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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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.

Bin There, Done That

Date night without the date? Sounds like a fab excuse to go wining and dining – even if I am third-wheeling! GrabOne once again saved our undecisive and cheap asses when it came to choosing where to eat, and we ended up getting a super spicy deal; $120 worth of food for ONLY $60 at Welly waterfronts famous Bin 44 restaurant.

As we ambled up to the restaurant, I realised that I actually have been here before – so this review is not original content (sorry not sorry) – but you can go checkout that review on my insta if you want OG material. From my memories of this place, the food is mean and the drinks that they pair with the courses are delicious and complement the flavours perfectly, so that made me even more hungry to try their delicious fare. We were met with super friendly staff, who gave us recommendations on drinks and which meals to try (again helping out our indecisive asses), and thus began our quest to find the food that fixes our hunger pains.

I managed to suss a mate to come to dinner with us so I wasn’t third wheeling too hard, and we all decided to get things that we could all share (#cutecouplethings) – which MAY have ended up being a mistake. We ended up getting their prawn pizza, BBQ chicken pizza, burger, calamari, sticky ribs, and garlic ciabatta. It definitely fed us up good – but the meals lacked a little lustre for me. I was excited for their pizzas as they had such a variety of flavours, however when trying them they reminded me of something you could buy for $7 at the supermarket. Their calamari was super tasty and not AT ALL rubbery; but again it could’ve used some paprika or chilli seasoning just to pack that extra spicy punch. The rest of the food was pretty standard – nothing too ground-breaking – but it did the job and filled our bellies!

I have to say after the first time coming here, I had set some higher standards, however they were definitely not met this time coming here. Piling all aspects of our evening here, I rate Bin 44 a 6/10 on the CCL scale. Their staff were really lovely, but sadly that doesn’t make up for the mediocre food that we were served – minus the calamari as that boosted their rating. I feel like if I had chosen their main meals I might’ve experienced better food as I have had their mains before and LOVED them – however they should be consistent across the board and make their starters and share plates just as mouth-watering. I’m glad that we used a voucher when paying for the meals here, because I would not pay full price for the average pizza that we got! I think I would like to go back for a third time (third time lucky amirite?) and try their lunch or brunch options – gotta give them the benefit of the doubt, right? I think this place does have potential, and if you do go dining there PLEASE save yourself the disappointment and choose a main meal. I would totally recommend checking out GrabOne for dinner ideas – everybody wants to save some pocket but also live the boujee lifestyle, and with heaps of restaurants and spicy vouchers, GrabOne finally lets you be that little bit extra!

The Perfect Pasta?

Now that university is all done and dusted, I literally have done nothing but work and go out with friends for food – but hey, its blog research right? My bank account seems to argue, buuut sometimes you gotta go into overdraft to provide you guys with the best recommendations of where to spend your money and fill your tummy!

If you live in Wellington or have visited wellington over the past few weeks, then you might’ve heard of a new little pasta place called 1154 Pastaria – and if you haven’t, can you please surface from that rock you’ve been living under! People have been going OFF about this place; friends, family, fellow food bloggers – all mind blown at how this little Italian eatery popped up out of nowhere and serving $12 pasta. So, naturally, being the food-blogging sheep I am, I had to try this place and see if these banging reviews are true or just fake news.

I came here with 3 other of my girls, which I instantly knew was a mistake. This place doesn’t take bookings which can make it VERY difficult to find a table – especially as it is always full to the brim. If you come here as a couple you’ve got a better chance, but definitely keep it to a 4-person maximum – otherwise you’ll be eating on the streets. Eventually we got ourselves a spot and pored over their much-anticipated menu. All their pastas and anti-pastas sounded delectable – with plenty of vegetarian, dairy free and gluten free options that don’t cost any extra. I was also gobsmacked their prices – with their most expensive item on the menu being only $17 – that’s INSANE for a massive bowl of pasta!

In the end, I decided to try out their cheapest menu option, their $12 pesto pasta just to see if they deliver as much value with their cheapest options as their more pricier dishes – and I was also persuaded by the cashier to get one of their garlic buns to mop up any excess sauce (makes sense, right??). I have to say, I was a little disappointed by both the pasta and the bun. The pasta was perfectly cooked, and the pesto sauce was tasty, however it was incredibly oily, and it was just pasta and sauce which made it very carby and filling – there is definitely potential for it to pack more excitement and flavour, with maybe the addition of some cherry tomatoes or spinach, which I would 100% pay extra for. Now, onto the bun. I feel like you can’t call something garlic bread if the whole bread itself doesn’t have the garlic flavour, and this was the case with the bun – the top was coated in a lush and flavourful garlic glaze, but the rest of the bun was plain and disappointing. My friends got the spinach ravioli and the bacon carbonara, which both gave me major food envy as they were DELICIOUS – so maybe I just chose the wrong dish!

I think for my visit to 1154, I have to give them a 6/10. Their pasta was nice, their location and ambience cosy and lively, however their buns were disheartening, and their lack of table-bookings creates a real conundrum for group outings. I feel like I may have to visit this place again to try out the other pastas on their menu, and their much talked about hazelnut cake, and maybe I’ll change my mind on my final CLL scale verdict. Don’t let my slightly negative review turn you away from this place – as it is a cute and authentic Italian eatery that is perfect for couples to come and have a hearty meal after a long day – however you will need to order the more expensive meals on the menu for real value, and don’t even consider their buns!

Date Night At Dockside

Hello everyone, how are we?? It has been a god damn MINUTE since I’ve made a blog post, but Uni is over for this trimester and I no longer have to feel bad about choosing blogging over assignments! It’s been a blooming busy time, and I have been to so many places that I’ve been dying to blog about – but we gotta prioritise the places I’ve been, and holy moly did I have some incredible eats last Thursday that I NEED to tell you about. So, everybody knows that GrabOne can come up crops with their deals once in a while, and whilst doing my usual trawl, a voucher for Dockside worth $70 of food for only $35 popped up on my screen. The deal was way too good to miss; so being the loving girlfriend I am, I sneakily bought it as a surprise date for my boyfriend and me.

The surprise worked! He totally didn’t guess it but was super stoked when we waltzed up to the doors, because we both knew we were in for a good feed (even better that it was half price!). We were seated right by the window looking out onto Wellingtons beautiful city and docks, which created the perfect date night ambience – cheers dockside staff! Feeling a little bit fancy, we both decided to ditch the beer bottles and treat ourselves to a glass of wine to have with our meal – who says students can’t be classy? It was now time to choose our main courses and I’m not joking when I say I think I left a bit of drool on the menu… each dish made my mouth water! After a long hard struggle, I went for their salmon, mussel and potato chowder served with house-made ciabatta, and my boyfriend chose the pan-seared salmon with broccoli and tempura prawns.

Oh man the FLAVOURS. Kudos to the chefs at Dockside because they know their combinations! My chowder was tantalisingly creamy, filled to the brim with perfectly cooked seafood, and dark crunchy ciabatta to dunk right in to soak up every last drop. My boyfriend’s salmon was also seared to perfection, alongside crunchy veg and crispy prawns – all tied together with a curve-ball of a satay sauce – it made for an absolutely gorgeous feast. Even though the desserts sounded to-die-for, we decided to save a bit of pocket and head to enigma for a cup of tea and a huge portion of their yummy apple and berry slice – which I also highly recommend!

If you’re a GrabOne go-getter like me, or always down for a discount – I totally recommend getting your hands on these vouchers before they are all snatched up, so you can taste for yourself their fabulous food! I’m giving Dockside a well-deserved 9/10 for my experience there. Their food was beautiful, their drinks list abundant, their location is stunning, and their staff are all friendly and professional. All this made for a date night that I’ll never forget – and one that I’m pretty sure my boyfriend will find hard to top!

Hula at The Lula

I don’t know if you heard, but Ed Sheeran arrived in New Zealand a few weeks ago to conclude his ‘Divide’ tour, and as proud fans of this ginger guitar guru my Mum, my sister and I all flew up to the big smoke, Auckland, to admire his craft in the flesh. Of course, when you travel to a new city, there are three main must-do’s; explore the area, drop tonnes of money on shopping, and most importantly check out their food scene. Auckland has an incredible number of cafes, restaurants and bars that are all influenced by a variety of different cultures and cuisines – which made choosing a place to wine and dine for our Friday night dinner immensely difficult! After about an hour of trawling Zomato and other foodie platforms, we all came to an agreement to check out one of Auckland harbours hot-spots; The Lula Inn.

We didn’t really know what to expect with this place, after a few scrolls through their menu, gallery and tags on Instagram we managed to gage a vague idea of the vibe at The Lula Inn, however we completely underestimated the sheer buzz of this place. The restaurant is split into various little sections; with a dance floor and stage as you enter, an epic bar stacked with various alcohol, and then their dining area with indoor and outdoor tables. During the day I could imagine this place is a hip little lunch spot, but at night it transforms into a bustling social scene. This place gives off a South-Pacific style ambience with its botanical décor, dim mood lighting, and loud hip music; it’s a tropical dining paradise!

Since it was a girl’s night out (and mum was paying), cocktails were a must. Every time I have a cocktail, I like to try new flavours and combinations that I wouldn’t usually go for – however the possibility of getting a cocktail that I don’t like frightens me a little! All concerns aside, I crossed my fingers and ordered their ‘Golden Ivy’ rum-based tropical cocktail. A massive weight was lifted off my shoulders as I sipped this concoction, as it was mind-blowingly delicious and punchy, with a perfect mix of sweet passionfruit and sour limes – all topped off with a warm touch of white rum. Deciding on my dinner was less risky due to all the options sounding delectable, and as we had done so much pre-dining research I already had an idea of what my tummy was craving – their prawn and scampi spaghetti. I will always choose seafood above anything else on a menu, and the chef at The Lula Inn certainly did not disappoint my fishy taste buds by serving perfectly Aldante pasta smothered in a rich garlic burnt butter sauce that was laced with beautiful freshly caught prawns and scampi. This dish made my tummy and tongue want to sing ‘under the sea’ with how utterly gorgeous it tasted!

The first night in the big city with my mother and sister was made perfect by coming to this harbour-side haven. The ambiance was vibrant and loud which created the perfect environment to enjoy punchy cocktails and drool-worthy dinners. Putting my criteria to the test, I can confidently rate The Lula Inn a solid 8.8/10. With an endless drinks menu, tantalizing food menu, and a live DJ followed by a local band performing, this place created not only a cheerful and poppy atmosphere, but some exceptional dining memories. I had high hopes for the hospitality industry of Auckland from reading fellow foodie blog posts and social media updates – and my expectations were more than exceeded with the service I was given at The Lula Inn.