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.

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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.

Krishna – Converted by The Curry

What do you think when you hear Krishna? During university – whenever I heard that name I just thought of weird yoga with free food, people on the street silently ushering me to sign up to a new religion, and the heckin’ crazy loud & busy cafeteria at Vic Uni’s Pipitea campus – if you don’t know what I’m talking about, think of the Mean Girls wild animals cafeteria scene, but with Law Students involved. These kinda thoughts and feelings towards these food providers made me avoid their unbelievably cheap student eats – which after Monday’s trip to Kelburn Kampus Krishna (I had to Kardashian the ‘Campus’ – not even sorry) – I knew was a BIG mistake.

A few weeks ago, Krishna hit me up on the ‘gram and asked if I would like to try their new Kelburn campus eatery’s menu, and pushing aside any student-me speculations, I channeled my inner foodie and excitedly accepted – then I channeled the inner stalked and conducted a hardcore Insta stalk. Honestly – their old food truck must’ve been holding them back, because 3 years ago all I saw was cheap curry and rice, and now I’m seeing people eat raw slices, vegan sausage rolls, lasagna – you name it, they’ve made it vegan and are serving it up HOT!

Have you ever been back to your High School once you’re well graduated and felt like a parent? That’s how it felt walking right back into the Kelburn Campus – even though I’ve only finished Uni 6 months ago, but that weird too-old-for-this-kinda-Kirk-lecture didn’t stop me from skipping up to the brand-spanking new Krishna Café for a true vegan banquet.

Like I mentioned before, I thought Krishna only made curry, but since their menu had now tripled in size – Krishna treated me to the works! I was super lucky in being able to try their signature curry rice salad & dessert, their vegan sausage roll, a raw snickers bar, and both their soda and lassi drinks – so you can damn sure say I was more stuffed than a turkey on Christmas after that lot!

Let’s start with their customer-fave curry. This dish is the literal EPITOME of student deal – it’s cheap ($6), its massive (the whole plate was overflowing), and its bloody delicious. I’ve never seen lettuce served with curry before, but boy does it work well together! 1/3 of the dish was salad, so whilst getting a massive tasty portion you’re also getting some good nutrients from the greens. For those who don’t know Krishna, they also serve this little dessert/pudding ball thing alongside the curry – which I have a new hack for that you students out there will want to hear. I found this pudding a little stodgy and flavourless (which I understand because its hard and costly to make things healthy & vegan) and thought to myself, “this pudding NEEDS sauce”. So, you bet it – I poured that mango lassi all over that bad boy, and it worked flavour wonders!

Next, we have their vegan sausage roll. Sausage rolls are my true love in life – so I set the bar pretty high, especially for a vegan one. After one bite of that blisteringly hot roll, I was pretty much sold on their vegan diet. I don’t know how they did it, but they made that sausage roll taste more hearty, spicy, and delicious than most sausage rolls I’ve ever tasted. Mad kudos to you Krishna.

Last but DEFINITELY not least, I tried their raw snickers slice. I’m not a mad fan of snickers in the first place, as I’m not much of a fan of peanuts, and expected a stodgy, pea-nutty kinda thing – but instead I was met with a chocolatey, not pea-nutty but other nutty, texture-packed slice, that I easily finished off (and nearly licked the plate along with it).

Vic Uni students, I’m jealous of you. Every day you have the opportunity to get filled up with fresh vegan food for as little as $6 – how good is that?? Being a super poor Uni student myself who struggled to make ends meet, and only ate out once in a blue moon – Krishna is a true legend for allowing people who struggle with cash flow like I did, to actually get their forks stuck into hearty food, that’s hearty, vegan, nutritious, and WON’T set you back into the negatives. An 8/10 for the food – but I think fellow alumni and current students can agree 11/10 on the price and incentives.

Food As Good As Gold(ie)?

If you live in Wellington, then you know there has been a huge stir in the Asian food market within our streets – with Hey Bread, Bubble tea, and even more Asian food stalls opening where our beloved overpriced dairies used to sit. But there is one Asian-American fusion food hub that has sparked attention from Wellingtonians far and wide by its Kawaii culture, bountiful bubble teas, and freakishly long fries – that place being Goldie’s.

Now, I’m not a massive fan of bubble fad – whether it be tea of waffles – BUT If I said I didn’t dribble a little at the sight of their hotdogs and ‘longest chips in town’ on my Insta feed, I’d be lying. After seeing foodie upon foodie taste test this place out and rave about its new and edgy but cute take on Asian-American cuisine, I knew I had to unbuckle my belt and head there to see what the food-fuss was really all about. What my experience at Goldie’s was, you ask? Let’s just say I left with some opinions and an uncomfortably full tummy.

I arrived here with my hopes-and-hunger levels high, and basically ran with excitement right up to the counter to place my order of 2 hotdogs, a portion of ‘the longest chips in town’, and a few 6 Barrell Sodas to wash it all down. The interior is wicked – with a light and airy composition that’s been levelled up with pops of colour from neon signs, bubble lights, and crazy feature walls. While waiting for our food we were serenaded with a fire selection of Frank Oceans finest tunes – making me even more excited and anxious to snack on their famous snags. After no time at all, our food was placed in front of us and mirrored that of every single Instagram image I’d seen – It was the perfect picture of a hearty cheat meal. But then we took a bite, and all that hype went down like a fart in a spacesuit.  

Let’s start on ‘longest chips in town’. We ordered them with kewpie mayo and seaweed salt, which I think is an awesome take on regular chip seasoning. Were they long? Yes. Were they tasty? Yes. Were they also pretty damn greasy and under sauced? Unfortunately – yes again. The top chips were perfectly sauced and tasted awesome, but when that layer was eaten, it revealed semi-soggy chips with zero sauce. And when THAT layer was eaten, it revealed the pattern on the table as the amount of grease had turned the paper see-through.

Next, the famous Goldie hotdogs. We ordered their Kimchi Dog and Ebi dog. I didn’t really feel like cheating on my pescatarian diet, so got that sausage veganized, but of course insisted the shrimp stay, because tempura shrimp is the best darn deep-fried crustacean. With a hotdog, you need a good long dog to fill that bun so at no point will you get a bite of just bread – however the veggie sausages were too short and too slim, so every bite was about 75% bread and only 25% sausage, making every mouthful a little stodgy.

Finally – I gotta’ touch on their serving of the soda. I’m a big fan of mason jars, so seeing it served in that with paper straws got my inner Pinterest fangirl going – but where was the flavour?? I was expecting a punch of citrus from my orange and dandelion concoction, but instead I got the equivalent of a washed down soda stream.

So, all in all, a pretty average dining experience at Goldie’s – for what they have in killer kawaii style, they lack in flavour and substance. I have to hand it to Goldie’s for their success in back-packing off the bubble food trend – but my question is, how long will that food fad last? And will they then serve mediocre hot dogs and chips, competing against the likes of Lucky’s and Burger Fuel? Even though Goldie is blessed by nearly every bubble tea/waffle lover I know – I’m afraid I’m going to have to give them a below-par CCL score of 4/10. I really hope they up the flavour consistency of their food, as if their hotdogs and chips were as good as what I’ve heard their waffles and tea are – then Wellington’s got themselves a banger (pun intended) of a hotdog hub.

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!

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?).

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.