Circus Circus

Circus Circus (447 Mt Eden Road) And a carnival themed cafe it is. Large, loud and festive, Circus Circus may seem small when you first walk in, but not dissimilar to a circus tent, it is deceptive and enormous inside. You’ll be greeted by a tall skinny cabinet, filled with large slices of a variety…

XuXu Dumpling Bar

XuXu Dumpling Bar (Corner of Galway and Commerce Streets) Talk about a secret little hideaway. This place is in such a central location, yet it is such an easy place to miss. Right across the road from the Britomart Train Station, it makes for not just a delicious stop, but a convenient stop – especially…

Cafe Hanoi

Cafe Hanoi (Commerce Street) Cafe Hanoi is in a great location; tucked away in the Excelsior Building right down in the heart of Britomart. It’s extremely inconspicuous; it would be too easy to walk straight past and not realise you had done so, if not for the Cafe Hanoi sign on the front door. It’s…

Genghis Khan Mongolian BBQ

Genghis Khan (25 Majoribanks St) Genghis Khan is one of those places that I had always wondered about, as I’d walk past it frequently on my way up Mount Victoria. It was seemingly mysterious, tucked halfway up the hill and having never really had Mongolian BBQ before I wasn’t sure what to expect. Upon entering,…

La Bella Italia

La Bella Italia (10 Nevis Street, Petone) Yum, yum, yum, this place has the goods! People had told me that it was a good place to visit out in Petone, but I never really paid any attention until we spontaneously decided to go. This place is seriously awesome! It was like a big Italian warehouse,…

Jano Bistro

Jano Bistro is somewhere I have only been twice, and both occasions have been for Wellington on a Plate. After they were shortlisted as a finalist last year (and eventually going on to win the Festival Dish award) we really wanted to eat there and were so delighted with our meal that I couldn’t wait…

Wellington on a Plate 2017

Wellington on a Plate 2017: boy that sure rolled around fast. This year, my focus was more on burgers than the events, although I did make a trip to Jano to experience their Dine Menu (as the Festival Dish winners last year, it felt rude not to!). Below is a brief summary of the eight…

Rata

Rata (43 Ballarat Street, Queenstown) Over the last year or so, I have developed a real appreciation for fine dining. I love the opportunity to eat food that I know has been put together by people with the knowledge and flair needed to create really interesting and well balanced food. Good chefs have a knack…

Bastardo

Bastardo (82 Tory Street) Replacing what used to be Pan De Muerto, Bastardo is brought to us by the same people behind Cicio Cacio and is just as delicious. The place aims for an Italian-American theme, and manages to pull it off beautifully. All of the wait staff are foreign, which only adds to the ambience. The…

Pork Chops with Roasted Apples and Brussel Sprouts

Come Sunday evening, and I usually feel like is some delicious home-cooked food and a movie. Pork chops is something that I remember not favouring during my childhood, but after being gifted a bunch of free meat, I felt this was a perfect opportunity to actually experiment with pork chops. The recipe is extremely easy,…