Cinta Malaysian Kitchen

Cinta on Manners Street has been mentioned to me by three people lately as really good, so I made an effort to truck on down and see for myself.

We went for mid-week date night (Wednesday) and the place was very busy, with a number of bigger groups (methinks Vic University graduates each brandishing their own bottle of wine to continue their graduation day celebrations), so we lucked into the only (just vacated) space available.

To be honest, although my lemon chicken was clean, fresh and crisp (and I enjoyed it), his beef koong po was reported as a bit salty and slightly chewy.  So not super-outstanding.

However the helpings are generous, and the prices cheap ($10-$12 per main, $6 for a perfectly pleasant glass of wine), so I can see why it potentially rates well.

The setting is very simple and plain, but the service respectful and efficient.

Given I quite like a little ambience when I’m dining (other than that provided by nearby big groups), I’d potentially come here for takeaways more than a dine-in experience, as there are other cheapies in places life Leftbank, or tucked around Victoria, or around Allen and Blair, which have have a bit more ambience going on as well for that all round experience.

1/119 Manners Street

 

 

Ombra

The Italian word for shadow/shade (as in come into the shade for replenishment after a hard day’s work).

On the corner of Cuba and Vivian, Ombra has gone into the refurbished and earthquaked site previously home to Peaches and Cream, with a warm open environment, rustic decor and pretty leadlights (have a read of this Word on the Street post for the background).

Like most places recently, the concept is sharing and tasting, small and large plates. However, unlike many others, Ombra has the price point right ($5-$18 and $7 – $9 for desserts), so you can try a number of things and go home without emptying your wallet.  Four of us averaged $28 per head and felt sufficiently sated (although of course, drink prices are always another matter!), as well has having tried a number of new taste experiences.

And like the latest in the Auckland scene, there’s no booking here, just turn up, enjoy a drink and beginnings at the bar, and a table will present in due course.  A growing concept in the hospo trade to turn tables over without wasted ‘reserved’ time, keep the prices down and volumes up, and accommodate guests better while waiting.

Of highlight for me – the pizettes, arancini our way, polenta and birds that got away (traditionally done with illegal birds, but on this occasion veal wrapped in sage, slivered pork cheek, then veal again), and honey saffron panacotta with biscotti.

I was also impressed with the bathrooms (style and care), and enjoyed sitting at the bar watching the kitchen staff cooking right in front of us (no pressure) – a great way to drool in advance!

The only off-note of the night was our waiter at the end opening a discussion by saying ‘we don’t want to rush you, but with the number of people waiting….’ and then a flustered back-pedal about bringing the bill to help us out when realising it sounded a bit abrupt.  As it was I’d just been up and paid, as one is aware of others waiting, but a nicer opening would just have been ‘if there’s nothing else you’d like folks, I could bring you the bill?….  To this point the service had been very good, so I’ll forgive for now.

I’m scheduled there for a weekend brunch soon, so it’ll be interesting to see how the morning experience stacks up.

Definitely worth a visit, and be prepared to enjoy a drink at the bar with a starting nibble while it unfolds around you.

Trust me, it will mean an overall more memorable experience.

199 Cuba Street.

 

Zeta on Tory

So Zeta is the sixth letter of the greek alphabet (apparently) and also supposedly means olive.

The new Zeta restaurant in Tory Street doesn’t match either of those things, instead being slightly Asian influenced (seafood chowder scented with lemongrass, green tea in the dessert menu, green tea noodles and miso appearing in the mains), but with a generous helping of NZ native herbs and spices throughout (as marketed – Pacific Rim with a touch of native NZ herbs and spices), and a slightly kiwi dessert menu (pavlova, strawberry ice…).

The food was well cooked and presented, and appealing overall.  Although a little steep in price at $15-$18 for most entrees, and $28 – $40 for mains, for a venue that didn’t offer anything too exciting in terms of decor or mood (and a reasonably strong aroma of gas on arrival that must be coming from the kitchen as the heating didn’t look like gas).

My kumara soup with rewana croutons was good consistency and tasty, and the poussin (roasted young chicken filled with ginger lentils, baby vegetables and garnished with minted ribbon cucumber) had a pleasant earthy taste and was very flavourful (yay for poisson!).  Although the lentils didn’t have a distinct ginger flavour, they were still the key ingredient in melding flavours and textures, and the minted cucumber ribbons were excellent.

His free range chicken brochette with native horopito, forest berry viniagrette and spicy piripiri peanut sauce entree was very pleasant (a notch up on just pleasant!) and the steak was well cooked and plated, but again may have been a little subtle in the accompanying flavours (candied red beets and kawakawa leaves finished with smoked garlic, bacon and portobello mushroom compote), with a little less texture variation to offset.

The house wine was pleasant (Montana), and service friendly and efficient.

The overall feeling was a little hotelish, and that may be because they’re in the bottom of the Central City Hotel Apartments complex, and that’s who part of their business is aimed at (in-room service).

So would I go back?  Yes for the food.  But not necessarily in a hurry or regularly, given the price and slight sterility of environment.

70 Tory Street, Wellington

Brooklyn Bread and Bagels

I don’t get to Brooklyn Bread and Bagels as often as I’d like (opposite end of town), but I’m never disappointed when I do.

Right up there with the best for their delicious cabinet food, I had a menu savoury french toast this morning, which was appealingly stacked, and very pleasant.  And had bacon that actually tasted like bacon.

BBB do Flight coffee and you can take away delicious breads for home later (highly convenient!).  And there’s a variety of seating including the footpath spots (sunny), large high sharing tables (also sunny when the floor to ceiling doors are open) and interior (cooler) spots for those who prefer.  Perfect for fine days, but nice and toasty when not.

Also if you need to entertain children (not me thankfully!), there’s a corner of play things to aid the cause.

You can read here of their history, connection to Dixon Street Deli, and reason for the name.

Should I ever get to live in this part of town, BBB will definitely be one of my regular pleasures.

29 College Street.  7 days.

 

 

Prefab, the post-script

Further to my previous post about Prefab, I’ve now been three times and do recommend a visit if you’re in the neighbourhood.

The only disappointment was three strike-outs on the brioche, blueberry and ricotta dish I’d spied on the menu the first time (and might have had a little salivary anticipation of).  The first time (1pm on a Saturday) there was none available, the second time (7.30am on a weekday) the brioche wasn’t ready yet, and the third time (10am on a Saturday) it was gone from the menu.

So french toast it was (and very pleasant too I might add).  As previously noted, there’s no frilly or fussy here, just simple and sincere in a friendly environment.  For $10, I expected one piece, so two (which I could hardly eat all of) was extremely good value for money.  Soft on the inside, crispy on the outside – perfectly done (in my humble opinion!).

I did have coffee this time, and enjoyed its smoothness, with him indoors noting an almost citrus tone to his long black (which pleased).

He also noted the details that make an interesting place – the funkiness of the main central ceiling fan (you’ll have to go looksee for yourself), the thick serviettes and teaspoons, and all the wait girls being very well groomed with matching red lippie. Followed by some musings about price points and cost models (as you do over breakfast!).

Do check out the bathrooms too when you visit. Nicely done, and (more importantly) a good indication of the overall standards of a place.

14 Jessie Street, Wellington

 

 

 

 

A Wharekauhau long lunch

For a luxurious experience without the need for a second mortgage, a long Sunday lunch at Wharekauhau is a feast for all the senses.

A three course lunch with glass of Te Kairanga sauvignon blanc (swapped for a delicious Te Kairanga 2005 off-dry Riesling after a to-die-for Lustaw Pedro Xenemez sweet sherry starter for her, and followed by an Awatere Pinot Noir well matched to the beef for him),
complimentary salmon amuse bouche, quality settings and service, in a private dining room overlooking Palliser Bay, was $105 each after the entertainment card discount (the starting point was $110 each before extra wines and discount).

Compared to many dinners in Wellington recently with smaller courses,
shorter timeframes and not dissimilar costs, it stands head and shoulders above as value for money.

The wines were all of excellent quality, with the Foleys (owners) having ownership in Te Kairanga and Vavasour, and those wines featuring prominently beside a nice range of other NZ and Californian wines.  I see in the media recently the Foleys are looking to acquire a few more Marlborough vineyards to add to the stable.

The menu provided three choices for each course, focused on locally grown or caught, and seasonal – their own vegetables, beef and lamb; Palliser Bay octopus and snapper.  The soup (butternut pumpkin, apple, parsnip with fresh horseradish) was crisp and refreshing, the lamb (roasted, with coffee, eggplant and jus) was tender, and the creme brûlée (vanilla with shortbread) rich and filling.

We also scored a complimentary cheese board by virtue of some mix-up in the kitchen.  Again, very good quality and well presented (and no dinner required for us that night!).

We were invited to explore the lodge and surrounds (indoor covered pool with bathrooms of elegance, fully equipped gymnasium, all weather tennis court, groomed croquet and petanque lawn, shady and pleasant pathways) and did so between mains and dessert (good suggestion!).

The lodge has a number of upstairs rooms for games, reading, leisure and socialising, all with different moods and decor, so one could easily find a spot that resonated.

Oh, and year on year on year lamb and beef award winners. What more can one say?

Three hours of feeding the senses for a delicious birthday treat -simply divine.

Turn south down Western Lake Road at the southern end of Featherston, and keep going for about 40km.

Floradita’s finesse

Rather than just popping in with tour guests for a quick taster (Zest Food Tours of New Zealand), I finally got in to enjoy lunch with friends at Flo’s.

Among six of us we had fish pie with watercress and lemon; fresh ham off the bone with poached eggs and hollandaise on toast; grated courgette, mint, ricotta and parmesan frittata with microgreen salad; baked ricotta, radish, cherry tomato and tarragon salad with rosemary slipper bread; roasted aubergine, mint and paprika risotto with herbed creme fraiche; and a specially-requested potato and bacon hash plagiarised from a couple of other dishes (which they were happy to knock together).

Sound delicious?  Yep, it was.

Good service?  As always.

A level of finesse not found at other nearby places charging the same?  Yep again.

(Having said all that, you’d need to pick your dishes to fill up hungry teenagers here, or be prepared to go through several plates.)

Tis why they’re always heaving at the seams and do very little advertising.

Off course some of us had planned well to leave room for ‘dessert’ (Flo’s famed baking, for which they win awards), and had a delightful time with chocolate cake and fig/almond tart, while others finished off with another coffee (Supreme).

Wonderful food and fine friends at one of Cuba’s institutions, what more could a girl ask?

161 Cuba Street

Ancestral yakitori

Finally I’ve managed to get my butt on the lovely warm concrete seats in the Ancestral courtyard (very cool, err warm) and try out their yakitori offerings.

Because I’d been drinking elsewhere beforehand I didn’t imbibe, but did count 37 wines by the glass, 8 sakes, a big range of whisk(e)ys, and several chinese teas for two (without even getting to their cocktail list). Phew!

We chose about six plates between the two of us, which turned out to be about right, including beef, lamb, chicken, mushrooms, eggplant/peppers and seaweed salad (highly recommended by a waitress to a friend previously).

Not convinced the seaweed salad was anything to write home about, but the skewers were all tender, flavourful and well presented.

Part of the fun of eating this way is the theatre of someone cooking near you, and the fun of trying many things.

Ancestral certainly have a polished system, with friendly staff, and even though it was only midweek, the courtyard was full.

The only thing I disliked was the smokers at the very next table puffing away, which does taint the whole dining experience.

Although I’ve personally found the indoor restaurant at Ancestral overpriced and underwhelming (and heard the same again from someone else recently), the yakitori value and delivery is about right.

Also for males, I’m told they should go check out the bathrooms – pitch black and a little eerie – although not so much for the ladies who experience varying shades of white and cream.

31-33 Courtenay Place

C G R Merchant and Co

The replacement Hooch.  Now C G R (Coffee, Gin, Rum) Merchant and Co upstairs on Courtenay.

As you can imagine, coffee, gin and rum are the focus of this bar, with the cocktail list divided into gin and rum creations of the week (although they offer to turn their hand to any other kind of cocktail if those aren’t to your liking).

I had a gin fixer (spirits, no mixers) and he had a rum fizz (spirits with mixers).  Mine was a lovely orangey number (strong but pleasant sipping) and his had a vanilla tone with milder taste (and probably all the more dangerous for that!).

They infuse all their own gin and rum syrups, so there’s an interesting array of jars and ingredients apothecary-style behind the bar.

I won’t repeat what was said in the Word on the Street article, but thinking about the Rum Diaries isn’t too far wrong.  I definitely went away thinking English, Indian and colonists.

The coffees include a Vietnamese egg coffee (apparently rum, coffee and condensed milk), something I shall definitely try next time, and a variety of Kenyan, Ethopian and Nicaraguan cold coffee infusions.  I note they open 10am to midnight weekdays (from 5pm Saturdays), so you can get your weekday coffee fix should one of these brews become a must-have in your world.  Might be interesting to pop in during the daytime to see how much following they’ve actually got.

I also noticed from their facebook page that they have Gipsy Kitchen deli fare.  Delishimo!  (Especially the rhubarb and caramel scones if you can ever get your mitts on one of those).

The evening we were there we partook of their goat cheese, honey and pear brushetta (nicely done), and noted a pea puree and ricotta brushetta, aged cheddar / pickle or beef / aged cheddar grilled sammies, and house baked beans (an intriguing bar offering), so the food aspect is suitably covered.

The only criticism I had on our visit (6pmish on a weekday evening) was the music being too loud for conversing.  As always with new places, I’ll see how a second or third visit goes down.

But so far, this really looks like another interesting gem tucked away in Welly.

46 Courtenay Place.

Rock Yard Vietnamese, Allen Street

And so we have another Vietnamese in Wellington.  And not bad it is either.

Rock Yard is found down Allen Street in one of those ubiquitous spaces that all look/feel the same, but they have managed to make their establishment feel modern and sharp with sleek black and white. (There is some incongruity though with blue flashing neon on entry above the water feature – although on reflection, Vietnam does have a mix of tradition and new flashing neon in the bigger centres.)

The food here is fresh and crisp, the staff friendly, and the set up has been done well (despite the blue flashing neon!).

The small plates include options like water fern cake, chicken ham, summer (cold rice wrapped) or deep fried spring rolls, and (on the night we were there anyway) a tripe dish, which no-one was quite game to try. And they were all quite sizeable for small plates.

The big plates include options like pho (one of the best I’ve had in Wellington), crispy vietnamese pancake (remarked as needing a bit more salt to enhance flavour), spicy lemongrass chicken (conversely reasonably spicy), prawn salad etc.  Next time I’m going to try the Vietnamese braised fish in claypot to see how that stacks up.

They also promote their range of cocktails as being creative, so I might just have to check them out next time too (simply in the interests of research you understand). And you can ring and order take-out too.  Nice.

For a cheap, cheerful and fresh dinner in a pleasant setting, Rock Yard would definitely pop into my head (even though there was a fire alarm on the night we went and we had to enjoy our dinner in two stages!).

18 Allen Street