Wellington on a Plate Week Two
Tuesday
Lunch: The Eating House - The Eating House Big Boy Rating: 4/10
Prime Wairarapa beef mince with Kingsmeade Lansdowne gouda and pickled zucchini, with fries
The fries were truly crap. Both me and a workmate both ate a couple and then left the rest on our plates cos they were so freakishly bad. Had to request some aioli to go with the chips. The pickle was a genius idea and this burger was the closest to the concept of a wholesome greasy ham burger that I got. Unfortunately this burger was also the wettest. The bottom burger bun was soaked through by the time I got halfway through it.
Dinner: The Grill at the Amora Hotel
2 course meal:
Entree: Wild Parkvale mushroom and crayfish arrancini, turnip cream, Kapiti parmesan crisp and macadamia brown butter
The plating of this dish was more exciting than the eating unfortunately. Kinda bland and boring. The cray was a tad over cooked. We had finished watching Gantz Perfect Answer (part of the NZ Film Festival) and were feeling rather wet from the torrent of rain bucketing down. Was tempted by the french onion soup and should have gotten that!
Main: Wairarapa Prime Angus beef fillet, horseradish pomme purée, red onion confiture, honey glazed carrots and vine ripe tomato
This was a real nice piece of beef. And a really good meal. Small. Simple but morish. I was pretty full at the end of this dish.
Dessert: Chocolate and cherry tart with marinated cherries and Kapiti vanilla bean ice cream
My flatmate had the dessert. This was too rich for me. It was nice though. Glad I swapped the dessert for the entree.
The special came with a glass of wine. We only had the choice of soft drinks and juice as an alternative which was disappointing so I had to go with a glass of apple juice.
Wednesday
Was a double whammy:
Bisque on Bolton | Paua for the People Rating: 8/10
Wellington south coast paua fritter with crayfish mayonnaise and salad greens in a bap, with kumara frites
They provided a fruit chutney to go with the kumara chips (far better than potato any day cos they just have more flavour) which was okay. Dunno what was up with that. I had to request aioli to go with them. The burger was really good and hearty. Not a burger as much as a great seafood extravangza. Had this for lunch with a workmate who also appreciated paua. You wouldn't believe how few people I know who get adventurous with seafood. ^^;
Plum | Plum in a Bun Rating: 6/10
Angus beef patty with pancetta, Kapiti Kikorangi blue cheese, beetroot relish, caramelised onions and rocket in a Cottage Lane bun, with fries, tomato sauce and aioli
Was my last meal and it was a tad lackluster. Dunno if it was cos of that or not. I left a third of the burger bun on the plate when I was done. They had the choice of french fries or chunky chips. The fries were very good and I finished those. I wonder if it's because of the iced chocolate that I'd chosen...
Other places that I had planned to visit but either ran out of time or didn't get there when they were open:
Le Métropolitain | Allo Allo! Burger
Wairarapa beef and Island Bay Butchery gypsy bacon patty with Parkvale mushroom, caramelised onions, lettuce, Kapiti Te Horo Swiss cheese and tomato relish in a sesame bun, with French fries and aioli
Tried to go to this one twice - the first time only to be told they did the burger at lunch and I work near Parliament. The second time to be told they had closed for lunch.
Duke Carvell's Swan Lane Emporium | The Duke's Swine Sensation
Honey-crumbed pork belly and smoked ham hock torchon with red cabbage sauerkraut, gruyère and mustard mayonnaise on Pandoro Turkish bread
They were full on a Friday evening.
Martin Bosley's | The Crab Shack Stack
Yellow Brick Road fish cake with avocado, Harrington's bacon, tomato and lettuce, with hand-cut cheesy fries and Marty's bulldog sauce
Again - didn't have time and being way too far to travel for a lunch break. I suspect that they were too full for lunch for a burger when a friend tried to book them for dinner in the second week anyhow.
Lunch: The Eating House - The Eating House Big Boy Rating: 4/10
Prime Wairarapa beef mince with Kingsmeade Lansdowne gouda and pickled zucchini, with fries
The fries were truly crap. Both me and a workmate both ate a couple and then left the rest on our plates cos they were so freakishly bad. Had to request some aioli to go with the chips. The pickle was a genius idea and this burger was the closest to the concept of a wholesome greasy ham burger that I got. Unfortunately this burger was also the wettest. The bottom burger bun was soaked through by the time I got halfway through it.
Dinner: The Grill at the Amora Hotel
2 course meal:
Entree: Wild Parkvale mushroom and crayfish arrancini, turnip cream, Kapiti parmesan crisp and macadamia brown butter
The plating of this dish was more exciting than the eating unfortunately. Kinda bland and boring. The cray was a tad over cooked. We had finished watching Gantz Perfect Answer (part of the NZ Film Festival) and were feeling rather wet from the torrent of rain bucketing down. Was tempted by the french onion soup and should have gotten that!
Main: Wairarapa Prime Angus beef fillet, horseradish pomme purée, red onion confiture, honey glazed carrots and vine ripe tomato
This was a real nice piece of beef. And a really good meal. Small. Simple but morish. I was pretty full at the end of this dish.
Dessert: Chocolate and cherry tart with marinated cherries and Kapiti vanilla bean ice cream
My flatmate had the dessert. This was too rich for me. It was nice though. Glad I swapped the dessert for the entree.
The special came with a glass of wine. We only had the choice of soft drinks and juice as an alternative which was disappointing so I had to go with a glass of apple juice.
Wednesday
Was a double whammy:
Bisque on Bolton | Paua for the People Rating: 8/10
Wellington south coast paua fritter with crayfish mayonnaise and salad greens in a bap, with kumara frites
They provided a fruit chutney to go with the kumara chips (far better than potato any day cos they just have more flavour) which was okay. Dunno what was up with that. I had to request aioli to go with them. The burger was really good and hearty. Not a burger as much as a great seafood extravangza. Had this for lunch with a workmate who also appreciated paua. You wouldn't believe how few people I know who get adventurous with seafood. ^^;
Plum | Plum in a Bun Rating: 6/10
Angus beef patty with pancetta, Kapiti Kikorangi blue cheese, beetroot relish, caramelised onions and rocket in a Cottage Lane bun, with fries, tomato sauce and aioli
Was my last meal and it was a tad lackluster. Dunno if it was cos of that or not. I left a third of the burger bun on the plate when I was done. They had the choice of french fries or chunky chips. The fries were very good and I finished those. I wonder if it's because of the iced chocolate that I'd chosen...
Other places that I had planned to visit but either ran out of time or didn't get there when they were open:
Le Métropolitain | Allo Allo! Burger
Wairarapa beef and Island Bay Butchery gypsy bacon patty with Parkvale mushroom, caramelised onions, lettuce, Kapiti Te Horo Swiss cheese and tomato relish in a sesame bun, with French fries and aioli
Tried to go to this one twice - the first time only to be told they did the burger at lunch and I work near Parliament. The second time to be told they had closed for lunch.
Duke Carvell's Swan Lane Emporium | The Duke's Swine Sensation
Honey-crumbed pork belly and smoked ham hock torchon with red cabbage sauerkraut, gruyère and mustard mayonnaise on Pandoro Turkish bread
They were full on a Friday evening.
Martin Bosley's | The Crab Shack Stack
Yellow Brick Road fish cake with avocado, Harrington's bacon, tomato and lettuce, with hand-cut cheesy fries and Marty's bulldog sauce
Again - didn't have time and being way too far to travel for a lunch break. I suspect that they were too full for lunch for a burger when a friend tried to book them for dinner in the second week anyhow.