The Recollection Diaries: Italy

My recollection Strongest memory: On one of our last days in Florence, my family all had independent activities planned. The others were doing various day trips, but Andy and I wanted to stay local and do something relaxing. We packed a picnic blanket, our sketchbooks (to clarify, I’m not an artist and the occasions on which…

Review: Terra Mia

  We smelt this place before we could see it, and it was pretty hard to go past once we had got that whiff. We opened the door for a peek, and were greeted by a series of ‘Ciaos!’ and a wonderful cabinet display of sweet and savoury pastries and cakes. There is a wide…

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,…

Gili Trawangan

Getting to Gili T (as it’s more fondly known) is pretty easy, even if it feels time consuming. Most places you visit in Bali assume that visiting the Gili islands will be on your itinerary somewhere, and can suggest, and even organise, your means of transport. Our hostel in Canggu organised ours. It was pretty…

Sal’s Pizzeria

I got told my life was going to change when Sal’s made its way to Wellington; well it has, and I’m not sure that did. Sal’s claims to have authentic New York style pizza, which may be right, but it’s certainly doughy and cheesy and greasy, so you have to be in the absolute right…

Danger Danger

Danger Danger (132 Courtenay Place) Danger Danger is a retro-themed bar on Courtenay Place. Bordering on tacky, but with a certain charm about it, by day it serves up jugs, pizza and burgers and by night it turns into more of a club. Slightly unattractive is the stench of alcohol that hits you as you…

Pipi Cafe

Pipi Cafe (16 Joll Road) Pipi Cafe in Havelock North would have to be one of the most iconic spots that the village has to offer. When it first opened I remember thinking it’s bright pink decor was a bit of an eye-sore, but over time it has certainly grown on me and most over…

Gili Trawangan

A tourist destination as popular as Gili Trawangan usually means one of two things: lots of incredible food (survival of the fittest and all that) and lots of tourist scams. Unsurprisingly we got both, despite our best efforts to avoid the latter. Fortunately, we stumbled onto some real crackers very early on, so we always…

Tripoli Bistro

Tripoli Bistro (452 Queen Street, Masterton) Masterton has always been a town that we pass through on the way to or from HB and Wellington, but one that I have never really paid much attention to in terms of food. Over the years our stop-offs for food have evolved from McDonalds to Turkish to Pizza……

Fratelli

Fratelli (15 Blair Street) This place caught my attention during Wellington On a Plate 2016. It received some absolutely glowing reviews, and I was baffled because I live just down the road and could have sworn that I had never noticed this place. I made it my mission to go, and together with a group…