Chapter 1: Lucas Putnam

If you hail from Wellington, you may have heard of our long-loved La Boca Loca or newly-built Boquita. Now, we go behind the doors to meet Lucas Putnam, the man behind the Mexican restaurant mavericks that have taken New Zealand’s capital by storm.

Lucas Putnam – Boquita/La Boca Loca

Let’s start off with a little about you – I see that you originally hail from New York and then to California – what was it like growing up in America?

• It was a combination of traditional and non-traditional – we moved around a lot. We moved to France when I was 3, but I was young so I didn’t get the full benefit. We then moved back to San Fran with my father, and then eventually settled in Napa Valley. I moved around schools a lot as a kid – but even with that, I had a great time. There was a very strong Mexican culture in Napa, as a lot of Mexicans came to work in the wineries – especially 2nd and 3rd generation families. Because of these families coming and bringing their culture to Napa, I was exposed to the Mexican cuisine.

As we know, America is riddled with Mexican chains & restaurants – when did you first encounter Mexican food?

• The place that really got me first – I think I talk about it in my cookbook – was this place called Taqueria Rosita, a little family style restaurant – which funnily enough was actually owned by one of my classmates in high school! It served really delicious traditional Mexican food that I was inspired by and that we’ve tried to recreate here at Boquita and La Boca Loca. Before that place – it was basically Taco Bell, which I regret to say. But because we could buy fresh corn tortilla’s in Napa that were basically made that day, my father made a lot of easy Mexican meals for us, so I guess that helped feed my love for Mexican. 

The Mexican food in Napa Valley sounds delish! But before all that, what was the go-to food for you and your family?

• Anything I could get my hands on! We weren’t very wealthy, and because my dad was raising us on our own (for the most part), it was quite hard. When I grew up there was a massive health movement, especially in San Fran (nowadays it’s L.A), which maybe had to do with the 70’s movement and the consciousness of the earth. Because of this we went from eating McDonald’s and ice cream to eating macrobiotic diets – which made me VERY hungry! After a while my dad realised he needed to actually feed a growing male teen, so then we treated ourself to fast food. I only really got conscious around health at university, after the first couple of years (after the fresher 15) – and then swiftly moved to preparing more Mexican dishes. 

Obviously you’ve now set up shop in windy Wellington, when did you move to New Zealand and why? 

• I came here to work in Film at Weta Digital for about 17+ years, though when you take into consideration all the hours it feels like about 20. Basically I saw a job, I applied for it, worked there for a bit and then realised there was no Mexican food. Me being selfish, I wanted Mexican food – so chose the obvious solution and set up a restaurant. It took a while to find this place, had a few false starts along the way but here we are! I now name it the most expensive taco I’ve ever had. 

I see that you’re a conscious consumer – that’s awesome! What does sustainable cooking mean to you? How do you perceive cooking sustainably? 

• Yes we are one of the early adopters of that connotation. The main components for that are trying to get ingredients that are organic, which can sometimes be a really touchy concept. We try our best to make sure we’re using really sustainably produced food and that kinda’ means no harming the environment. However, meat and dairy pretty much inherently do damage to the environment – so it’s a balance of give and take. So then it comes down to being sustainable in other ways – we recycle as much as possible, compost as much as possible, and minimise waste where we can. 

I saw on your website that they call you  Master of Tequila – how does one gain that kinda title?

• Totally self-appointed – just love tequila! I learned as much about it as possible when travelling, knowing the producers, and even going to Tequila the town. Tequila is similar to champagne, where it has two (or SHOULD) come from the regions its derived from. 

Getting onto the restaurant side of things – why did you open up Boquita? Why not another La Boca Loca? 

• I wanted to try something different, my partners at the time were really excited about opening a vegan place. I had tried one before back in California and it was pretty good, so I thought well, let’s try it! The space Boquita is in is conducive too that decision – we don’t need to prepare meat or dairy, therefore don’t need a back kitchen. We can store, prep, and cook everything in one small space. It’s a really communal space too between chef and customer which is what I love – you sit so close to the pass that you’re pretty much helping prepare the food!

For those whose mother-tongue isn’t Mexican – what does Boquita translate to in English?

• Boquita means ‘Little Mouth” – La Boca Loca means ‘crazy mouth’ – but the location is snug and its smaller scale so we went for ‘Little Mouth’. Anything with ‘ita’ on the end, means little in Spanish. 

Setting up a restaurant sounds pretty full-on! How would you describe your journey towards opening up Boquita compared to first establishing La Boca Loca?

• Relatively easy – we didn’t have to earthquake proof, retrofit, any of that. La Boca Loca was a very different story. We opened right around the 2 Christchurch earthquakes, so it was really touch and go. We basically had to strip everything back and rebuilt it so it would withstand the elements. Boquita had a kitchen at the back, the front we put a countertop and that was it, ready for service! 

What is the main inspiration for Boquita? How does that differ from La Boca Loca? 

• So, it’s interesting. My first chef and I worked together a lot on the menus for La Boca Loca – but the first recipe I worked on myself was Tempeh. I really really loved Tempeh, I thought it was an excellent source of protein and fantastic meat alternative – it’s very similar to tofu but a bit more flavour and texture when cooked right! I also love chilli’s, so developed a recipe around tempeh and chipotle and figured out that if you cook the tempeh firs (bake or fry) and add some veggies and chipotle – it takes on another dimension and becomes really really tasty. This was one of the first recipes at Boquita, and the menu just grew from that vegetarian starting point. For the first few nights we were mixing up the menu and trying different alternatives, but then things started to stick. For example, we started out putting the Potato Rosti on special, but as soon as we took it off special, everybody was asking where it was, so we added that permanently. Our 3 core ingredients; tofu, tempeh and mushroom, became the key all-year ingredients, and then we play around with other flavours and ingredients based on seasonality and what’s available. 

Boquita is definitely more central than La Boca Loca – what drove you to go into the city, and why is La Boca Loca so far out?

• I opened La Boca Loca because I was working at Weta at the time and I established this place purely just for easy come-and-go access to and from work, pretty selfish of me, right? This space here (Boquita) became available, which funnily enough is right next to where our wholesale kitchen was, so when this front area became available we realised that our idea of starting up a vegetarian Mexican restaurant could actually happen – so we did it! So far so good! 

My absolute favourite taco at Boquita was the OG tempeh (drools) – but what’s your favourite dish on the menu at Boquita? 

• It really varies – sometimes I’m feeling the falafel, other times I’m feeling the mushrooms, or sometimes I’ll just want a mash-up where I’ll put everything in a bowl and just have that! Although actually when the cauliflower is super fresh for the cauliflower ceviche, its beautiful, I just love it. It’s so good, really light and fresh and delicious. It’s a really clean meal. 

So we’ve talked a little about your childhood and past, but I want to know what really pushed you to taking Mexican cooking on full-time?

• After my first taste of Mexican, it took me years to come back to the idea. I’ve worked in restaurants now, but when I was young I started off as a builder and then diverged into film for almost 20 years, but I still dabbled with Mexican cuisine along the way. Every Sunday night after a long week we could always come back to creating Mexican meals. It was hard to get a hold of the ingredients here, so we had two make do with what was available or import the chillies, masa and tequila, but it worked.

Do you find you stick to Mexican cuisine, or do you dabble with other cuisines (North or South American)? 

• Typically Mexican, yeah. Boquita has a lot more influences because we’re stepping outside of the typical Mexican parameters. The basis is the same, with the fresh corn tortillas that we make all day long, but through using the vegetarian alternatives in place of meat, there definitely is a lot of influence from other countries and places where these plant-based proteins originated. 

If you had to choose one Mexican dish to eat for the rest of your life, what would it be? (I’m just genuinely curious)

• The questions are so hard! Well right now its brunch time, so let’s base its off that as Mexican brunches are pretty fabulous. I love breakfast burritos or breakfast tacos; beans eggs, salsa, cheese and sauce – it’s perfect. So yeah, that could be it. Either scrambled eggs or scrambled tofu, which ever I feel like or have on hand! 

You cook with Mexican flavours, so I assume you love a kick of spice! What’s your favourite hot sauce?

• It’s all hard stuff! Domestically, I really love Kaitaia Fire – really good spice that one. From the US and Mexico, I love Cholula which is really yummy, Also Yucateco is really nice. There’s this one sauce which isn’t in production anymore from the Dominican Republic, called the West Indies, freaking fantastic – but you can’t get it anymore and its such a shame. You can find ones similar in Louisiana, but the one from the Dominican was just a level above. 

Your cookbook is jam packed full of delicious Mexicana dishes – did any dishes not make the final cut, or were they all too delectable to ditch?

• Oh, heaps heaps heaps. The cookbook is a lot of the original menu that my original chefs and I came up with together, but over the years we’ve created a lot. I wouldn’t say there are any unique recipes, I mean Boquita has some unique ones what with the veganization, but for the most part we are just recreating traditional Mexican recipes that we love with what’s available. 

Is there a second cookbook in the works? 

• Oh yeah, there’s always one in my head. The creation process can be pretty long. If I had more time than maybe it would be a little faster, but with 2 restaurants and I’m the only manager, it’s definitely something to put on the back-burner for now!

And finally – Whats going on in your life? Is there anything coming up for the two restaurants?

• Hopefully! I don’t know if you’ve read anything about the restaurant/hospitality scene in wellington, but its extremely difficult to open a cafe or restaurant and keep them running. There are so many places going under, so my focus is making sure that we survive by putting our unique food, that people love, and at a reasonable price. Boquita and La Boca Loca are unique and they’re set apart, but they’re also very specialised. Some people only feel like Mexican once a week, whereas we feel like it every day (like me), so that’s what we serve! You also see a lot of restaurants offering Mexican themed meals now, so if threes a group of people all wanting different foods they can go to a more generalist place and get the cuisine they want rather than coming here or Boquita where its solely Mexican. But word of mouth really helps, and we definitely hear people loving our food. 

If you’re reading this and love a little Mexican in your life (I’m talking about the food here), then head on down to Boquita or La Boca Loca, where you’ll find Lucas and his team of chefs cooking up some of the most authentic and amazing Mexican dishes you’ll ever experience – you heard it here first!

Life-Saving Brunch at Wellington’s Maranui Life-Saving Club

This year’s Jim Beam Homegrown was a wild day of booze, bands, bar-spitting and banter. I think everybody, even people who didn’t attend, felt the forceful brunt of a full ‘11 hours’ worth of drinking’ hangover the next day. Which is where I have to send my blessing and thanks to whomever invented the delicious and astoundingly convenient weekend meal, brunch (turns out brunch originated in the 19^th century to bring relief to ‘Saturday party-goers’ – and we are still VERY relieved to this day). Enough about this history of brunch (just Wikipedia it) – and onto my very own brunch adventure, at wellington’s own Maranui Café.

When I say the words Maranui Café, I would say about 10 people in earshot would perk up and say ‘Brunch?!?!’. Yes. It’s really that famous in Wellington for their impeccable brunch fare, and after dragging myself there last Sunday – I’m now tummy-triggered for brunch when somebody mentions Maranui too (Damn – I’m hungry now). The last time I came here, was about 8 years ago, which was waaay too young to appreciate the fantastic flavours and sensational skill. So, waking up Sunday morning, tired, hungry and decaffeinated – Maranui was my beckoning call.

We arrived there, and to my surprise the place was jam-packed and there were still 2 parties eagerly waiting their turn at a table in front of us – luckily, this gave us time to choose our meals – unluckily, this just made the wait for food long (what can they say, Maranui is what the people WANT!). At long last we got seated inside the bustling abode, and to avoid adding any extra time onto the 40-minute-food-wait, ordered INSTANTLY. 2 white coffees on the rocks (with a little sugar *wink face*), a portion of their finest buttermilk stacked pancakes, and a victory breakfast – with the real victory being able to get a seat in this place amirite!

Let’s just say they weren’t lying about the 40-minute wait, as I think my stomach had actually started to eat itself by the time the food came. But also, let’s just say people are not lying when they say that Maranui has the best lunch food FULL STOP. When I got that stack of thiccc buttermilk pancakes placed in front of me, my stomach filled with butterflies – the good kind of course!

Imagine this: a 3-stack of fluffy buttermilk pancakes with a big dollop of tangy mascarpone cream, berry compote drizzled all over each stack with fresh bananas sandwiched between the layers, and some of their house-made muesli to add a little crunch to the dish. Never have I ever thought I could apply the lyric ‘Drippin’ with Finesse’ to a dish, but I’ll be damned, because this one was it. I can’t apply this lyric to the taste though, because literally NO song lyric could sum up just how incredible these sour, sweet, fruity, savoury, and spiced flavours burst on my palette. The victory breakfast was also a victorious affair, with literally every good part of a classic fry-up being made vegetarian, with some added sides including fresh guacamole, tangy pesto, and a mexicano take on the classic baked bean – a bite of these all together with the poached eggs, grilled tomato and shroomies was a flavour-match made in heaven!

Let’s sum this all up into one easy equation; Fabulous location with spectacular views + super kind & attentive staff + food that I could dream about forever = an unquestionable 9/10 on the CCL scale. I know I’ve been awarding some big numbers out recently, but since starting up 2 years ago – Wellington has really upped their brunch business into something quite exciting for us foodies, you never know when the next eggs bene is going to pop up!

The question is – where should I go next? Let me know in the comments, flick me an email, or hit me up on my gram to let me know where I should crawl to next.

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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!

The Ass Of The World – Well, Sorta…

I never thought I would have ever said this. But I’ve been to the ass of the earth. And I liked it.

Okay, let’s give some insight, because to some people that sounds pretty gross, and well If it’s your thing then you might want to find a different blog to read. El Culo Del Mundo is one of Wellington’s newest food hubs located right next to The Chippery on Roxborough Street, and basically, its name translates to ‘the ass of the earth’ – I don’t know if this was planned or not, but either way, it cracks me up (YES PUN).

So, knowing that the name meant ass, I had to see if their fare also translated to ass. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. We decided to hit this joint on a sunny Sunday afternoon, carelessly leaving the kids me and my boyfriend were babysitting to fend and cook for themselves (probably bad in hindsight, but they survived) and met up with some good mates to test-drive this new whip.

Vegans and plant-based protestors – you can rejoice. Because this place is getting on the old protein replacement band-wagon. How you say? Crickets. These little critters have stirred up a storm in the food industry recently, with their super high protein properties, and FINALLY a restaurant in Wellington is serving them up with spice. Naturally, we tried this right away, and hand-on-heart, I was nervous. But as soon as I popped that crunchy cricket in my mouth, the fear went and the flavor kicked in – absolutely delicious, and even better served on a nacho chip with a little guac.

Next, we glazed over their mains to see what else would tickle our fancy. Bougie-as dishes like ox tongue tacos, bone marrow tortillas, and tiger prawns jumped out at us – however for the menu that we got served, we felt like the veggie options were a little lacking. Maybe rejoice a bit less vegan friends. However, for what they lacked in veggie options, they sure made up for in flavor. Those tiger prawns – AMAZING. The creamy guac and home-made salted nachos – INSPIRED. The ox tongue taco – MELT IN THE MOUTH. So, you could say their food was pretty dope.

So all in all, a pretty cool place that serves up some fine ass fare has just opened up a stone’s throw away from Courtenay place, and is a great addition to the Wellington food and drink scene. The only criticisms I got for this place are as listed (clears throat); Have more veggie options, have the same menu online as in the restaurant (I wanted to try the cauliflower, but couldn’t order it!) AND increase the portion size or lower the price of meals, because if you’re running on a low tank and need a feed, you deffo gotta order multiple meals to satisfy the hunger – I paid $15 for 3 tiger prawns.

Apart from that, I’m gonna give this place a 7.5/10 on the ol’ CCL (cafecrawlerlucy) scale. Great people, tasty noms, and a good selection of beers and drinks. A few little criticisms here and there, but hey, for a place that’s JUST opened its doors – I reckon it’s doing pretty good!

Beasty Boi’s At Burger Liquor

Hello once again friends! I’m back with a burger-licious blog post that is guaranteed to get you tummies rumbling and your legs running to the nearest burger joint – that burger joint being Burger Liquor of course.

Now, it’s not my first time at this rodeo – do you think I would have lived in Wellington for three years and NOT gone to this city famous burger dwelling?? Although, if you follow my Instagram (@cafecrawlerlucy – shameless plug), you’ll know I’m actually super bad at going to some of the long-time foodie hotspots… anyway, moving on!

So, here’s a little backstory: My family friends had just travelled 2 hours driving and 4 hours on the ferry – and knowing the ferry food – they were STARVING when they got here. I wanted to show them something iconic, something very Wellington, and something that would fill that food shaped hole in their stomachs. Instantly, Burger Liquor came to mind. I’ve never had a bad burger there, I’ve always been treated super well there, and I’ve always gone home with a smile on my face and a food baby in my belly. This time was no different.

Picture 8 ridiculously loud and semi-tipsy Englishmen around a too-small-but-will-work table, and that’s pretty much exactly what we were like. First, we started off with some of their locally sourced brews, including Parrot Dog, Whistling Sisters, and Garage Project – which really hit the spot for my traveler guests (you can imagine after a ferry ride, a cold beer is next to winning the lottery). Next – after a lot of uhmmming and ahhhing – we ordered our burgers. I love how you can create your own signature burger here, and you can make it as meaty or as plant-based as you pleased – leaving nobody out of the flavour game!

I’ve had their burgers quite a few times now and wanted to see if their tacos were any better than their bun-defeated burgers. I have to say, they didn’t look like much, but the flavours of that fish taco were pretty darn good! The tacos weren’t Wellington’s best tacos (obviously with it being a burger place) and could’ve used a big more filling (maybe some fresh slaw or something?) but other than that, they were delish! Some of their other standout burgers was the pulled jackfruit & veggie patty luxe deluxe with mushroom bacon (for you vegans vixens out there), the Bernie mac (for you not-so-vegan vixens) – and of course I gotta shout out their classic ‘The Standard’ – as far as burgers go, this one is definitely above-standard (geddit?). Oh, how could I forget – their FRIES. Whether curly or straight, them fries are the king of potatoes.

Summing up, a pretty flipping good feed was had at this wicked Willis Street joint – and I can guarantee that if you go there, you’re going to have exactly the same amazing food journey. For everything that I experienced that night, I’m gonna give Burger Liquor an 8.5/10. If the tacos were a little fuller and maybe were handmade tortillas – it would’ve bumped you up onto the god tier. Butt hey, with everything else in the world, there’s ALWAYS room for improvement – even with 3 Michelin star restaurants! Stay awesome Burger Liquor – I’ll be back very soon!

Fidels: Cuban Communist or Cuba St. Brunch Boss?

The answer is the latter – well for my review anyway (Fidel Castro IS a Cuban communist – little history lesson for you!).

Last weekend was a BIG one. One of my life-long best friends came from England to check out the land of the long white cloud and stopped in Wellington for a little visit!

So, being the hostess with the mostess, I had to show her the best of what wellington can offer; all the best clubs (obvs danger danger), J & M’s at 3am, AND of course the best foodie spots – including what I can confidently call one of Wellingtons most beloved brunch spots – Fidels.

For those who don’t know, Fidels is located right at the top of Cuba Street – with Fidel Castro’s face plastered on everything and a loud hum of conversation erupting from its premises, you really can’t miss it. This place has been one of my favorites ever since I took a bite of their fish taco’s two years ago, and no matter what cool and hip cafes come to Wellington – it’s always going to hold a special place in my stomach/heart.

Okay, after getting a little too emotional about this place (even thinking about Fidels is giving me cravings), it’s time to get onto the food. Fidel’s offers a brunch, lunch and dinner menu which is jam-packed with some all-time classics (Eggs Benedict I’m looking at you) AND super-duper alty dishes (Mojo Chicken – what even is this??). We came here looking for a goof ol’ feed after what I can safely say was a wild night out – and boy did their chefs DELIVER.

It took me AGES to decide what to have, especially because I had the choice of brunch AND lunch menu which made it just way too hard. In the end, after tossing up between the vegan bowl, salmon bagel and the haloumi on toast – I went for the vegetarian quesadilla.

I have to give myself a big old pat on the back, as I actually genuinely think this is one of the best vegetarian quesadillas I have ever tasted*. What could be a better hangover cure than sweet pumpkin, spinach and tomatoey beans all wrapped up in a crisp and carbalicious wrap WITH guacamole and sour cream?? Not much, that’s what. Everybody’s dish tasted absolutely fab – meaning you can have 100% faith in the chefs to make your dish deliciously dope no matter what you order!

This place has maintained its café-celebrity status for years, and I don’t believe it’s going to change anytime soon. They have however played it safe by not changing up their menu (well, not ever since I’ve lived in Wellington), which is something I would love to see them try! A solid 9/10 for Fidels on the CCL scale – they filled my belly with good food, they have awesome staff (shout-out to you Art!) AND they have such a dope café décor going on – and you guys know I froth a café that has a hardcore theme, both food and design! If ever in need of a stomach-satisfying brunch or lunch (I haven’t had dinner here yet, so I feel it would be fake news to endorse it), you know you can trust the guys at Fidels to fix you up!

*PSA Beach Bab still reigns supreme for their vegan quesadilla though

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Hamilton: I expected punters – but instead I got ‘The Punnet’

Last weekend was my very first trip to Hamilton since I was 6 years old – and to be honest I wasn’t expecting much (this was SOLELY from other people’s opinions, I promise!). BUT I speak to everyone, especially you Hamilton homies (sorry for the lingo, I can’t pass on an alliteration), Hamilton WAAAAAAY exceeded my expectations – no matter how low they were!

I stayed at the Narrows Landing, which if you’re a Hamilton local, you know it’s literally one of THE best places to stay in, I would say New Zealand, let alone just the North Island (big-ups to the boyfriend’s parents for splashing out – loved every minute!). But we ain’t a travel blog here, we all about that foodie doodie goodness. So, let’s talk about The Punnet.

‘The Punnet’ is one of Hamilton’s true gems. I mean, I haven’t been to any other cafes there, but I can’t imagine it gets much better than this! You got the café, which serves up food with flavor profiles OFF THE CHARTS, they have a farm shop with everything that a middle-class mum would sell their soul for, they have a playground that even I, as a semi self-respecting 21-year-old, had to have a play on, AND you can pick strawberries. Pretty flipping dope place if you ask me.

Feeling very dusty after a BEAUTIFUL wedding and reception (shout-out to the gorgeous couple Nick & Sarah), around 50 of us filled the place and sat down for what I call a feast for the eyes, tummy, and soul. The menu was jam-packed with waaaaay too many mouth-watering meals, and in my hungover state, it was almost too much for my little head to handle. But, eventually, I made my own little eggs-avocado-spinach-salmon-toast situation. The eggs – poached to perfection, the avocado – soft, green, and with a little surprise sesame crunch, the salmon – crispy skinned and melt-in-the-mouth, the toast – well, toasty? They sadly forgot my spinach, which to be honest, I forgot I’d even ordered until I’d demolished the whole thing.

If I come back to Hamilton anytime soon – I KNOW I’m going to have to stop in here for breakfast, brunch, lunch, morning tea, afternoon tea – you name an occasion to eat, and I’ll come here for it. The cabinet had the most decadent pastries, cakes and sweets perfect for a snack, and stocked little savoury items like scones, paninis and bagels for those slightly-peckish-but-not-too-hungry-people. I think I’m going to have to award this people pleasing place a 9.5/10. ½ off top score solely for not being closer to Wellington. It is what it is, I don’t make the rules around here!

If you’re reading this – next time you go to Hamilton, you know where to go (I’m talking about The Punnet if it wasn’t clear enough yeah?).

Fabulous Food and Flagrant Femininity – Only at Fifi’s

Well well well, look what the cat dragged in. Oh, I’m not talking about you – god no! I’m talking about slack and blog-neglecting self, who quite frankly should be ashamed for not writing ANYTHING since August. Absolute trash blogger right here.

Pushing the self-loathing aside, I’m back writing to let you guys know about a brand-new and brilliantly bougie café that has just opened up in the heart of Wellington. Tucked away on the dodgy-but-cozy Marion Street is Fifi’s – a new café that serves up scrumptious sandwiches, beautiful bakes, and cracking coffees – all served with a side of flagrant femininity.

I’ve been craving to come and check out this curiosity-inducing café ever since I saw it open, and finally, on a fresh December Friday afternoon, I got the chance to see what the fuss was all about. If this place was in New York, there would be a Tasty video on the décor just alone, but since we are in Wellington, you gotta go and check out this dope as place for yourself. Fifi’s have paid homage to their women-only workspace, by decorating the walls with infamous artworks, that all have a slight feminine twist. We found our seats at one of their perfectly imperfect mismatched tables, with the ideal view of the cabinet food and the baristas killer magenta eyeshadow look – the first person to actually pull off pinkeye (it’s a bad joke, I know, I’m rusty remember?).

I could ramble on and on about just how cool this café is, but you guys are here to know about their food and drink, so let’s cut to the chase. Drinks first, as always. Because it was one of those #CBWOAGD (can’t beat Welly on a good day) kinda days, I opted for a iced coffee to keep refreshed and to keep the caffeine withdrawals at a minimum (I hadn’t had one all day and it was 2pm, ya gal needed her fix) – whatever coffee beans they use there are magic, the coffee was delicious! Now, onto food. They have the classic little lunchtime/brunchtime menu, but as soon as I looked into their savory cabinet, a giant bready boy filled with what I can only describe as green crunchy, cream, fresh delicious goodness, stole my heart and my stomach. As with the drink, choosing this sandwich was one of the best decisions of my life, because that perfectly toasted ciabatta sandwiched together some sick fillings (including rocket, feta, avocado and cucumber) to create the meanest greenest sandwich I’ve ever tasted. This sandwich literally gave me butterflies it was that damn tasty.

So, summing up: Fifi’s is freaking fantastic, and anybody who says otherwise probably didn’t go to Fifi’s, and is just making crap up, their food is everything, and their staff are eclectic and awesome. So, what does that mean for me? Well, it means I have to give them a stonking 9.5/10 for my visit to their humble and vivid abode! Love the food, love the feel of the place, and I love the feminine movement they have going. If you haven’t been here, please please PLEASE jog on down to Marion Street and get your hands on their nosh! Muchos Gracias Fifi’s for the lovely lunch. I’ll be back.

Slice Of Heaven

Dave Dobbyn keeps on banging on about how some girls love is a ‘slice of heaven’ – but I don’t think he’s ever been to Heaven Pizza…

Round 2 of ‘Parents pay for all my meals’ commenced last Saturday night. They had already taken us out for a wicked lunch at Karaka Cafe (link to that blog post is here ), and even though we were feeling as stuffed as a turkey on Christmas after that feast – the offer of them taking us out for dinner AS WELL was a rarity, and one too good to decline.

My parents left it down to me to decide where to wine and dine – I don’t know why, its like they think I run a food blog or something?? Even with my knowledge of restaurants, it still turned out to be a stressful and intricate operation. After dinner we were going to watch my sister in a play called ‘Almost Sober’ at club 121 – which was actually the dopest play I’ve ever seen (you’ll agree if you watched it too!) – so it had to be somewhere close so we could scoff the food, down the drinks and get to the play on time. After much deliberation with the family (having so many siblings makes it 10000000x harder), I set my sights on Heaven Woodfire Pizza – a place I had never been to before, but every time I walked past I made sure to eye up everybody’s mouthwatering meals – which was now going to be my destiny! Having a table for 10 sure made it snug, but the ambiance of this place and the family-oriented nature of Italian pizza culture made it super fun, energetic and homely!

After all the reunions and small talk – it was time to hit the booze (anybody else crave alcohol when with their family? Just me? Cool. Carry on.), so I started off with a crisp apple cider – which throughout the meal became 2 crisp apple ciders! Then came the best and worst part – choosing which pizza I was going to stuff my face with. After having a cheeky geez at other peoples pizza, we decided the old 1-between-2 method was going to be juuuuust fine – and I even let my boyfriend choose the pizza toppings (girlfriend of the year or WHAT)! In the end, he chose the jam-packed veggie pizza, and man when that bad-boy was laid down in front of us, I knew he had picked the right one. When cooking, I’m all about using a few ingredients and making them shine, however when it comes to vegetarian pizza, I want ALL THE TOPPINGS – and this puppy more than delivered. The combination of Aubergine, Capsicum, Olives, Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomato, Onion, Mozzarella, Pine Nuts, Oregano, all scattered over a crispy woodfired pizza made my tongue tingle, my heart warm, and my stomach sing! I also have to give a cheeky shout-out to the halloumi pizza – that one bit of added cheese took that pizza to an 11/10!

You can imagine after everything I’ve said about Heaven Pizza that I’m going to give them a hefty rating – and you’re not wrong! The pizza is some of the best I’ve ever had, the drinks got me VERY merry, and the people were super chill and onto it with their service. So naturally, I’m going to give them a bloody solid 9/10! I also love how this place has pretty much unlimited options for toppings – there is literally a pizza for everyone AND they’re at a super good price too! If you are feigning a pizza, definitely don’t overlook Heaven Woodfired Pizza for a more ‘Prestigious’ and ‘authentic’ restaurant, as Heaven can deffo hook you up with a feed that satisfies that craving.

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.