers on their menu that it makes it impossible to choose. As a vegetarian you might think it’s easier because there are only a few veggie burgers – but think again, as these guys have your beef-cravings covered with beyond patty substitutes. So, when 4 of us were trying to place an order – you bet it took a good 15 minutes before we were happy with our choices (though food envy was still on the horizon).

I ended up going for their tofu-fighters burger, a sky-high stack of deep-fried tofu, cucumber slaw, roasted peanuts and chilli soy sauce. To say this burger was delicious would do it injustice. Honestly, this burger alone would convert the meatiest of carnivores to a plant-based diet. The tofu was PACKED with flavour, and that crisp gave it the perfect texture to harmonise with the juicy fresh slaw & sticky sweet sauce. I love satay – and those roasted peanuts gave the flavour profile a pop of nuttiness that just took every mouthful to another level of pure burger heaven. I also had a bite of their jalapenō beef burger (with a beyond patty of course) and heck it had me guessing whether I was eating real beef or not – and once my patty-awe had faded, I was now in awe of the Mexican flavours that were dancing a salsa on my tongue.

• 

  Processed with Focos

• 

  Processed with Focos

Phew, that was a lot of burger talk. But heck, when you taste burgers that good – all you can do is rave about them. And let’s be honest, it’s probably better that I jabbered on in a blog post rather than pester you all in person about how dang good these burgers are. Living in Wellington, NZ, I’ve been to a lot of burger bars, but I cannot say that any of the places I’ve been to in Wellington have been as good as Burger Culture is in little ol’ Nelson. The chefs here treat the menu like it’s Wellington on a Plate every single day and do their best to serve up locals & travelers Nelson-grown ingredients in interesting and unusual ways – but always between a bun of course!

If I’ve made you hungry, or you’re wanting to drool a little more, check out their menu online here!

Forsters is At The Front of Nelson’s Fine-Dining Scene!

I know I mostly post about bangin’ restaurants in our cool little capital – honestly, there’s so many I feel like I can’t keep up – but in this blog piece, I’m going to take you to my home village, Upper Moutere (Nelson),to enlighten you lot about a place that I reckon definitely deserves some recognition – Forsters Moutere Hills. I don’t come back to Nelson very often, but when I do, I like to make sure I’m eating out at the best places the Tasman region has to offer. After landing in chilly nelson, all I needed was a tasty feed and something  to warm my soul – so you bet when my mam suggested we go to Forsters, I jumped at the opportunity (and I knew I was going to get a gorgeous gram photo!).

When you come to Nelson and think of somewhere to eat, you never think to go to Forsters as it’s about a 40-minute drive from Nelson. Luckily enough for my family, it’s on a stones-throw away from our place, so it’s now become a go-to for beautiful food, local drink, and entertaining company! Forsters is also pretty hidden in the Moutere Hills, and you’ll find it tucked away in-between its endless fields of vineyards – but once you’ve found it, you know you’ve hit the jackpot.

First things first, I have to appreciate the interior and design of this place. Think of a Scandinavian mountain hut, with all amber cedar insides and minimalist but warm décor. With the weather outside stormy and cold, it made the inside even warmer and more inviting – which I think makes for a perfectly cozy dining atmosphere. The only thing that this incredible dining area was missing was a big roaring fire – personally I think it would’ve been the finishing touch, but that’s just me being fussy and naturally freezing! Enough about the interior – this isn’t Architectural Digest – so let’s get onto the fare.

I’m not a big fan of wine (don’t @ me for dining at a winery), so I decided to support some family friends and treat myself to a Moutere Apple Peckham’s Cider, which in my eyes, is one of the best tasting ciders in the world (and you can buy it all over the world too!). After kicking my liver into gear, my mum and I decided to try the famous Forsters tasting platter so we can each try a little of everything from the menu – and a bowl of chips, because why not? As soon as the platter hit the table, my mouth dropped and drooled. It boasted 5 beautiful amuse bouches from their menu, which you could just tell were each going to taste sensational. I’m still a pescatarian, so I dove right into the crumbed goat’s cheese & olive oil powder croquette, seared Tuna & seaweed salad, and ceviche Snapper. I’m an avid seafood supporter, so you bet that the fresh & tangy Snapper Ceviche hit all the right flavour spots, and it got me craving a whole tub of it! A big shout out to their chips also – sometimes the best places can do the most average chips since they’re the ‘lesser important’ dish – but Forster’s nailed the humble chip, and my mam and I smashed back that whole bowl without a soggy potato in sight!

If you’re reading this and you DON’T want to jump the cook straight to dine at Forsters, then what is wrong with you?? Beautiful food and drink that’s locally sourced, amazing people who provide the best chats, and this is all set in a location that’s picture-perfect. The only 2 things that might sway your decision to come here, is the time it takes to get here from nelson (it’s a little bit of a drive out), and also their food is at the high-end of the price spectrum – but to be honest, the proof is in the pudding, and you’re paying for top quality food. A spectacular 9/10 for my first time here at Forsters – and I can’t wait to dine again here in the summer!

• 

• 

• 

Top 8: Burger Wellington 2018

The 2019 WOAP burgers have been announced, and HECK is there a lot of competition (thank god I don’t work hospo anymore). In light of the recent announcement, I thought I’d share a little bite-size breakdown of my top 8 Burger Wellington’s from 2018:

The Library – A Royal Gala: Apple tarte tatin patty with panko-crumbed leche fritter, rhubarb and burnt cinnamon cream in a cinnamon spiced bun. This was by far one of the most innovative burgers I tasted last years WOAP. I HATE dessert pizza, so I was kinda’ sceptical about this one, but holy moly. Just one bite of this blissful burger paired with a sip of their mango milkshake IPA milkshake was enough to send you to heaven. The only dessert burger I tried, but the best burger I tried.

The Botanist – The Incredible Hulk: Broccoli and pistachio patty with smoked vegan cheese, slaw, avocado, apple and kiwifruit salsa verde and herb aioli in a Pandoro spirulina bun, with beetroot crisps. This burger was the literal mean-green-vegan version of the Hulk, and I’m sure it’s something that Mark Ruffalo himself would be more than happy to sink his teeth into. The hero of the dish? That apple and kiwifruit salsa. It added the perfect pop of freshness and tartness to the burger, complementing the richness of the patty, avocado and cheese.

Monsoon Poon – Son of Siam: Thai coconut-glazed tandoor fish with lettuce, lemongrass and coriander mayo, and lime-pickled cucumber in an Arobake bun, with spiced crisps. This burger was awesome. The spicy and rich fish fillet was enough to light a fire on your tongue, but that lemongrass mayo came to the rescue, and cut through that spice perfectly – making you want to go back for another bite, and another. The burger also came with some spiced crisps, which definitely weren’t the star of the plate, but were a nice addition.  

Beach House and Kiosk – The Crusty Crab: Spicy soft-shell crab, pickled cucumber and seaweed salad, wild rocket, nam prik and furikake, with fries. THIS. THIS WAS IT. If I didn’t go to The Library and try their burger, this would have been my 2018 WOAP winner. Dockside tried to do a similar burger(which I also tried), but it wasn’t a patch on what Beach House served. Every single ingredient brought an element of freshness, spice, bitterness, sweetness, tartness, sourness to this burger, and to this day, it has still been the best savoury burger I’ve ever tasted.

WBC – Mao Khaang Burger: Thai fish cake with cucumber, chilli, mint, quick pickle, and nam jim mayo in a grilled milk bun, with sweet chilli fries. Now I froth a $3 fish cake from the supermarket, so when I heard Wholesale Boot Company was doing a fish cake burger, I knew I was in for a treat. The flavour of the fishcake was unlike any I had had before, and it really worked as a burger patty. However, the chips really took the cake. I don’t know what was in that sweet chilli seasoning, but I need more and I need it now. Best chips of the competition, hands down.

Mount Vic Chippery – Tuk Tuk Tarakihi: Prawn floss and kaffir lime-crumbed tarakihi with bean sprout, peanut and coconut salad, herbs and Sriracha mayo in a Pandoro squid-ink bun. For a place that specialises in Fish & Chips, I had high expectations for this burger – especially after reading its bougie summary. But as always, our much loved Chippery Chaps delivered a mean burger that kicks any other fish & chip shops ass. The Asian flavours and texture were an awesome match for the Tarakihi fillet, and that soft squid ink bun was definitely the best bun choice.

Leroy’s – The Ghost of Zorro: Pork chorizo patty with mango chutney, Kāpiti Smoked Havarti cheese, saffron aioli and rocket in a Zaida’s Bakery squid-ink bun, with dirty fries and gravy. This was the only meat burger I tried last year (as you know I’m mainly pescatarian), but to be honest, I reckon I broke my diet for a decent burger! Though there weren’t many elements in the burger, all the flavours still packed a punch and delivered a fire flavour combo. The mango matched the chorizos spice wonderfully, and the aioli acted as a tasty coolant against the sizzle.

Artisan – Kapiti Fish Fillet Burger: Panko crumbed smoked tuna in a soft milk bun with gribiche mayo and Kāpiti Aorangi Brie, with kūmara chips and beetroot ketchup. This was probably one of the most interesting burgers I tried, as it used ingredients and elements that I would’ve never paired together. The crunchy-fishy tuna patty packed a super strong aroma, which the gribiche mellowed down nicely with its creamy and rich eggy flavour. The chips I didn’t think matched the burger all that well, but on their own they were a tasty snack, and that beetroot ketchup was TO DIE FOR!

So that’s my summary of 2018, but let’s not dwell on the past. The 2019 WOAP schedule is out, and it is NOT playing. This year is going to bigger and better than ever, and with the split of festival dish and burger wellington, I am going to be one broke foodie. Stay tuned.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Comes & Goes: Come and GET it!

It’s been a while since I’ve gone out for a decent brunch that was worthy of a full review, but luckily the opportunity to go to a brunch place I’ve been told has bangin’ grub revealed itself. 2 weeks ago, the morning after a 2am Danger-Danger Graduation night, my partner and I woke up groggy and in need of a cold brew and a feed FAST. So, we hopped in the car and drove out to one of Wellington’s absolute tip-top fave food spots. Don’t know where I’m talking about yet? Comes & Goes of course (I mean the title does say, but for those who don’t know, there you go!). I finally got to see what every foodie lover and local has been talking about, and holy mama do I have some praise to shower.

So, we got there after about 10 minutes of driving up and down Petone’s high street trying to find the damn place – I knew it was somewhere, but their lack of signage really got the best of my sense of direction. Anyways, after finally finding it, we sat down and got ready to eat! Except, once we looked at the menu, we really didn’t know what to eat. Drink – a cold brew of course: caffeine for the energy boost, and a little chill for some refreshment. But seriously, we had to send the poor waitress away like 4 times because we were so stuck on what to eat. If you’ve ever eaten there, you’ll know what I mean! After spying around at other people’s orders, I reached my decision. I felt kinda’ boring ordering their granola bowl and wondered whether I should’ve been a little more adventurous, but when I saw the beautiful bowl placed in front of me, my granola guilt vanished INSTANTLY.

I mean look at it (scroll to the bottom to find it). LOOK AT IT! I’ve never seen a more picturesque bowl of food. The Panna cotta (that had the perfect wobble, might I say), was bejewelled with a collection of all types of fresh, sour, tart, and sweet fruits, that sat atop a hefty mound of the best crunchy and nutty granola I’ve ever tried. It stayed that pretty for about 10 seconds before I mixed it all together and dove right in. All of the flavours in one spoonful were enough to bring a tear to my eye, and I knew at that moment I had found the best granola bowl in Wellington. As a cereal addict, this bowl was my cocaine – and I need another fix ASAP! My partner had their Bibimbap, which was a beautiful rainbow of fruits, vegetables, and tofu, all brought together with a sweet and spicy sriracha sauce and a perfectly poached egg. The Comes & Goes take on a traditional Korean Bibimbap is definitely something worth noting, and it made for an awesome and punchy lunch.

All I can say is wow. Petone, you have an ace up your sleeve with this little brunch-beauty. I can’t believe it took me this long to finally visit Comes & Goes, and now that I’ve tasted what they have to offer, it’s only a matter of time before I’m back for more. I have to award them a near perfect 9.5/10. Why not 10/10? Well, I’m a little stank that they’re so far out (PLEASE open a branch in CBD or Lyall bay), and also they NEED to have a bigger sign outside their café, otherwise more girls like me with trash senses of direction are going to drive or walk right past you! But apart from those niggly points, it really is a heck of a café to go to, whether lunch, brunch, coffee, or a sweet treat – the guys at Comes & Goes have you covered.

Toad-ally Delicious Food Part.2

I know what you’re gonna say – I’ve already done a review on Toad Hall (see Toad-ally Delicious Food). But that was a WHOLE YEAR ago, and menu’s change people – and you’re deffo gonna want to try a bit of Toad Hall after this review!

*Backstory Time* It was a warm, slightly overcast day in Takaka, where my family and I decided to kick off our travel back home with a beasty brunch at The Dangerous Kitchen. Sadly, Takaka doesn’t know about the importance of Sunday brunch, and Dangerous Kitchen was closed. Cue violins & tears. We had already been to the Wholemeal café and wanted something different – so ignoring our grumbling stomachs, we turned brunch into lunch and headed off to Toad Hall instead. A decision our stomachs thanked us for in the coming hours.

As we arrived, we saw that Toad Hall was PACKED (at least SOMEWHERE in the top of the South knows about brunch) – but luckily their lovely ladies found us a place to park ourselves! Looking at the Brunch menu, lunch menu & their cabinet – I knew deciding what to eat was going to be a long & arduous journey, but after many (what felt like hours) minutes – I finally chose their trio of salads.

You may say “Ew salads – why? They’re so boring AND they’re not a brunch meal” – BUT when I say Toad Hall does mean as salads, I mean it! They had my tongue in a trance with their orzo salad, spiced chickpea & root veg salad, and their Moroccan couscous salad. I didn’t know where to dig my fork in, but every mouthful I got seemed to be as delicious as the previous. The burgers were also a massive standout, as their COLLOSSAL size definitely translated in flavor too – each one looked juicy, tender and tasty! And just one more little shout-out to their polenta fries, since they converted my parents from HATING polenta chips – to liking these little forms of fried finger food.

So, last year after a delicious fare of food which included a killer salmon bagel and too much cider (I was a little drunk writing the review), I gave the kids at Toad Hall a bloody well-deserved 9/10 on the cafecrawlerlucy scale – a feat only few have succeeded in. But this time, after negotiating with my brain and my stomach, I’m going to have to give them a 9.2/10. They just keep getting better and better every time I come! AND they use biodegradable plastic wrapping for their cabinet – how sustainably sexy is that??? Seriously if you haven’t been, just take a weekend off and head to Nelson to visit this café because I can assure you it’s worth the travel.

Until next year Toad Hall, Adios!

Karacking Food With The Fam

Every student knows that the best feeling isn’t when you get an A, or when you smash that Kendrick rap verse – It’s when your parents come up for the weekend and pay for ya food. This weekend I was blessed with the parents visiting, and I had free reign of deciding where to go for lunch, dinner and brunch (F*ck yes.). Let’s start off with Saturday lunch eh? After having to grab an Uber from the airport for my parents because they refuse to download the app themselves (classic gen Y iPhone users), they treated us to a beautiful lunch at Karaka Café – which I guess you could say makes up for the whole Uber kerfuffle.

Karaka café is famous in wellington for being the peak summer location to sit back on a bean bag, drink in hand, soaking up the sun and beautiful surroundings. In winter this place can become a little sparse as it is mainly associated with the whole outdoor seating situation, but lemme tell you – they do not let the lull in customers or the slightly depressing wellington winter weather affect the quality of their food. No way hosé. This place is perfect for large groups as they have heaps of massive tables both inside and outside to park yourself at – which was lucky for us because our family is quite literally a small army. After being seated, we were tended to straight away. My drinks order was straightforward – coffee no.2 of the day to try and finally beat the overbearing hangover and shame from the night before (I’m sorry mum, I got a little too white girl wasted), however the food orders was a bloody ordeal and a half. They serve their brunch until 3pm which is dope as eggs is the hangover saviour, but their lunch mains also sounded like my migraine lord and saviour – so you can imagine I was in quite a pickle. In the end, the inner brit took over and I ordered their fish of the day serves with slaw, tartare sauce, and a MOUNTAIN of chips (again, F*ck yes.).

when the mains started coming out, food envy anxiety took over as my boyfriend had ordered the seafood chowder, and If you know me, you know seafood chowder is my weakness – no matter how fishy my breath will smell afterwards. But when my mass of a meal was placed in front of me, all envy was washed away, and I was one smug somebody indeed. The fish was lightly battered and crispy (yas), the chips copious and crunchy (yaaaassss!), the slaw fresh and flavourful (YASSS!), and the homemade tartare sauce tangy and tart (YAAAASSSS QUEEN!!!). Overall – a bloody brilliant plate of fish and chips that tickled my taste buds, stuffed my stomach, and put a smile on my dial. The rest of the food was equally as beautiful and yummy – seafood chowder, chicken pizza, chicken burger, calamari – everything was SUBLIME.

For my first time properly dining at Karaka and not just getting slowly sloshed outside on their beanbags, I am super-duper impressed. So, I think I would be an idiot to give them anything less than an 8.5/10 on the CCL scale. Their food was super yum and had heaps of variety, their service was tip top, location on point, and the cherry on the cake was that their menu followed their homage to Maori culture, with everything being in Maori with English translations – something that I feel many more cafes and public places should get on the bandwagon for! If you are looking to get your food fix with a big group of mates, or even if it’s just the two of you, definitely don’t overlook Karaka Café, as it may just have the perfect plate to fix your hunger cravings.

A Fiftieth Foxglove Feast

Birthdays are a joyous occasion to throw away a little cash with friends and family and celebrate, however it’s not every day you turn 50, so to commemorate my Dad’s 50^th, we pulled out all the stops! My parents had traipsed up to Wellington for Dad’s birthday as my siblings and I all live here, therefore us kids were restlessly researching places to take our dad to properly toast the big 5-0. We wanted somewhere with a drool-worthy menu, a classy ambiance, and one with great views and good reviews. After pretty much trawling through the whole internet, we all decided that the place that best met our tough criteria was; Foxglove.

Rural Riverside Paradise

My time in Nelson was coming to a close, and to make the most of my last few days with my mum and dad, we (well my mum and I – poor dad had work!) ventured out for one last cafe crawl. I wanted to go somewhere where I either haven’t been to, or somewhere that I haven’t visited for years, so after pondering all the cafes nearby and having a cheeky look online at what all the delightful cafes in the Tasman had to offer, we set our sights on the Riverside cafe.

Toad-ally Delicious

Motueka is a bustling little town that really draws in the people, especially in the summer season. The town has only got even more popular over the years, and to cope with the constant demands for fresh beautiful food and treats, there has been a crazy increase in the number of cafes and restaurants. One of the original players in Motueka’s hospitality game is Toad Hall, which was the perfect place for me to take my two wellington visitors experiencing a slice of South Island life.

Prefab Palavers

I took the café crawl back to Wellington for a few days as after an incredibly grueling few weeks of work I needed a detox – and what better way to detox than to go to a city with the best foodie hot-spots! I’ve lived in Wellington for a few years now, however I am constantly stunned by the number of city-famous places that I haven’t tried and tested. I met up with a few of my girls to go and have lunch, and received faces of pure shock when they found out I had never been to Prefab. I guess my inexperience with this wellington foodie hub made the decision of where to grab a bite to eat much easier!