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    • Dining behind bars
      • Author: Georgia Munn In August last year, I was lucky enough to attend the Visa WOAP legacy event that is Rimutaka Prison Gate to Plate. I’d wanted to go to this event for years but never managed to snag a ticket, so this was a rather exciting occasion for me. My Gate to Plate experience didn’t meet my expectations. It far surpassed them. This event is about so much more than just food – although the food was flawless. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance for many of us to go into a working prison, to hear from the men who are inside and see their incredible efforts to train in a new industry and develop their skills. After plenty of delicious food prepared by the prisoners under the mentorship of Martin Bosley and guest chefs Amy Gillies (Salty Pidgin) and Chetan Pagnam (One80), I admit I shed a tear or two when these men got up to speak. Their stories and the confidence they had developed during the programme blew me away, and I left feeling profoundly affected. Going to Rimutaka Prison Gate to Plate gave me so much perspective on what else this festival is really about – food as a medium for change and community. Others who have struggled to secure tickets for years will be thrilled to hear that this year, the event will be run by a ballot system. Opportunities to buy tickets (held in August during Visa WOAP 2017) will be randomly selected from a ballot, so it won’t be just about who has the fastest mouse click on the day. I’m so excited that more people will have the opportunity to dine behind bars this year, so I had a yarn with mentor and legend Martin Bosley about what he has planned for this year and how the programme has affected his life and the lives of the prisoners involved. Tell me about the team you’re working with in 2017 “This year we’ve got Kristan Mulcahy from Dillinger’s and James Pask from Whitebait on board as guest chefs. We work in the prison to develop and refine the menu from May. Kristan found his first visit a very eye-opening and confronting experience, as chefs have in the past, as a lot of people have never been into a prison before. “It’s staggering that we’re in year five. The team of prisoners this year involves some men who have been with the team since year one, plus some who are new to the programme. The reason why there are some vacancies is because three men who were involved are now out working in the community in hospitality roles, which is an amazing result. “The prisoners who are new to the programme bring a unique perspective. They have a humbling naivete when it comes to food, and ask some great questions because they have no filter. This combines with the experience of the returning prisoners to create some really exciting new ideas – they’re keen to make kombucha this year! In May we all sat down and worked out the nuts and bolts of the menu, and the men have ideas they’re keen to get started on straight away.” What do members of the public experience at this event? “The Prison Gate to Plate programme creates a huge amount of change. For these prisoners, it’s a way to improve their self-esteem and self-confidence while giving them important skills and training. It’s a chance for them to interact with the general public who they normally wouldn’t come into contact with, and break down some of those barriers and fears on both sides of that equation. “The event itself gives the public a chance to hear from prisoners first hand, especially on their fears and worries around their release. These men are getting out, and we all have to get our heads around that, but the best way to stop a man going back to jail is to give him a job. Of course they need to serve their sentences, but we need to give them that next step in their rehabilitation, as well as a chance to prove themselves when they’re back in the community. “After the meal, there’s a chance for the public to hear from and chat to the prisoners involved. Last year, a member of the public asked one of them “what’s the first thing you’re going to cook when you get out of here?” He said he didn’t know – that he hadn’t had a choice in what he got to eat in 18 years.” What are the benefits for the prisoners who get involved in this programme? “The programme isn’t just about the event itself – it goes much deeper than that. Rimutaka is a working prison, and this is an educational programme that is about developing skills for prisoners to take with them when they leave prison. And we are seeing those results. “There are men who served long sentences, were involved in the programme and are now working in hospo, supporting their families and contributing to the community. The benefits are quite extraordinary. “We are actually seeing men from within the prison system all over the country applying for transfers because they want to take part in the programme. There’s a lot of interest in this course. “Prison Gate to Plate isn’t like any other dinner. It’s not just three courses. It’s not just a novelty. It’s a meal that has profound impacts on the people who attend and the prisoners.” What do you think about the move to a ballot system for tickets this year? “I’m hoping this means people stop asking me to get tickets for them!” Tickets to this incredibly popular event (held in August during Visa WOAP 2017) will be allocated via a ballot system. The ballot will open 5pm, Tues 6 June and close 13 June. Check back here to register. The post Dining behind bars appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Crunching the numbers
      • Author: Georgia Munn When my friends who live in other cities and countries ask me what Visa Wellington On a Plate is, it can be a little hard to describe. It’s like Christmas but it lasts 17 times as long? It’s literally the best thing about the generally miserable month of August? It’s the reason I never have any money left come September? It’s two weeks of dizzying highs, wine matches, belt-loosening, excessive cheersing of glasses and forgetting how to cook for myself? If you’ve never been to the festival (or even if you have), it may seem overwhelming, and that’s because Visa WOAP is even more huge than most people think. To add a little awe to your day, here’s a few top line figures that are a little more saucy than your average stats: 82,000 The Burger Wellington platform is a total behemoth that sees Wellington’s eateries and food trucks competing for burger supremacy, and 82,000 is the frankly ridiculous number of burgers scoffed during last year’s Festival. Not bad for 17 days eh? 9.59 That’s what CoCo at the Roxy’s Cocktail Wellington entry’s average score was out of 10. That’s a pretty universally-loved cocktail, but would you expect anything less from mixologist magician Ray Letoa? Let’s see who takes on Ray this year. 127 Festival Events are a huge part of Visa WOAP – these are your ticketed feasts, workshops, degustations, banquets, classes and talks. In 2016 there were 127 unique events (many of which have multiple sessions). Tickets go on sale 19 June and the most popular can sell out in minutes. 19 It’s awesome to see Welly’s food trucks making their mark on the festival. 19 food trucks toured the region across 8 nights for last year’s Food Truck Rally, with an average of 15 different trucks per location. 14,000 Beervana is without a doubt a highlight of Visa WOAP – it’s an absolute must-do for beer geeks, fairweather beer fans or even people who don’t know their hops from their malt. In 2016, 14,000 litres of beer were consumed across the four sessions. I probably consumed about 1000 of those litres myself. 3 There are 3 Festival Awards to keep in mind during your eating odyssey this August: Best Festival Dish (part of the Dine Wellington set menus presented by Wellington Wine Country), Best Burger (part of Burger Wellington, presented by Garage Project) and Best Cocktail (part of Cocktail Wellington). When dining and imbibing, don’t forget to rate those Festival Dishes/cocktails/burgers out of 10 right here on VisaWOAP.com 72 That’s how many pages this year’s programme guide is. It’s sort of like a gripping novella exploring all your wildest foodie fantasies. Get your highlighters, Post-it notes and group chats ready. 5000 In last year’s Doughnut Pop-up, 5000 doughnuts were enjoyed over the festival. That is a lot of delicious cream filling. I hear that this year will see an exciting new pop-up, so keep an eye out. 34 Assuming you go out for both lunch and dinner every day during Visa WOAP, you could fit in 34 meals out across the festival. That doesn’t include pre- and post-dinner forays into Cocktail Wellington, plus the occasional Pop Up visit for snacks on either side of meals. And trust me, you won’t be hungry for breakfast. 12 That’s the number of days until the programme is launched – you’ll get to see it at 5pm on Tuesday 6 June at VisaWOAP.com. Start crossing the days off your calendar. The post Crunching the numbers appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Build a Burger Welly
      • This year, we welcome Husk as a new restaurant to the Visa WOAP family, with a delicious Dine Wellington set menu and, for the first time ever, we’re crowd sourcing their Garage Project Burger Wellington entry via our Facebook page. That’s right, you, the punter get to help design a Burger Welly entry – and can taste it in all its glory come 11-27 August. Over 7 rounds, you’ll have the choice of 4 ingredients to vote on (using Facebook ‘reactions’). We’ll also list the build of the burger so far, so you can vote accordingly (you know, so you don’t accidentally pair an octopus patty with satay sauce…) Voting for each round will be open for 3 days, before no new votes will be counted and we determine the ingredients for the next round with Husk’s chef. However – after the last round, we won’t announce the final winning ingredient or the final full Burger Welly entry. You’ll have to wait until the full VWOAP programme is announced, 6 June at 5pm. What and how do I win? Simply vote by using the relevant Facebook reaction for your ingredient of choice (as shown in the image), and tag a friend in the comments (for one round or all 7 – the more rounds you participate in, the more chances to win!). For each round that you vote and tag a friend, you’ll go into the draw to win the following prize pack: (1) a Garage Project merchandise pack, (2) a $100 Husk voucher and (3) if you’re lucky enough to be in Welly, a preview of the burger at Husk in August for you and 3 friends. VIP! For full terms and conditions, please click here. Voting open: The rounds 4-6 April Round 1 – bun. 7-9 April Round 2 – patty/protein 11-13 April Round 3 – cheese 14-16 April Round 4 – salad ingredients 18-20 April Round 5 – sauce 21-23 April Round 6 – Garage Project Beer match 25-27 April Round 7 – touch of magic BONUS: name the burger in the comments during this round, and if we like it $100 worth of burger welly’s is yours! 6 June, 5pm Husk’s Burger Welly entry confirmed – alongside the full 2017 VWOAP programme of events, menus, burgers and cocktails. The post Build a Burger Welly appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • The 2017 Festival Awards
      • You all know and love the Burger Wellington competition (much love to Garage Project for making this happen). You know, that one that runs throughout the Festival and you can score every single burger (and beer) you demolish out of 10 to determine the top 5? From over 100 burgers? This year we’re changing things up and there will be three Festival Awards, all following the same awards format: Best Festival Dish  Best Burger Best Cocktail Every time you try a restaurants Festival Dish (main course as part of Dine Wellington), cocktail and tapas offer or burger (and beer match) creation, score it out of 10 on our site, YOU help determine the five finalists and the eventual winners and go in the draw to win some sweet prizes! They’ll all be gunning for 10/10’s so get ready to enjoy some out of this world taste sensations come Visa WOAP (11-27 August). How it will work: Fri 11 Aug, 10am: scoring opens online  Thurs 24 Aug, 12 midnight: scoring closes  Fri 25 Aug: the five finalists plus a consumer winner for each category announced Sat 26 & Sun 27 Aug: your chance to taste the finalists (or any of the great offers) PLUS our panel of judges will be out mystery tasting Thurs 31 Aug: the 2017 Festival Awards evening where all finalists will cook-off, mix-off and plate-off one last time. The judging criteria: Best Burger Best Cocktail Best Festival Dish 20%: the final average score from the public 15%: service (such as knowledge of staff, timeliness – judged during mystery tasting) 15%: presentation (judged during mystery tasting) 15%: use of local ingredients (judged during mystery tasting) 5%: beer matching (judged during mystery tasting) 5%: tapas matching (judged during mystery tasting) 5%: local beverage matching (judged during mystery tasting) 5%: relation to the festival theme (judged during mystery tasting) 25%: taste (judged at Festival Awards night) More info to come soon. Keep an eye out on Tuesday 6 June when all the Dine, Burger and Cocktail Wellington offers will be revealed on visawoap.com. Plus for the first time ever, the programme guide can be in your hot little hands the very next day, from Wednesday 7 June. Want to win a $100 voucher to Jano, 2016’s Best Festival Dish winner to get in the mood? Enter here. The post The 2017 Festival Awards appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Three Wellington products you should be eating
      • Welcome back to the Visa WOAP blog! This year joining our usual blogger Chris is the beer lovin’, cheese eatin’ lass, Georgia. Having worked on the Festival in the past, she knows the ins and outs to bring you even more behind the scenes action. Her first task was sampling a bunch of local products, and giving you the lowdown on how you can enjoy them too… Author: Georgia Munn The Visa Welly On a Plate (VWOAP) Supplier Showcase is where the region’s best producers and suppliers schmooze with food industry insiders and show off their delicious foodstuffs. It’s the ideal time for Wellington chefs and bartenders to discover new ingredients and get inspiration for their VWOAP menus, which have to be signed, sealed and delivered on 20 February. I was lucky enough to be invited along to this year’s Supplier Showcase and sup upon many a local treat, and even discovered a few new favourites. But don’t worry, guys. I know I am preaching to the culinary choir here. There are some Wellington superstar producers we all know and love – I’m not about to tell you to put Fix & Fogg peanut butter on your toast, to try Zany Zeus chili feta on your help-I-can’t-afford-a-house smashed avocado breakfast, or suggest you visit a little brewery named Garage Project. Instead, are a few new discoveries that have converted me into a loyal customer: Trade Secret coffee concentrates Corban Halcrow, who is pretty into motorbikes, founded Trade Secret as a spinoff of family business Kapiti Coffee Company, which he runs with his dad Warwick. He uses cold brew methods to create concentrated, aged coffee that is incredibly flavoursome, and can be used to create a quality morning brew at home without faffing around pulverising beans with a grinder or spending up large on an espresso machine. It’s kind of like instant coffee for the caffeine cognoscenti – super accessible and remarkably delicious for something which is actually as simple as ‘just add water’. I’ve fallen in love with the ‘Chopper’ Guatemala blend, with its chocolatey and earthy flavours, which is aged for four months before being bottled. Add a little to some hot water and – if you’re a fellow dairy fiend – a splash of milk and it’s a perfectly balanced coffee with only as much effort as making a cup of gumboot tea. Corban believes in having less but buying better quality products, and it shows in his business, with its stylish branding and minimal packaging. He especially recommends the liquid coffee concentrates for late in the night at parties when the allure of wine and beer has worn off, saying they’re amazing served with some vodka, frozen grapes and dark chocolate. I’ll take his word for it, but I reckon they’d make a mean espresso martini too, or an easy affogato drizzled over some Wooden Spoon vanilla ice cream. Trade Secret coffee is available from their website, as well as literally off the back of Corban’s truck at the Paraparaumu Beach Market on Saturday mornings. Kingsmeade Artisan Cheese robiolino and stracchino cheeses I’ve had a soft spot for Kingsmeade cheese since my parents went on a horse trek in Cambodia a few years ago and were charmed to find out that their guide was a lovely young Kiwi woman whose parents produced sheep’s cheese in the Wairarapa. Those parents would be Janet and Miles King, the talented duo who founded Kingsmeade Artisan Cheese about 20, and have expanded from a flock of 60 in 1998, when sheep’s milk cheese was considered quite unusual, to around 200 now. Their ewe’s and cow’s milk cheeses are all miraculous, and barely a cheeseboard goes by in my life without their buttery Sunset Blue on it. I was rather excited to see two new products from Kingsmeade at this year’s Supplier Showcase – ribiolino and stracchino. These are both fresh Italian-style cow’s milk cheeses which are made in Masterton with no preservatives. I’d never seen either of these styles in New Zealand before. The robiolino is a firm little round of cheese with a tangy and delicate flavour, which looks like pressed ricotta in the pottle. I devoured it drizzled with Lot 8 olive oil and fresh parsley, spread over my homemade sourdough. Kingsmeade cheesemaker Roberto Ribichesu recommends the stracchino, which is very young, soft and spreadable, stirred through pasta with pesto and fresh vegetables or used on a pizza without a tomato base. It’d be brilliant in a caprese salad in place of mozarella too. Miles King says these two cheeses are too new to even have proper labels, but they are available from Ontrays in Petone for those who can’t wait. FINZ hazelnuts My love of locally-grown nuts developed fairly recently when I tried the macadamias that my fella’s family grow on their market garden and was gobsmacked by how flavoursome and fatty they were by comparison to the chalky and bland imported nuts generally found here. FINZ have been around for three years processing hazelnuts grown around the lower North Island, but I tried them for the first time at the Supplier Showcase. Husband and wife duo John and Geraldine Findlay work with local growers to process hazelnuts into a variety of products, including the magical hazelnut butter that is made from stone-ground hazelnuts without any added sugar, salt or oils – it just doesn’t need anything else. This simple product has a super rich flavour and texture, and I’m fantasising about slathering it on a slab of brioche. Their chocolate nut butters are perfect for those with a sweet tooth, with all the indulgence of Nutella but ten times tastier. I also sampled their delightful dukkah, which John assures me is brilliant on baked zucchini with olive oil. You can also buy their plain, savoury or sweet nuts for baking and cooking – trust me, it’s well worth it to seek them out over imported nuts. The post Three Wellington products you should be eating appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • About last week…
      • My final week of Visa Wellington On a Plate did not go as planned. With all my careful planning and mapping of the best routes between eateries, I never once expected that I’d be hospitalised for two nights for a smorgasbord of tests and procedures. I won’t bore or disgust you with the details (I feel queasy just thinking about them myself), but suffice to say I had to settle for vicariously enjoying the last days of VWOAP from a hospital bed through social media. My planned appearance at the WORD Christchurch Festival, something else I’d been very much looking forward to for months, also had to be cancelled at the last minute. I had to listen to my body and take a backseat from all the fun. But all was not lost – when I was discharged, my doctor gave me the OK to attend one final event. So, on Saturday night, my parents and I headed out to Porirua for Mint by Dai and Dal, former My Kitchen Rules contestants and two of the most welcoming hosts I encountered during VWOAP. We enjoyed a sumptuous three-course dinner that brought together Laos and New Zealand flavours and celebrated suppliers from the local community – beautiful squid ink bao stuffed with beef brisket and finished with a sweet and spicy tom khem glaze; a tender pork tenderloin larb with a delicious pork and tamarind broth; and a refreshing mint ice cream dessert with a hand-rolled sesame cone, chocolate ganache and chocolate crumb. Dai and Dal’s passion for sharing great food was evident throughout the night, and the event reflected their desire to show the role food plays in bringing people together. When I booked the tickets for this event back in June, they were a pre-emptive “apology” to my parents for potentially not seeing them for many weeks while I busied myself with the Film Festival and VWOAP. But on that Saturday night, with my parents sitting across the table from me, it felt more than just any old excuse to take them out. It brought home the importance of the social aspect of sharing a meal with people you love – especially when they’ve stuck by your side on some of the scariest, most uncertain days of your life. Over the last few months, I’ve spent a lot of time with friends (old and new) and awesome hard-working people from Wellington’s hospitality sector, eating, drinking and talking about what makes our cool little capital such a hotspot for foodies. Like my blogging stint last year, this is what made VWOAP such a thrilling experience for me – getting to meet like-minded people who are passionate about great food. Whether it was the Burger Wellington Cook-Off – where seasoned burger battlers went up against excited newcomers – or circling the stadium meeting beaming brewers at Beervana, I’ve seen over and over again the addictive energy of not just a thriving and successful industry but a welcoming and collaborative community. I hope you’ve enjoyed following my VWOAP adventure this year. Thanks for reading and sharing my posts! Much love and respect to everyone who took time out of their busy schedules to speak to/feed/water me. To the stellar VWOAP crew – thanks again for having me back on board as an honorary member of the team. If Wellingtonians knew just half of what goes into making VWOAP such a success they’d understand why the VWOAP crew all deserve keys to the city – if that’s still a thing – or a celebratory street parade. (Which mayoral candidate can make this happen?). And with that, it’s time for me to sign off for another year. Until we meet again – eat, drink and be Welly! The post About last week… appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Bun fight of the century
      • Author: Chris Tse. If Visa Wellington on a Plate has taught me anything, it’s that burgers are serious business in Wellington. In this city, we don’t want none unless you’ve got buns, hun. Every year, we anxiously await the announcement of the Burger Wellington finalists to see whether our favourites made it through. I tasted 17 of this year’s burgers (though admittedly I had the luxury of a head start), but only three of those made it through to the finals. What pushed the others over the line into Top 5 territory? Was my FOMO going to kick into overdrive yet again for having missed out on one of The Burger’s of The Year? Seventeen days of burger mania came to a head tonight at Le Cordon Bleu, as the eight finalists gathered to dish up their burgers for the final judging. The public’s scoring determined the five finalists for Best Burger and Best Burger + Beer Match. Two finalists, Apache and Little Beer Quarter, had two chances to walk away with a title. This year’s judges, tasked with the all-important responsibility of crowning our champions, were Laura Greenfield of Field & Green, Chef Francis Motta of Le Cordon Bleu, and Chris Maiyaven, the lucky punter who won his place at the judging table by eating and scoring his way through Burger Wellington. The judges would be looking closely at each burger’s appearance, flavour, innovation and the inclusion of Wellington ingredients. VWOAP Festival Director Sarah Meikle kicked things off by running through how the evening would work. Photographers and a news crew scrambled to get into prime position to record all the action. A pointed silence descended on the room as the finalists filed into the kitchen to set up, game faces on. Like I said – serious business. Friends and supporters were on hand to observe from behind the glass partitions, drinking Garage Project beer as they watched the finalists cook, as is the Kiwi way.  It was like watching a controlled experiment behind a one-way mirror, or a less shouty version of Hell’s Kitchen. The polite smattering of applause as each burger was presented punctuated the simmering atmosphere. First off the burger line was Hippopotamus’ Sweet As Burger, a mind-bending dessert burger that looks just like a meat burger – chocolate parfait, raspberry jelly, fruit gels and crème fraiche make for convincing substitutes. Would starting with dessert put them in the judges’ good books? Our sole food truck finalist was Nanny’s Food Truck with Mark 2.0, a solid beef and lamb burger sandwiched between two doughnuts. This monster of a burger oozed flavour – literally – leaving my fingers coated with chipotle sauce. Our third burger of the evening also took an unconventional bun approach. Beach Road Deli’s Pizza Burger Burger Pizza lived up to its name, stacking beef, cheese, onion rings and a zingy horseradish crème ricotta between two mini pizzas. This odd couple burger brought together the best of both worlds, and the results were flat-out amazing. Up next was Apache’s Bang Bang Burger. This beautifully presented burger featured lemongrass chicken, mango and a chili, lime and coconut mayonnaise. With just one bite I could see why this was one of the most-talked-about during VWOAP –the flavours were fresh and expertly balanced, with the mango giving that extra kick of fruity sweetness. Bang bang…this burger shot me down! Garage Project’s Death From Above was the matching beer. For the Reinheitsburger, Little Beer Quarter took traditional brewing guidelines and incorporated them into the various components of the burger, from IPA infused-cheese to a malted barley bun. There’s no denying that this burger is intimidating in both size and flavour. Little Beer Quarter clearly know their beers and their burgers, and chose to match this delicious morsel with Garage Project’s spiky Pernicious Weed. Last year’s Best Burger + Beer Match winners Laundry return to the finals this year with their Sumatran Steak Burger, inspired by the food and beer encountered during a surfing trip to Indonesia. Tender braised steak with Sumatran spices brought lots of warm, comforting flavour. Laundry’s beer match of choice this year was Garage Project’s Hakituri. Louis Sergeant’s Le Canard Du Roy was by far the richest burger of the night, with duck confit and duck liver parfait, prune chutney and a truffle mayonnaise. This was a burger to be savoured, ideally with Garage Project Aro Noir to wash it all down. Finally, last year’s Best Burger champions Egmont Street Eatery served up the Sichuan Two-tooth, a mutton patty with a spiky Sichuan sauce and pickled celery wrapped in a bao bun. Like all great Sichuan dishes, this burger brought hot and sour together, delivering a surprising end to the night’s taste testing. And with that, our judges disappeared into a private room to deliberate, emerging 21 minutes later to make their announcements to a waiting crowd. Drumroll! Garage Project’s Jos Ruffell presented the Best Burger + Beer Match trophy to a very jubilant Laundry crew, who took it out for the second year in a row. Finally, Laura Greenfield had the honour of awarding Best Burger to Apache for their terrific Bang Bang Burger. Congratulations, Apache! A well-deserved winner indeed. If you missed out on these burgers, don’t despair, some of them will be hanging around for a little longer. Hippopotamus, Nanny’s Food Truck, Apache, Laundry, Egmont Street Eatery and Louis Sergeant will all keep their burgers on their menus for a limited time, so drop in while you can! The post Bun fight of the century appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • An IPA so authentic, you could build your own empire with it.
      • Author: Garage Project. When you’re matching a beer with an Indian menu that is this authentic, it has to be Pukka alright. Field & Green is just one year old but already a recipient of a ‘hat’ in the Cuisine Good Food Awards. They’ve recreated Dak Bungalow, a hybrid Anglo-Indian cuisine first created for the British travellers in government guesthouses along the ‘dak’ (mail) route. To accompany such adventurous cuisine our Pukka India Pale Ale couldn’t be more genuine. The original IPA’s were brewed to mature and improve on the long sea journey to the colonists in India. So while not quite a six-month journey, we did place our Pukka beer on a boat. No, not on some ‘Boaty McBoatface’ type boat, but on ‘The Lizzie”, which happens to be the oldest surviving racing yacht built in Wellington. Then we sent it on a rollicking journey around Wellington Harbour. Why not indeed? One sip and you’ll feel like colonising somewhere yourself. The post An IPA so authentic, you could build your own empire with it. appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Keep rollin’ and wobblin’
      • Author: Chris Tse. There’s less than a week left of Visa Wellington On a Plate, so it’s munch and crunch time. Which burgers and cocktails do you really, really want to fit in before Sunday? Are there any events you’ve been putting off? With so much still to happen, VWOAP has saved some of the best for last. Let’s have a look at some of the ways to indulge this week. I, along with thousands of other Wellingtonians, popped along to the first night of the Food Truck Rally on Saturday night. The options were overwhelming, and many international cuisines were on offer: Mexican, Indian, Indonesian, Greek, Thai, Malaysian, Moroccan, Hungarian…a veritable feast on wheels! You’ll find something to meet every hunger pang and craving, whether it’s tacos, mee goreng, satay, souvlaki or (if you’re not sick of them by now) even more burgers. One excited foodie told me that she wanted to get something from each food truck, and that she and her friends might have to resort to following the rally around this week so they can get a chance to taste everything. Sounds like a legit plan to me. As well as some local favourites – including The Greek Food Truck, Eat Street and Tom’s Chimney Cakes – there were a few out-of-towners like legendary Auckland food truck The Lucky Taco and newbies. Christchurch’s The Dukes of Sandwich has now relocated to Wellington and is sure to be a regular fixture around town with its mouth-watering selection of gourmet sandwiches and sliders. Co-owner Rob Gilbert says that he’s looking forward to becoming part of the local food truck scene. We’re glad to have you in the ‘hood, Rob! The rally will be making stops throughout the greater Wellington region this week, so be sure to check out the schedule and roster to find out who will be rolling into your hood with their tasty treats. One of the more curious VWOAP events this year is The Jelly Archive: A Rather Curious Collection of Colour, which consists of a free exhibition and a series of interactive Mad Labs. The exhibition, which runs from Tuesday to Sunday, is a celebration of all things jelly: vintage moulds, recipes, personal memories and some dazzling jelly sculptures. It’s set up to resemble a Victorian banquet dessert table and plays homage to historic appreciation of jelly as being ornate and decorative. Pop in to check out the evolution of the humble jelly mould, from early hand-carved incarnations to more contemporary metallic versions. Jessica Mentis set up Mentis Studios in 2015 to bring together her training as an architect and her love of food. She wanted to do something that allowed her draw from her experience working in theater, set design and exhibitions. That’s when she basically created a new job to encompass her interests – Jellyologist. The wobbly creations that come out of Mentis Studio aren’t anything like the jelly of our childhoods – the Studio’s bespoke creations are pure art. Some of the more unusual jelly projects that Jessica has helped bring to life include recreating Fight Club soap as jelly, and moulding fish head delicacies for cats as part of an SPCA charity drive. She hopes that the exhibition and the Mad Labs help to change people’s expectations of food and the design possibilities of jelly. It’s been a learning experience for Jessica and her fellow jellyologists as they grapple with jelly’s unpredictable nature. Whereas chefs teach themselves to harness the power of jelly to hold flavour, Jessica has been more interested in its structural and aesthetic possibilities, approaching it more like a designer than a chef. The Mad Labs are your chance to get jiggy with it by creating your own personalised mould to take home and designing a secret recipe custom jelly blend. This is where chemistry and art class meet as gastronomic alchemy. You’ll create a custom flavour by combining different flavour profiles from a selection that includes granny smith apple, feijoa, sage and toffee, among others. Everything you need to make your own delicious jelly creations will be given to you to take home, including instructions and gelatin sheets. You better be ready for this jelly! After drawing in crowds during the first week of VWOAP, Nam D’s Pop-Up Hawker Stall returns for another three nights this week. Each night will feature a different menu that showcases regional Vietnamese street food: Wednesday is Grill Night, with barbecued meats on sticks. There’s grilled prawns served with a rice noodle salad, five-spice beef wrapped in Betel leaves (these are fantastic!) and Vietnamese marinated pork, which is a popular traditional dish. On Thursday you can get your phở fix with your choice of three warming noodle soups: ox tail, beef balls, or keep it classic with rare slices of beef. Finally, Friday will celebrate some delicious rice-based dishes, including caramelised salmon, five spice braised beef and egg, and a vegetarian curry. A selection of favourites will be available each night, like crispy spring rolls, homemade mooncakes for the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival, desserts (I recommend the black sticky rice) and a selection of refreshing mocktails. Nam D founder and self-proclaimed “Queen of Banh Mi” Nikki Chung says events like VWOAP are an opportunity to introduce Wellingtonians to other kinds of Vietnamese street food beyond the usual Nam D offerings. Nam D has been at the forefront of popularising banh mi in Wellington for the last two and half years ago and is constantly working on potential new flavours and fillings. While VWOAP has kept Nikki and her team busy, she’s also been overseeing the completion of a third Nam D store, which is on track to open on The Terrace in early September. This incarnation of Nam D will also have a fresh juice and coffee bar. Until then, get your Vietnamese street food fix at the pop-up stall – you won’t be disappointed! Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger. The post Keep rollin’ and wobblin’ appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • My Visa Wellington On a Plate experience
      • Author: Lucy Revill. This weekend I was privileged enough to have the opportunity to be the Visa Wellington On a Plate social media reporter for the weekend. Yes, that meant that Welly On a Plate were handing all their social media accounts – Twitter, Instagram and Facebook – over to me. The opportunity came about due to an exciting competition that was part of the VWOAP Festival which I entered not long after the launch in June. I run a blog about Wellington (theresidents.co.nz) so I thought I might have some of the skills that were required for this job – and let’s be honest – I was really excited about eating lots and lots of food. When I found out I’d won, I was stoked – and my boyfriend, Matt even more so. Fast forward to the 19th of August, I began my weekend of eating by heading down to Gelissimo for their Festival Event, Five Flavours of Fun. There we tried 5 flavours of ice cream – I chose the local artisan collaborations, with brands like Libertine Teas and Lot 8 Olive oil adding their flavours to ice cream. Matt chose the Kiwi Dinner flavoured variety – with roast chicken, peas, carrots, beetroot and hokey pokey ice-cream flavours no less. Around 5, we drove down the road to the Bolton Hotel, where we would be staying for the weekend. Staying in a hotel was hands down one of my favourite things about the weekend because Matt and I hadn’t ever actually done so since we’d been dating. After arriving and getting changed, we headed on down to the Nam D Pop Up Hawker Stall to try some amazing fragrant Vietnamese Food. This was Matt’s pick of the three days of eating. After, we walked to Fork and Brewer where we enjoyed their Dine Wellington Menu – I ordered the Fish Cakes and Matt ordered chicken. We had a beer, a wine, and then the hugest slab of chocolate cake I’ve ever seen! We finished up our day at The Library bar where we tried some incredible cocktails – the Clouds Over Wellington one was particularly memorable with spicy chilli blowing our minds and our mouths. The next day we ambled downstairs at the Bolton for breakfast before heading out to L’Affare’s newly opened roastery in Mount Cook. There we were treated to some fab single origin coffee and sweet french pastry by French Can Can. We then went and ate a burger at The Lido cafe & bar and tried one of the Garage Project Festival brews, Lola. The Lido’s Burger Wellington After a quick pit-stop at my parents to visit their dog, we headed down to the Food Truck Rally at Odlins Plaza. I was especially excited to try The Lucky Taco who had driven down from Auckland and visit my all time fav – The Greek Food Truck. Crowds at The Wellington Food Truck Rally But there was no rest for the now-incredibly-full-but-not-actually-wicked. We hot-footed it up to C.G.R Merchant on Courtenay Place to try their B.G.R by C.G.R Cocktail Wellington offer. We got our timetable a bit mixed up, so ended up at Match Wine Bar, an incredible Pop Up at Noble Rot (which had been re-scheduled for Sunday afternoon – but by this stage we were thinking – what the heck?!) drinking champagne and guzzling oysters. I’m not gonna lie – this was my favourite thing of the weekend, even though we were huddled into the corner of the bar. We tumbled into bed at the Bolton and quickly fell asleep. The next morning, we went down to breakfast and I was very excited to discover that Annabel Langbein was also staying in out hotel (well – that’s actually hardly surprising) after she asked Matt where the plates were. We went back upstairs, got ready to go and I made my way to Plum on Cuba Street. The Dine menu at Plum was seriously good and one I would recommend to those who think of Plum as a cafe more than a restaurant. The next stop was the Good Bitches Baking #BakingitBetter mystery box judging at the St James where I observed the ‘Good Bitches’ scoring cakes and all sorts of entries. All the while I was Tweeting, Instagramming and Facebooking up a storm. Finally, after going home briefly for some much needed R&R, Matt and I went to the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school for the first in the ‘Southern Soul Series’ – yes, at last I would see Annabel again! Annabel Langbein and Chef William Dissen, a Southern Chef, both cooked up a storm before our eyes, preparing a twist on Southern Cooking. It was very interesting to see two such acclaimed cooks/chef’s side by side. Their rapport was easy and their event was something I would definitely recommend – especially because we got to eat the dish at the end! My weekend at the Festival as the social media reporter was amazing. I had such an incredible time getting to truly immerse myself in the VWOAP experience. It was also much more challenging that I had experienced, constantly having to be on social media. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed myself and everything I ate. Thank you to the Visa Welly On a Plate team for sending me on this incredible adventure! Lucy won the VWOAP Social Media Reporter competition. She runs her own blog in her own time theresidents.co.nz and is a Wellingtonian born and bred.  The post My Visa Wellington On a Plate experience appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • It’s that time of year. Burger Wellington time.
      • Author: Pete Gillespie form Garage Project We love Burger Wellington. For us it’s one of the best events in the Capital’s packed culinary calendar. That’s a bold claim but we think it’s justified. Just on a purely visceral level burgers are flat out yummy. They generally involve caramelized meat of some kind, perhaps some melted cheese, soft bread, awesome sauce and they often like to hang out with fried potatoes. Maybe it’s just me but I think this reads like a checklist for comfort eating. So what could be better than the opportunity to waddle around Wellington in gluttonous celebration of this most iconic of fast food forms? But the pleasure of Burger Wellington runs deeper than just sanctioned gastronomic excess. It’s also a collision of high and lowbrow. It’s the high end made humble and the humble made high end. It’s a bit cheeky and irreverent. By the very nature of the event it can never take itself too seriously. It levels the playing field and always, always produces surprises. It messes with convention and blurs boundaries, and above all it’s fun. We like fun and so four years ago we started the Beer and Burger Match – because the only thing that could possibly elevate the burger experience to another level is to add a can of beer. The idea is simple, we offer a range of beers to competing venues for them to match with their burgers, and the best match wins. This year’s venues can choose from a range of our standard Garage brews which includes Orange Sunshine, Hapi Daze, Beer, Hops on Pointe, Pils ’n’ Thrills, Garagista, Angry Peaches, Death from Above, Pernicious Weed and Aro Noir. But over the four years that we have been involved in Burger Wellington it’s also become a tradition for us to offer a range of new beers for venues to use in their burger matches. This year we have three new offerings fresh in the can for anyone taking part in the Burger Challenge. First up is Hakituri Pilsner, our first ever organic beer. The name refers to Hakituri, the spirit guardians of the forest in Maori mythology. The beer is brewed with 100% organic malts and organic Motueka, Wai-iti and Taiheke. If you haven’t heard of Taiheke before that is because until very recently it was known as New Zealand Cascade. The fact is that hops grown in New Zealand take on their own particular character making them different from those grown overseas, so there is good reason to rename a hop like this to acknowledge this different character. Taiheke means falling water or rapids, which is a nice nod to Cascade. Hakituri is a clean, crisp pilsner with subtle tropical fruit and fresh grassy, citrus hop notes. It’s a cleaner and more subtle hop character than some of our previous Burger Challenge beers, but that snappy bitterness and fresh hop notes should stack up well against even the richest burger. This year we also have some more challenging offerings for the more adventurous chefs. It is after all a Burger Challenge, not a Burger Cakewalk. The first of these adventurous brews is Persephone – which just for the record is pronounced  “per-seh-fə-nee”, not “per-seh-fone”, so not like “you used to call me on your Persephone”. In Greek mythology, Persephone, was abducted by Hades, lord of the underworld. Eventually freed she was forced to return every year to Hades’ kingdom after eating a single pomegranate seed from the underworld. Her passage from earth to the underworld and her return the following year is said to bring about the changes in the seasons. It’s a cool story and a very classical inspiration for what is definitely not a ‘classical’ beer. Persephone is brewed with a saison yeast, pomegranate molasses and juice, pepper, bitter orange and grapefruit peel and reduced balsamic vinegar. It’s definitely among some of the more unusual flavour combinations we’ve tried but it works, with a whip crack tart character and complexity that definitely won’t be overshadowed by any of the big flavours on offer. Inspiration for our last Burger Challenge offerings this year is a classic of a very different sort. You know the line “I met her in a club down in North Soho, Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola”. Allow me to introduce Lola, cherry cola black lager. With a name inspired by the Kinks’ gender bending classic, this beer is also a nod to the fact that Cola, rather than beer, might claim to be the classic burger companion. The result is a boundary blurring beer that boasts one of the longest list of ingredients we’ve ever used. In addition to the usual malt and hops, Lola also contains cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, bitter orange peel, lemon peel, lavender, lime, vanilla, sour cherries and last, but definitely not least, ethically sourced kola nut extract, kindly sourced by the good people at Karma Cola. The result is Lola, a kinky, whimsical, boundary bending little mind fuck of a beer which should leave you asking… what is it? The answer of course is does it really matter if it feels this good? The post It’s that time of year. Burger Wellington time. appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Shake your cocktail feather
      • Author: Chris Tse. We’re coming up to the mid-way point of Visa Wellington On a Plate and already there’s been big love for burgers, events and Dine Wellington dishes that have got Wellingtonians raving. In the words of noted singer of song Celine Dion, these are special times. But let’s turn to something that most of you know is dear to my heart – cocktails. I’d like to raise a glass to all the great bartenders and mix masters shaking and stirring their way through this year’s VWOAP Cocktail Wellington challenge. Cocktail Wellington is a great way to start or finish a night out. Grab something light and refreshing before you head off to dinner or an event, or pick one of the sweeter drink and tapas matches as a nightcap. Remember to enjoy responsibly by checking how many standard drinks are in your cocktail. Also, don’t forget that it’s up to you to vote for the winning drink, so jump on CocktailWellington.com to rate each one you have – there are 41 on offer! Hippopotamus – The Black Pearl For a sweet and sour delight, set sail for Hippopotamus to try The Black Pearl, featuring Smoke and Oakum’s Gunpowder Rum, Six Barrel Soda Co’s cherry and pomegranate syrup and Mela apple juice. This is a lovely refreshing drink with well-balanced flavours and every pirate’s favourite rum to give a fiery finish. It’s accompanied by a croustillant (a rolled pastry filled with goat cheese) and olives. Granted, I’ll eat anything stuffed with cheese, but this crispy little treat is in a class of its own – incredibly moreish and, by packing a savoury hit, a good contrast to the more subdued sweetness and tang of the drink. Hummingbird Hummingbird has taken the classic corpse reviver cocktail, traditionally drunk as a hangover “cure”, and added a new spin to it with the Gorse Reviver. Two of the most popular corpse reviver variations (#1 and #2) are brought together in Hummingbird’s version – Lighthouse Gin, Calvados, Cocchi Americano, a housemade gorse flower gomme, lemon juice, egg white and house-blended bitters. The use of gomme syrup (made with foraged gorse flowers) helps to give the drink a velvety smooth texture. There’s a hint of spice and some earthy floral notes, but the resulting drink is crisp with a long sour finish. If you’re a fan of gin sours, this will have you humming. The drink is accompanied by one of the best tapas matches I’ve had – succulent pork belly, apple praline curd, pineapple, and fennel ferment (think kimchi, but made with fennel). Every single component of the tapas match stood out with their distinct flavours – it could’ve been overwhelming to have salty pork, sweet caramelly curd, and spicy fennel all on one plate, but it all comes together wonderfully. And this is where the drink gets an opportunity to really shine – it acts as a harmoniser by cutting through all the big flavours of the tapas. Little bursts of anise flavour in the fennel complement the floral gorse notes of the cocktail. Matterhorn Matterhorn’s Dine Wellington menu is 100% vegetarian this year, so for contrast they’ve gone in a meaty direction for their Cocktail Wellington and tapas pairing, A Regional Tale. The starting point was the tapas: bone marrow fudge rolled in dehydrated ox tail with roasted almonds and limoncello sherbert. Yep, I did a double-take when I first read the description the programme too. The fudge is rich and buttery – sweeter than I expected – with a soft toffee-esque texture. The ox tail coating is a bit like pulverised jerky with an intense meaty flavour. I dipped the fudge in the sherbert, which helped to soften the richness of both the fudge and the ox tail. The drink was created to match the tapas. Bourbon, dessert wine, chocolate bitters, limoncello, thyme liqueur and Palliser Estate Methode Traditionnelle all add up to a tasty drink that does an excellent job of cutting through the bolder flavours of the tapas. It’s finished off with a dessert wine and thyme liqueur foam that adds a little extra body to the drink. The bourbon really comes through without being overpowering, tempered by the sweetness of the wine and the bubbles. This would make a great post-dinner drink. The Library doesn’t have a Cocktail Wellington entry, but throughout VWOAP a special Culinary Cocktails menu will be on offer with ten drinks inspired by food trends, classic flavour combinations, and local ingredients and producers. There’s also a healthy dose of punny and slightly irreverant names for good measure. A lot of effort went into sourcing and utilising the best local ingredients for each drink – there’s lemon and sage sorbet from Carrello del Gelato, L’affare coffee, Garage Project’s Cereal Milk Stout and Fix & Fogg peanut butter (the last two are used in the Smooth Hoperator, one of the more intriguing drinks on the menu). Head bartender Tobi Mikkelsen took me through the menu, which has been designed to follow the progression of a meal, from “starter” cocktails (like the sprightly raspberry and champagne combo of Party Thyme) to sweeter and punchier drinks to finish off. The menu encompasses a broad range of cocktail styles so there’s definitely something for everyone. The Library – Probably the best espresso martini ever The drinks incorporate some things you might not expect in a cocktail – like kale-infused vodka in the Thin Lizzy – and it’s this surprise that makes each drink special and unique. My favourites were More Cacao Bell (a gin chocolate martini with a dark chocolate-coated cocoa bean as a garnish), Miss Bee’Having (smooth honey flavour, floral and medicinal, but in a good way), and the modestly titled Probably The Best Espresso Martini Ever, which is topped up with a luscious saffron and vanilla meringue and is basically a meal in a glass. Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  Want to win a $100 voucher to Hippopotamus? Share some cocktails or have it all to yourself – and throw in their Burger Wellington offer too. Find us on Facebook to enter!   The post Shake your cocktail feather appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • I love cheap thrills
      • Author: Chris Tse. Getting out and about during Visa Wellington On a Plate doesn’t mean you have to throw cash around like you’re in a hip-hop music video. There are plenty of low-cost options that’ll let you stretch your VWOAP budget a little further. When it comes to Dine Wellington, a Festival Dish can be cheaper and is definitely tastier than a golden arches combo (if only they could be served at 3am for some of us…).  These folk all have a Festival Dish plus local beverage for $15: Carrello del Gelato‘s got pizza for days; Grill Meats Beer is grilling pork fillet or Coq au Vin chicken;  Kanteen have a fish finger buttie or open steak sammie; try deciding between Mishmosh‘s grilled cod or slowroasted pork; Siglo‘s got vegetarians covered; as do Southern Cross with a meatlover or vego friendly hotdog; Tequila Joe‘s serving up the chilli; Furnace‘s meatballs with sauerkraut; and Beach Road Deli have also jumped on the pizza bandwagon, plus the drive up the coast is nice. A top pick is Boat Cafe‘s 3 course dinner for $35, and there’s a whole bunch that have a Festival Dish plus beverage for $25 if you’ve got a tenner to spare. If you’re looking for a low-cost event, check these out: Don’t let your lunch slip through your hands at The Cuban Air Raid sandwich drop. Grab some authentic Argentine street food at El Matador’s Argentine Street Food Fiesta. Brewed: Tea by Tuatara brings high tea and beer together with new and classic Tuatara beers matched with delicious sweet treats (limited tickets available). Together We Grow presents a garden-to-table lunch using produce grown in a community garden at Epuni Primary School to help with food education.  And don’t forget about the pop ups! All are free entry and pay on consumption, so you won’t have to spend much at all to get yourself something to hit that hunger spot. Going down the cheap route doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice quality or experience, as these three burgers I’ve tasted prove. Eat Street are one of the food trucks that has joined this year’s Burger Wellington line-up, hard to miss in their gorgeous sky blue van and for Burger Wellington they’re serving The Crusty Crab – soft-shell crab with chilli jam, wasabi mayonnaise, lime cucumber and rocket, housed in a saffron milk bun. This burger packs in lots of fresh flavour and won’t hurt your bank account balance at just $16.00. Personally, I prefer soft-shell crabs over the harder variety – they’re the best (read: lazy) way to eat crab. No need to deal with silly tweezers here! Eat Street cook their crabs to perfection in a lightly spiced batter with a hint of lemongrass. The crab is crisp but is still firm to the bite, and it’s so fragrant and so fresh. The homemade chilli jam is sublime and adds a hint of sweetness and clean spice – it reminded me of Thai nam phrik. Lime cucumber and fresh rocket add tang and peppery zest. Eat Street – The Crusty Crab You’ll find Hillside Kitchen and Cellar tucked away on Tinakori Road. Owner and chef Asher Boote and his team draw inspiration from multicultural modern New Zealand, offering simple but stylish food in a casual and relaxed atmosphere away from the chaos of the city. You might’ve heard about the break-in they had last month when thieves took off with bacon and pork, some of the bacon had been aging for three months to be used in their burger. Although disappointing, the Hillside crew wouldn’t let this get them down. “It’s a challenge,” Asher told me, “but we were never going to let it stop us.” Hillside’s Pigesus burger (the name affectionately given to the pig on the wall of Hillside’s sibling joint The Ramen Shop) brings pork and chicken together with legendary results. There’s the aforementioned bacon (baked into a blue cheese rarebit), a slab of pork terrine, panko-crumbed katsu chicken, pickles and a Southern-style hot sauce (both house made). It’s all encased in a dinner roll that has mashed potatoes mixed into its dough to help retain moisture and give it its soft, fluffy texture. There’s a lot going on in this burger – both texture and flavour-wise – but the end result is well balanced, like eating a bánh mi. The robust terrine acts as a substitute for the pâté and is the glue that holds everything together. Special mention must be made of the hot sauce, which starts off gentle before warming up into a deeper heat. It’s the perfect foil to the hardy savoury flavours of the burger. Also, the accompanying kettle-style potato chips (also house made) are spot-on. Another seriously great burger for just $15. Hillside – Pigesus Grab yourself a helping of Greek chic with Kanteen’s vegetarian My Big Fat Greek Burger. Don’t adjust your sets – the bun really is that startling pink colour. Nestled on the ground floor of NZ Post House on Waterloo Quay, Kanteen is open to the public from Monday to Friday and was pumping when I visited with plenty of diners tucking into this excellent burger. What I like most about this burger is that the flavours of each component are distinct but still play nicely together: tender whole Parkvale mushrooms, generous slices of salty halloumi, beetroot relish for a touch of sweetness, and rocket and tomato for a clean finish. It’s a perfect lunchtime burger and great if you’re looking for a lighter meat-free alternative. And the Greek fried potatoes – oh my Zeus. They’re exceptionally moreish with a light dusting of lemon pepper and a tangy mustard dressing. Also, the $18.50 price tag gets you the burger and a cold drink (kombucha or juice)! Now that’s a deal you can write home about. Opa! Kanteen – My Big Fat Greek Other Burger Wellington entries that come in under the $20 mark include Plum’s Coq au Vin buttermilk chicken burger; Mish Mosh’s poached crayfish burger; The Ramen Shop’s Umami Burger  with a pork and beef patty and foraged seaweed; Mexico’s Guajillo Pork Torta featuring pork and cumin-spiced frijoles; Siglo’s pulled pork, and apple and beetroot chutney burger; Monterey’s Tall, Dark and Sassy smoked brisket burger with candied pork belly; Antojitos Taco Truck’s Chick N Chippie Sammich; Supply Room Kitchen’s Prawn Star burger; and Carello Del Gelato’s dessert burger. Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  WIN! We’ll help those budgets go a step further with a $100 voucher to Beach Road Deli OR Kanteen OR a double pass to Together We Grow on Sunday 27th. To be in to win, enter here. The post I love cheap thrills appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Shiny and new
      • Author: Chris Tse There’s nothing like the excitement of a new eatery or bar opening its doors for the first time. For this blog post, I spoke with the hard-working people behind three new Wellington restaurants. Two have been up and running for just a few short months, and the other has only been open for about a week. And as if setting up a new restaurant wasn’t enough work, they’re also all throwing themselves right into this year’s Visa Wellington On a Plate festivities. Overachieveing much? The second you step into Slim Davey’s Friendly Neighbourhood Saloon you’re greeted by Hank. Hank’s the silent type – maybe this is due to his upbringing in the Canadian wilderness – but he’s there every day and night to welcome visitors. Don’t be alarmed by his larger-than-life presence – Hank is, after all, a very large taxidermy bison. Hank greets you at Slim Davey’s Slim Davey’s is Mount Vic’s newest local joint, brought to you by the team behind Ortega Fish Shack (which happens to be right next door). Even if it’s your first time there, there’s a feeling of familiarity, like you’ve stepped back into an old haunt. The décor plays a big part in this.  It’s a carefully curated collection of memorabilia that took more than two and a half years to collect, with details that you might only notice on repeat visits. I was struck by just how much stuff there is to look at. When renovating the villa, a conscious effort was made to use as much recycled or reclaimed material as possible. Some of the corrugated iron sheets that line the walls were originally the roof of a house down the street. Record covers from co-owner Davey McDonald’s family members’ collections adorn another wall, and fourteen pianos and a pianola were stripped of their keys and panels for various parts of the bar. You can point at anything in the bar and it’s bound to have a story behind it. Slim Daveys Burger Welly and Cocktail Welly 2016 As for the food, a lot of care and testing has been put into delivering mouth-watering burgers and rustic dishes with a touch of sophistication. Slim Davey’s Burger Wellington entry is called Slim Pickings, but don’t let the name fool you – this spicy chicken thigh burger with kimchi, lettuce, salted cucumber and Japanese mayonnaise is fully loaded with flavour. Everything is balanced – the chicken is light but tasty, and the spice and savoury components complement each other really well. One other Burger Wellington fanatic who’s had a sneak preview told me that it’s the best burger he’s had. High praise indeed! Slim Davey’s Cocktail Wellington entry is the spiky Cactus Jane, featuring Lighthouse Gin, pineapple syrup, lemon, basil, coriander and a habanero shrub. This is a drink befitting of a saloon, with an initial tang that gives way to a spicy finish. It’s herbaceous and deeply invigorating, the type of drink you’d gratefully accept after stumbling through desert heat (not that there’s any chance of that happening in Wellington anytime soon). Five Boroughs owner Elie Assaf opened Five and Dime six weeks ago. Five and Dime’s name is a nod to old-school American variety stores (the equivalent of our $2 shops). Where Five Boroughs takes its inspiration from New York the city, Five and Dime celebrates New York’s diverse cast of residents and the influence they have on the city. Elie wants Five and Dime to be a place for everyone to enjoy fine dining in a casual setting. Elie says VWOAP is an exciting time of the year for Wellington and is an excellent opportunity to get the word out about Five and Dime’s arrival on Cuba Street: “It’s definitely the rush – the lines out the door, people wanting to get a booking – and the life that Visa Wellington On a Plate brings to restaurants. You see a lot of new faces, and you end up gaining a lot of new regulars.” A selection of Five and Dime’s Dine Wellington menu dishes Five and Dime’s menu consists of “sophisticated street food” with some items changing regularly to make the most of seasonal ingredients. For VWOAP, Elie was keen to deliver a balanced Dine Wellington menu that showcases seafood (including oysters and a tuna ceviche) and other fresh fare. Their Burger Wellington entry is a bold choice and is sure to challenge a few people – it features a Wagyu beef tartare patty with the elements of a classic cheeseburger. Because they’re not the sort of place that would usually serve burgers, Elie wanted to keep things in line with Five and Dime’s more refined style of food. When I visited Sterling last week, the place was a hive of activity with staff, tradesmen, and…models. I had stumbled into a photo shoot to showcase the soon-to-be-opened restaurant and their VWOAP dishes. Co-owner Simon Pepping (who is also behind Egmont St Eatery, last year’s Burger Wellington champs) hopes that Sterling brings some new life to the Terrace, particularly during the weekend when the suits and public servants disappear. The space has been completely renovated with a new layout and the installation of a wood fire over and a skylight that fills the restaurant with plenty of natural light. Despite still being in the final stages of construction when I visited, people had already been making reservations out of interest and intrigue. Sterling’s principles are similar to Egmont St Eatery’s but with more approachable and and traditional cuisine. Their food is simplicity done well and with a twist, which was evident in the dishes that I got to preview. Sterling’s Pork Festival Dish and Burger Welly offer 2016 With its swirls and hoops, the octopus terrine with oyster puree certainly makes an eye-catching starter. The terrine was fresh and meaty, served with tiny cubes of pickled celery and potato which were delightfully unusual and a great alternative to the citrus you’d usually have with seafood. Sterling’s crispy pork belly festival dish was superb with a thick slice of salty crackling, the best buttery mashed potato that will ever bless your plate, and tangy sweet and sour capsicum. Sterling’s wild venison burger with beetroot relish, housesmoked cheese and juniper-pickled celriac will have your tastebuds leaping with joy. It’s all held together by a punchy and very savoury secret sauce. What is it that makes secret sauces taste so good? (Answers on the back of a postcard please.) Do you deer? Cause if you do this burger will take you there – that happy place where burgers make everything OK. Sterling’s Dine Wellington octopus starter and pear tart dessert For dessert, a modest but elegantly presented pear tart rounds things off in comforting soul-soothing fashion. Toasty sweet French pastry is filled with coconut frangipane and topped with pear poached in brandy, cinnamon, star anise, cardomon and thyme. It’s accompanied by coconut ice cream and a drizzle of Love Honey honey. It was a fantastic finish to a meal that shows that Sterling are sure to be a new favourite for all Wellingtonians. Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  The post Shiny and new appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Pop Life
      • Author: Chris Tse. Everybody needs a thrill – even if it’s for the briefest of moments – and pop-ups are perfect for delivering that rush. Visa Wellington On a Plate is never short on thrills, with plenty of pop-ups and special events springing up all over the city during the festival. The Doughnut Pop-Up (12-28 August) It’s back! Last year’s festival hit had people queuing up to an hour to get their hands on some seriously scrumptious doughy morsels. This year, the Doughnut Pop-Up has a new home at Moore Wilson’s Piazza and will be open every single day during the festival from 8am until sold out. The line-up of local bakeries includes Dusted and Delicious, Sixes and Sevens, Sweet Release, Beat Kitchen, Brezelmania and Egmont Street Eatery. The doughnut is enjoying break-the-internet levels of hype right now – we’ve not seen such hysteria over a baked good since the cronut burst onto the scene. With bakers finding tantalising ways to reimagine the sweet treat, you’ll be spoiled for choice – if you’re bright and early, of course. I’m not a morning person by any stretch of the imagination, so for me to successfully drag myself out of bed to line up for anything, even doughnuts, is a minor miracle. But there I was at the pop-up on day one of VWOAP at 7.40am with other eager Wellingtonians. Dusted and Delicious had two doughnuts on offer: plum soda and almond brittle, which was filled with a dreamy vanilla bean custard, and chocolate coconut rough with a cute toasted coconut chocolate stick. Early starts get a silver lining when breakfast is so decadent! Match: Play With Your Food and Wine (12-28 August) Also making a return to VWOAP is Match. Last year’s transformer truck/pop-up wine bar was very popular, but in the spirit of VWOAP the crew behind Match have chosen to do something different this year. They’ve partnered with new Wellington wine bar and restaurant Noble Rot, who will offer platters and set menus to go with the wines on offer. More than eighty wines were tasted and vetted by Noble Rot’s award-winning sommelier Maciej Zimny, who has selected forty wines from 21 wineries to showcase during Match. Maciej has ensured that the list has broad range and balance with plenty to offer for both casual wine drinkers and connoisseurs. Several wineries are making their Match debut this year, including Dry River, Craggy Range and Te Kairanga. They join a great selection of wineries from Martinborough and the Wairarapa. “This is Wellington’s wine region. We’re your locals. Pop over to see us, or pop in to Match” says Sue McLeary of Wines from Martinborough. This is a great chance to learn more about our local wines and to get an exclusive taste of some that aren’t easily available. Sue says people should embrace the theme of “play with your food and wine” and embark on a voyage of discovery. Grabbing a tasting flight of four wines and a platter is a great way to make the most of Match. Match and Noble Rot will be open from midday to midnight, and a different winemaker will be behind the bar each day pouring drinks and on hand to talk about their wines. Bookings can be made for lunch, but not for dinner. Gelissimo’s Five Flavours of Fun (12-28 August) When I stepped into Gelissimo’s kitchen, I could smell pumpkin soup. Not entirely unusual for a kitchen – though I assumed it was the lingering aroma of someone’s lunch. Nope – a fresh pot of homemade soup was cooling, waiting to be made into gelato. As I would soon discover, this wasn’t even the strangest thing being concocted in this kitchen. Graham Joe has been making gelato and sorbet for about six years. With a penchant for experimentation, Graham has collaborated with many of Wellington’s cafes and restaurants, helping them to turn their flavour ideas into reality. Many of these have never been made available to the public – until now. For VWOAP, Graham will crack open his recipe books and reproduce some of these collaborations and other rare flavours for Gelissimo’s Five Flavours of Fun. More than 200 flavours will be on offer – about 40 are brand new, and about half are available in store to the public for the first time. These are one-offs, curiosities and exclusives, flavours designed to excite and surprise. You’ll receive a tasting platter of five flavours based on a theme (for example, the classic kiwi dinner, herbs and infusions, a chocolate best-of, vegan, gluten free, nuts… the list goes on). If none of the themed platters take your fancy, you can make up a platter of five flavours yourself. Although Graham was still plotting and testing when I visited, he did have a few unorthodox creations for me to sample. Although fruit and vege gelati shouldn’t be a substitute for your five-plus-a-day, they certainly make for a fun way to eat your greens. Minted green pea gelato tastes much better than it sounds with a light and refreshing aftertaste, and the beetroot gelato, with its stunning deep colour, was earthy and paired well with the gorgonzola gelato, one of Gelissomo’s gold medal winners. Graham’s a firm believer of making the most of fresh and local ingredients, so he’s worked with The Backbencher to create a Panhead Supercharger and preserved lemon gelato, which unsurprisingly packs a hoppy punch with a dry and bitter finish. The absolute stunner was a gelato made with Lot 8’s Cold-Pressed Yuzu Olive Oil. This was next-level luxurious – I could imagine eating this in front of a roaring fire, wrapped in a sheepskin rug while a harpist serenades me with something classical and fancy. Salt Bar (17-20 August) The thirst is real! The Garage Project crew return to VWOAP and Prefab Hall with Salt Bar. If last year’s Milk Bar was anything to go by, this is bound to be another hit. Garage Project’s Jos Ruffell says he’s excited to be back at Prefab Hall, and to be back at VWOAP for the fourth year. Salty food is beer’s best friend, and Garage Project hope to tease out food and beer matches that will allow people to experiment with salt-forward beers and refreshing ales. Garage Project classics like Umami Monster, White Mischief, and Cabbages and Kings will be available along with two brand-new brews making their debut at Salt Bar: Pineapple Luau (a pineapple, chilli and Hawaiian bamboo jade salt gose) and Dubbel Zout (a salty liquorice stout). Also up for grabs will be two takes on the everyone’s favourite salty cocktail the margarita, featuring Garage Project beers White Trash and Fringe Fruits, which will be turned into a frozen cucumber, fingerlime and mint sour slushy. The salt theme will give Prefab plenty of room to play when it comes to the food, and the menu will highlight all the different ways salt can be used in cooking. There will even be salt-themed entertainment, which I’ve been told will make sense when you see it. Georgia’s Canteen (22-26 August) Georgia’s Canteen is a collaboration between ParrotDog, Burger Liquor and the crew behind Georgia Espresso Bar. They’ll take over re.SPACE Gallery (176 Victoria Street) for five nights of cheap and cheerful winter soul food. It’s an extension of Georgia’s youth development initiative, which aims to enhance talent in Wellington’s hospitality sector by providing first-time employment to high school-aged young people. About 22 young people have been employed at the two Georgia espresso bars (the first of which was launched at last year’s VWOAP), and many of them have been placed in long-term jobs at Wellington cafes and restaurants as a result of their training and experience. The canteen will serve up a selection of American school canteen-inspired eats by Burger Liquor, ParrotDog beers and coffee-based desserts by Georgia Espresso Bar. Some of the treats on offer include brisket sausage rolls with bourbon BBQ sauce, corn chowder, ribs, four-cheese mac n’ cheese, and doughnuts. Get your feed on and contribute to a good cause: all proceeds from the pop-up go towards Georgia’s youth development program. Field & Green’s Dak Bungalow (26-28 August) Over the final VWOAP weekend, Field & Green (runner-up of Cuisine’s Best New Metropolitan Restaurant Award 2016) will turn their Wakefield Street restaurant space into Dak Bungalow, a pop-up homage to Anglo-Indian cuisine created for British travelers in 1840s India. Dak bungalows were British-owned government buildings erected along the postal route. They were also used as guesthouses for British travelers to stay at on their journeys through India. Indian chefs would re-interpret local dishes to suit the travelers’ palettes, reducing the amount of spice they would typically use and making the most of vegetables (like cauliflower and cabbage) that the British introduced to India. This influence went both ways – some aristocratic Indians adapted English recipes to suit their tastes. Chef Laura Greenfield has assembled a flexible menu featuring dishes that can be eaten at any time of the day or night. Whether it’s masala omelette, kedgeree, a whole roasted cauliflower (which truly is a sight to behold) or saffron and cardamom ice cream, diners can pop in between 10am and 10pm and put together a meal of authentic and flavourful dishes. The Field & Green ethos of “European soul food” will still be present in their takes on these rustic, comforting dishes. Laura, along with co-owner Raechal Ferguson, did plenty of research to narrow down the list of authentic dishes for the Dak Bungalow menu. Laura says that spices and tastes of Indian food are exciting to cook, and these days they’re familiar to most people so the menu will feel familiar and not too challenging. There will be plenty of vegetarian and vegan options, and homemade chapatti to mop up all those delicious curries and sauces. The beverages on offer will also be representative of what accompanied these bungalow meals – from gin and tonics to an Indian Pale Ale brewed by Garage Project especially for this event. Ritual Tea Company will also contribute some special blends, including a classic Darjeeling, and lemongrass and ginger. Also keep an eye out for these other blink-and-you’ll-miss-them pop-ups: For one night only 13 Aug, Egmont Street Eatery becomes a Japanese Izakaya Den in Street Eats and Beats. Golding’s Free Dive and Leeds Street Bakery are teaming up to bring you the pastry pop-up Pie and Pinot on the last day of the fest. Each of the six nights of Nam D’s Pop-Up Hawker Stall will feature the cuisine of a different region in Vietnam. MKR alumni Dai and Dal present their pop-up restaurant Mint. The first night has sold out so they’ve added an extra date on Friday 26 August. The Wellington Food Truck Rally will be rolling in to a neighborhood near you during VWOAP. Check out the schedule on the website. The post Pop Life appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • The chocolate revolution
      • Author: Georgia Munn. It seems that chocolate is on the cusp of a revolution. Just as we’ve all become incredibly educated on wine varieties, coffee beans and types of hops, it’s become mainstream to be a wine, coffee or beer snob, our chocolate producers are helping those with sweet teeth understand where exactly their favourite treats come from. Single origin, fair trade, organic and ethically-produced chocolate has become bigger than ever, and this year’s Visa WOAP programme is the perfect way to get your fix with a bit of an education on the side. The biggest event in the cocoa-lover’s calendar is without a doubt the New Zealand Chocolate Festival. Two days of tastings, masterclasses, demonstrations, hands-on workshops and a casual chocolate fountain all await you at Te Papa on the 13th and 14th of August. There are even special kids’ events to help teach your sprogs that chocolate doesn’t actually come from a supermarket shelf. Get on the forefront of the bean-to-bar chocolate revolution and soon you’ll be identifying single origin flavours like a pro. If you want to space out a series of chocolate experiences over the festival, you’ll want to bookmark these Burger Wellington offerings. Carello del Gelato are bending the boundaries of burgers with a gelato patty in a doughnut bun – it’s creepily convincing and eminently delightful. And if you’ve ever wanted to eat a macaron that looks like a cheeseburger and is the actual size of your face, visit Hippopotamus to live out this fantasy with a side of sweet polenta fries. Cocktail Wellington is also stepping up to the plate with choccie offerings. The Arborist are serving up a boozy affogato with fennel and whiskey syrup and mini doughnuts – yep, my personal cocktail fantasy –  and CGR Merchant are using their signature salted caramel rum in a spiced orange and red wine concoction, accompanied by a dessert burger that actually features aged cheddar alongside chocolate and macarons. Intrigued? Me too. I’ll see you there. There are actually too many choc-tails to detail in this humble blog, so I recommend visiting CocktailWellington.com and building your own shortlist. The new Festival Dish platform is also utilising the sweet stuff, with Ministry of Food pairing Whittaker’s Dark Ghana chocolate with venison osso buco, and Café Medici utilising over-the-hill heroes Shoc Chocolates in a rich lamb and pinot noir pie. All of this, plus a huge 54 desserts in Dine Wellington using chocolate. So you’ve got the option of enjoying your chocolate of the contemplative craft variety, or paired with slow-cooked meats, or in the form of an indulgent, oozy brownie, make sure you always save room for a sweet treat at this year’s festival. The post The chocolate revolution appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • We need you!
      • The Festival team are on the hunt for some volunteers to help feed and entertain the masses at three key events. Love food? Want to share the love of Visa WOAP with others? Read on, and if you are interested please email us: hello@wcet.org.nz Jelly Exhibition – Tuesday 23 thru Sunday 28 August – Free Entry Jelly Exhibition – Location: Thistle Hall, Upper Cuba Street – Open Daily: Tue 23, Wed 24 & Thu 25 Aug 11am–5pm, Fri 26 Aug 11am–8pm, Sat 27 & Sun 28 Aug 10am–4pm – Requirement: Venue Hosts/Information People (2 per day) Bite Box – Friday 12 thru Sunday 28 August – Visa Wellington On a Plate Information Booth – Location: Moore Wilson, Wellington City – Open Daily: 10.30am – 5.00pm – Requirement: providing information about the Festival Programme/booking last minute event tickets on iPad terminal provided Food Trucks – Saturday 20 thru Sunday 28 August – Food Truck Rally taking place across the Wellington region – Locations: Wellington, Porirua, Kapiti, Lower Hutt & Upper Hutt – Every evening from 5pm, and from 2pm on Sunday 28th – Requirement: Assistant to the Food Truck Rally Manager (ideally this would be someone who can drive a van and is available for the whole time) The post We need you! appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Welcome home
      • Author: Chris Tse. A traditional Myanmar greeting is “Htamin sa pi bi la?”, which means “Have you eaten?”. What a wonderful way to greet a loved one, and the perfect summation of Logan Brown’s very special event Welcome Home. Food is intrinsically tied to home and place. It can be a gateway to a new culture, and it can reveal so much about a place. Historically, immigration and trade have had a strong influence on many national cuisines through the introduction of new ingredients and cooking techniques. For many people, food allows them to tell stories about their lives and where they’re from. This is something that will be explored during Visa Wellington On a Plate at Welcome Home. Embracing new cultures and cuisines forms the basis of Welcome Home, a celebration of some of Wellington’s newest ethnic communities. Over eight nights, Logan Brown will showcase the cuisines of Myanmar, Syria, Iran and Egypt with a little help from some special guests. Logan Brown’s head chef Shaun Clouston hopes that Logan Brown’s standing in the Wellington community will serve as a platform to connect these new Wellingtonians with the city they now call home. “It’s all about enjoying food with our families and our friends”. Shaun was inspired by conversations with taxi drivers who, upon hearing he was a chef, regaled him with stories about food from their homelands. Shaun has worked in kitchens with people from all over the world, and he’s found that each person brings a unique personal and cultural approach to food that can challenge how we as individuals value food and cooking, particularly within our own cultures. Because of this, he wanted to organise an event that introduces new cuisines New Zealanders and will hopefully break down preconceptions about some of our lesser-known ethnic communities. Shaun has spent the last two months preparing for Welcome Home, meeting with and learning from members of Wellington’s Myanmar, Syrian, Iranian and Egyptian communities. He’s visited their homes to see what it’s like to cook their food in their kitchens. He’s felt first-hand a real sense of collaboration and community pride, with plenty of friendly banter and some heartbreaking stories of how these families came to settle in Wellington. The importance of family and sharing a meal together was strongly impressed upon him during these meetings, something he feels that many New Zealanders tend to neglect in the chaos of modern life. Although some of the dishes will have a Logan Brown twist, Shaun has been careful to keep the flavours and stories behind the food front and centre. The unavailability of certain key ingredients has meant that home chefs have had to adapt their recipes to incorporate New Zealand produce. This influence works both ways – over time we could see these cuisines’ flavours and traditions changing everyday New Zealand food. To set the mood, Logan Brown will be a transformed with decorations and musicians will perform traditional music. Guests will receive a glass of bubbles upon arrival before moving on to a shared starter of tastes from Myanmar, Syria, Iran and Egypt. The two mains are a slow-braised lamb breast with Bulgar, mint and dried fruit, and a chicken potato curry with winter melon and fragrant herbs. Both will be served with a selection of side dishes to share, including a Myanmar tea leaf salad and Syrian mahashee (stuffed vegetables). Finally, you’ll finish the night with a sample of sweet treats. Many of the people that Shaun has met and learned from will be present over the eight nights as special guests to share their stories with you over this sumptuous four-course meal. In return for sharing their skills, some of the participants have simply asked to be taught a new skill themselves – for example, driving lessons so they can become more independent in providing for their families. The journey to bring this event together has been challenging, but it’s also been an eye-opening experience for Shaun: “I just hope I can do it justice here [at Logan Brown]. It’s not just about cooking up a meal for everybody – it’s the bigger picture.” Even with their struggles, the families he’s met always make time to come together: “It doesn’t matter what sort of hardships they’ve been through – they still laugh and they still love to eat.” Grab your tickets to this fabulous event and join us at the table. Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  The post Welcome home appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • And the Festival Dish Award goes to…
      • Author: Chris Tse. The Visa Wellington On a Plate Festival Dish Award celebrates the one main dish that does one, two or all of the following: best reflects the culinary capital’s flavour; creative interpretation of the ‘element of surprise’ theme; and/or uses local products and suppliers. With hundreds of dishes to choose from, five finalists were chosen: Capitol Bistro; Jano Bistro; Olive; The Larder; and Ti Kouka. One of this year’s judges is Liz Egan, who is best known as a judge on both Australian and New Zealand versions of My Kitchen Rules. As a chef, Liz has received much acclaim during a career in food that spans more than 20 years. This was Liz’s first visit to Wellington and despite the short stay she had plenty time to eat and drink her way around the city. She fell in love with Noble Rot (so much so that she went back a second time), was impressed by Charley Noble, and became one of Garage Project’s newest fans. Liz and her fellow judges – Sarah Meikle (VWOAP Festival Director) and Lucy Corry (food writer and blogger) – visited the five finalists over two days to try their dishes. Liz admired how inventive the finalists were in showcasing local ingredients: “The five finalists are all big on local ingredients. It’s really great to see that pride in the local area.” Liz is undoubtedly well experienced when it comes to judging food. Generally, she looks for cohesion on a plate – a reason for every ingredient to be there, not because chefs think they’ll impress. “I want to see that they’ve thought about how it looks on a plate, and of course how it tastes. Also, a balance of textures and flavours. If you’ve got some very smooth or soft textures, you have got to have some crunch in there as well. I need to see their thought process on the plate.” So how did the dishes stack up? Capitol Bistro’s festival dish consists of fish and produce sourced or foraged from within a 20 kilometre radius of Wellington. This limitation means needing to be creative with what’s available – for example, evaporating water from the harbour for salt. “A beautiful, clever dish,” says Liz. Olive’s crumbed cashew vegan ‘mozzarella’ with broccolini and artichoke pesto surprised Liz, who normally doesn’t choose to eat vegan food. She admits that she didn’t expect to like it as much as she did, calling it “a really interesting dish”. Liz’s eyes lit up when she started talking about The Larder’s “absolutely incredible” elk schnitzel, which was rolled in dried porcini (foraged locally) and elk felt. The dish was ceremoniously served on an elk shoulder blade, making it surprising in more ways than one. Ti Kouka have taken a no-waste concept for their festival dish by using ingredients that aren’t normally valued or are the by-products of other dishes. Confit chicken wings (leftover meat from their Burger Wellington entry) are transformed into a mousse and served with the sautéed outer leaves of an iceberg lettuce, crackers made from leftover brioche, croutons from old bread, and an ailoi made with the oil from tinned sardines. “The thought behind the dish was fabulous.” Jano Bistro’s unassuming description of their dish in the VWOAP programme does not reveal the inventiveness of what was served, which Liz said was unlike anything she’s ever eaten before. Sautéed red cabbage is encased in a prune tuile and served on a bed of hazelnuts and red cabbage marmalade and fondant. It’s topped off with a Parmesan mousse that Liz described as “fatty in all the good ways”. If that wasn’t stunning enough, there’s some culinary alchemy to go with it: three jars are presented with the dish, and as the liquid from the first is tipped into the other two it changes colour. The end result is a consommé that is poured into the red cabbage dish. With such a stellar line-up of finalists, I don’t envy the judges having to pick a winner. In the end it was Jano Bistro’s “magical” dish that the judges picked as this year’s Festival Dish Award winner. Liz says that diners will be “challenged and utterly surprised” by Jano Bistro’s dish. Jano Bistro’s Head Chef Pierre-Alain Fenoux says he and fellow co-owner Diana Goh are still in a bit of disbelief after being told they were the winners: “We’re a bit emotional, and grateful. We were surprised just be in the top five.” But Pierre-Alain, who worked at the much-missed Le Canard in Thorndon, is no stranger to awards having won Chef of the Capital in 2014. Also, Jano Bistro was the runner-up of Cuisine’s Good Food Award for Best New Restaurant in 2015. The starting point of the dish was to showcase some of Wellington’s best produce and to fully embrace the idea of presenting Wellington on a plate. The colour-change consommé was inspired by the Bucket Fountain and Wellington’s unpredictable “four seasons in one day” nature. With mere days before VWOAP takes over the city, Pierre-Alain says, “there’s lots of work to be done and lots of cabbages to order!” Congratulations, Jano Bistro – this year’s VWOAP will no doubt be an unforgettable one for you! Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  The post And the Festival Dish Award goes to… appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Rockin’ the suburbs
      • Author: Chris Tse. For a few years I lived in a wonderful little apartment on Taranaki Street with a world of temptation – of the food and beverage kind – waiting just outside my front door. But as much as I loved living in the heart of the city, the downside began to manifest itself more forcefully. Being woken at 3am by secret trysts or drunk flautists (I kid you not) below your bedroom window is not ideal. I told my friends the noise was getting worse; my friends told me I was just getting older. So when my then-flatmate bought a house in Berhampore and offered his spare room to rent, I said yes. Being back in the suburbs has brought not only peace and quiet, it’s introduced me to the foodie treasures to be discovered in my ‘hood and neighbouring areas. We all have our favourite local haunts – Visa Wellington On a Plate is the perfect time to check out what’s going on in other ‘hoods. More than a quarter of this year’s venues can be found beyond the Wellington CBD limits. Also, The Wellington Food Truck Rally will be taking VWOAP on the road, with stops in Wellington City, Lower Hutt, Upper Hutt, Porirua and Kāpiti. I’m making it a personal mission to cast my VWOAP net wide to explore parts of Wellington that I’m not familiar with. Slip on your walking shoes, or grab your bike – we’re going on a tasty tiki tour. First stop: Miramar. CoCo at The Roxy will be having a very busy VWOAP with five events and a complete makeover of their restaurant space. For 17 days, Coco at The Roxy will become The King of Creole, a New Orleans-inspired pop-up dishing up southern favourites like Oysters Rockefeller, fried chicken, gumbo and grits. Each event at CoCo this year promises to be surprising and unforgettable. In Drink The Dresses, resident cocktail alchemist Ray Letoa will fashion drinks based on garments from an up-and-coming New Zealand designer. It’ll be a stylish night out with a runway show, a high-tech AV projection set-up and Ray’s distinctive brand of creativity. Kids aged 6-10 will also get creative in Roxy Rocketeers Milk Bar, a hands-on event where there are no rules and making a mess is encouraged. This “self-serve food and beverage workshop” will keep your kids busy making their own burgers, sodas and ice cream. As inaugural winners of Cocktail Wellington, Coco and Ray are hoping to make it a repeat with their Welly(On)Wood cocktail. This year, Ray has opted to showcase Borthwick Winery with a nitrous-infused spiced Pinot Noir and gorse flower foam. The natural spice flavours of the wine are enhanced with cardamom, cloves, cinnamon and pepper, and the foam adds a bit of citrus and honeyed sweetness to round things out. The cocktail is served with a trio of moreish dumplings – creamed pāua, spiced kumara and mussel – with everything presented on a piece of driftwood and garnished with natural elements from around Wellington. For the last year and a half, Salty Pidgin have firmly established themselves as an excellent reason to make the climb up to Brooklyn for their fresh, seasonal food and excellent selection of craft beer and top-quality wine. A few weeks ago I had the fortune of previewing their Dine Wellington menu and Burger Wellington entry with some of the VWOAP crew. Things got off to a great start with an exquisite duo of tartars, though I was particularly taken by the peppery truffled venison tartare. Another highlight was the filo pressed beef with bacon emulsion and pear witloof salad. This was a “wow!” moment for me – rustic but decadent, big in flavour but not rich. And then there was the burger: a polenta panko-crumbed fish fillet with clam seasoning and jalapeno mayonnaise. Everything you want in a solid fish burger is there: it’s light, crisp and fresh, the savoury tang of the clam cuts through the oiliness of the fish, and the jalapeno adds a little heat to finish things off. Petone has always been a special place for me because it’s where my Mum and her siblings grew up. They still refer to shops on Jackson Street by what they used to be back in the 60s and 70s, so when we had a family dinner at Oli & Mi Kitchen Mum and my aunt made sure we knew that we were eating in the very room that they used to have their teeth checked by their dentist. These days there’s no trace of the building’s former life as a dental practice, and the only tools getting anywhere near your teeth will be cutlery. Oli & Mi are one of the latest additions to Petone’s cast of much-loved eateries. The heritage list building is a magnificent venue that is welcoming and intimate. Oli & Mi’s cuisine is self-described as “modern fusion”, a phrase that I admit brings out by best side-eye/head-tilt/arched eyebrow triptych, but my family and I were impressed by the subtle incorporation of Asian flavours in their modern European dishes. My Dad is super fussy when it comes to dining out but even he couldn’t stop talking about how much he enjoyed the meal days later. I think it’s a hint that he wants me to take him back for VWOAP, and why wouldn’t I with a Dine Wellington menu that features beef four ways (cheek, short rib, oxtail croquette and roasted bone marrow) and Havana coffee crème brûleè with Kāpiti mascarpone and salty caramel marshmallow. My love affair with Petone will undoubtedly live on. Sometimes, getting out of the city means that you get to experience something different that you can’t get anywhere else. Topor Bistro is New Zealand’s only Polish restaurant, serving authentic Polish and European cuisine just a stone’s throw away in Plimmerton. Locals have embraced this restaurant with relish, though Topor also attracts return visitors from as far as the South Island, some of whom plan their entire trips around the meals they’ll be having there. After a well-received VWOAP debut last year, Topor’s regulars encouraged them to enter Burger Wellington and Cocktail Wellington, so this year they’ve gone all-in with Polish-inspired entries. For Burger Wellington, Topor’s First Past the Pole (pun achievement unlocked) features kielbasa sausage, sauerkraut and blueberry compote (blueberry is Poland’s national fruit). Vodka is a big part of the Polish dining experience, and Topor’s staff can recommend vodka matches for your meals. There are about 27 vodkas on offer, including a selection of housemade infusions (the salted caramel infusion is very popular). Topor’s Cocktail Wellington entry is a soothing hot vodka cocktail with lemon, orange, honey, spices and vanilla. It’s served with bigos (a meat and sauerkraut stew), so this will be a warming winter treat. Plimmerton railway station is just a quick stroll from Topor, so getting there from Wellington is very easy (and you’ll be able to partake in the vodka). Bookings are strongly recommended for this cozy little restaurant. Raumati’s The Waterfront celebrates local suppliers and fare with both their Burger Wellington and Cocktail Wellington entries. This former sports bar has been completely renovated to reflect their more modern and welcoming direction, with bamboo flooring and nautical-themed details throughout the bar. It was a ghastly stormy day when I popped in for a visit, but I could still easily imagine what a sweet spot this would be on a summer’s day, with a cocktail in hand and the ocean view to take in. Co-owner Ricardo Reis reckons Kāpiti will be the next big thing for food in the greater Wellington region, and once the new Kāpiti Expressway opens it’ll be so much quicker and easier for out-of-towners to drop by. The Waterfront’s Caught in Kāpiti is a refreshing cocktail that invokes Kiwi childhood nostalgia with homemade L&P and raspberry syrup, Koast Limoncello and plenty of fresh lemon juice from fruit grown by locals. It’s light with a wonderfully fresh lemon pop that isn’t bitter or too sour. To complete the nostalgia flashback, it’s served alongside some salaciously savoury mousetraps – though these ones are probably a little fancier than the ones you had as a kid, featuring Kāpati Kowhai Gruyère and toasted ciabatta. For Burger Wellington, The Waterfront will be offering Ferdy’s Whitebait Burger. The centrepiece is the whitebait “fritter”, though it’s more akin to a soufflé – light but eggy, and packed with delicious Waikanae whitebait. It’s finished off with pickled cucumbers and fresh lettuce to add tang and crunch. It’s well worth the trip up the coast. Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.    Want to visit Miramar? We have a $100 voucher to The Larder to give away! Enter here. The post Rockin’ the suburbs appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • One spreadsheet to rule them all…
      • You peeps sure know how to make Excel look good. We had so many great entries, but congrats to Eugene who received an A++ from all judges! Eugene loves a good surf and turf, so a gourmet burger with kobe beef & crayfish, plus bearnaise sauce wouldn’t go astray for 2017 (hint hint to the chefs out there…) The spreadsheet Say hello to our little friend… download the The Burger Finder 2.016, fill it out, share it with your friends and go for gold (it’s the burger Olympics that start soon right?). Don’t forget Head to BurgerWelly.com to score each and every burger (+ beer match) you try during VWOAP and help us decide the winners! Why not? Finish off a burger night out with a Cocktail Welly nightcap! One of the entries even comes with a mini dessert burger if you’re really burger obsessed… who are we kidding? See you there. The post One spreadsheet to rule them all… appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • New Tickets Released Today 2 Aug
      • TICKETS ON SALE TODAY AT 5pm Don’t forget there’s more where these came from with plenty of tickets still available for some great events. So go on. Get involved! EVENT EXISTING SESSION A night with Willy Wonka 23 Aug (3 tickets) Fizzingly Fantastic 27 Aug (2 tickets) Global Pinot From A Gladstone Producer 16 Aug (2 tickets) Le Dragon D’Annam Dinner 13 Aug (2 tickets) The Laneway Progressive  15 Aug (2 tickets) United Dumplings 20 Aug (2 tickets) Viva La Pizza 13 Aug (2 tickets) 20 Aug (2 tickets) 27 Aug (2 tickets) The post New Tickets Released Today 2 Aug appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Beervana: Ode to hip hops
      • Author: Chris Tse There’s no denying that we love our coffee and our beer here in Wellington. I always think of that scene in The Simpsons when Marge attempts to order a coffee in an Australian pub as representative of Wellingtonians’ collective inner dialogue (“C-O…” “B-E…”). When it comes to the amber stuff, there’s no better event than Beervana to celebrate and indulge in the ever-growing world of craft beer. Now in its 15th year, Beervana has grown from rather humble beginnings as a comparatively modest gathering of craft beer lovers at Wellington’s Town Hall, to a high-profile event that attracts visitors from as far as Australia. More than 60 brewers will be offering 300-plus beers this year, from local favourites to exclusive samples of international brews, including some from Portland, Oregon, our sister city in craft beer. This year also sees an increase in the number of South Island breweries crossing the strait to join the fun. About 20% of the brewers at Beervana this year are new kids on the block; some have only been brewing for about a year, others are launching beers at the festival. One such brewery is Tiamana, returning to the Beervana for the second time to premiere a new German IPA. Brewer Annika Naschitzki says she’s looking forward to sharing her take on the popular style, which is big and fruity thanks to the use of German mandarina hops. Born and raised in Berlin, Annika’s love of beer was bolstered when she moved to Wellington in 2010. After a crash introduction to the sheer variety and quality of beers being produced by local brewers, Annika realised that there’s so much more to beer than the humble Pilsner, the Berliner’s beer of choice. Tiamana (the Māori name for “Germany”) brings classic German styles to the dynamic landscape of Wellington’s craft beer scene. For the last few years, brewing has been a personal passion for Annika, whose father was a brewer at the iconic German brewery Schultheiss. She started brewing with a small kit in the kitchen of fellow brewer Llew Bardecki from Wild and Woolly Brewing (who will be sharing a stand with Tiamana at Beervana), but now they both brew from their own shared premises in Mt Cook. After some trial batches and small festival releases, Tiamana’s classic German-style beers made their major public debut in Wellington bars in March last year. Their sour Berliner Weisse is one you’ll have to look out for, though you won’t miss it with its eye-catching emerald hue. Annika adds sweet woodruff to the beer to offset its sourness and to give it its unique colour. Annika says that Beervana is particularly exciting for newer brewers who have gone from home brewing to operating on a bigger scale. For many, Beervana represents the culmination of all the hard work they’ve put into their beer, like finding out what their own strengths are and learning how to present themselves at a festival. Annika believes Wellington’s craft beer scene is unique and special because it accommodates and encourages an appreciation of beer. “It’s a positive vibe,” she says. “People are having fun, people are trying things, people are experimenting and learning about beer. It’s such a good place to be.” Also returning to Beervana for a second year in her capacity as festival manager is Beth Brash, who is hoping to replicate and expand on the success of last year’s well-received festival. Beth is well known among craft beer circles for her stentorian love and support of craft beer. It’s through meeting and talking with brewers as a writer that her own appreciation of craft beer has grown over the years. Beth is a firm believer that there’s “a beer for every human, and a human for every beer”. I sat down with Beth (over a couple of pints, naturally) to have a chat about what it takes to bring together the nation’s largest craft beer event. What’s the most exciting change or development about this year’s Beervana? There’s all these really cool little things that we’re doing at the event itself, but what’s really exciting is there’s a lot of stuff in the background to make Beervana for the brewers – because if they’re not having fun, if it’s not working for them, then a Beervana without brewers is an empty stadium. That’s been a huge focus, and what has been really exciting is the flow-on effect of that – just how excited everyone is and how much they are invested in bringing a crazy, amazing festival experience for everyone. They’re just as excited and are bringing their A-game as well. From a festival point of view, for years and years we’ve been kinda snaking further and further around the stadium concourse, and actually to go all the way around this year is incredibly exciting. Beervana, being in its 15th year, is a kind of mirror of the whole industry as well. We just all drink better beer now. Everyone’s just excited about this new wave of just awesome beer. Because a few years ago people were still divided – you had the “real beer” drinkers and the people who drank the “flowery” craft beers. But as you’ve said in other interviews, it’s no longer a niche – the outside is becoming mainstream. Yeah. The Panhead sale [to Lion Group], but more than anything the attitude towards the Panhead sale, shows the maturity of the market. Everyone was overly positive about it, and I think that shows this move away from “us and them”, which is great, and that happens at Beervana as well. We have Craftwork, who are a husband and wife brewing team who live in Oamaru and brew from a 100-litre kit in their basement. They brew super traditional barrel-aged sour beers, these Belgian ales and saisons – this amazing stuff – and they’re winning all these international awards. And then you’ve got these massive stands with Boundary Road and Mac’s… The ones that people are going to recognise. Yeah, but it’s all together and you can try one and you can try the other. I think that’s really cool because it puts everyone on an even playing field. What’s your biggest challenge as manager of Beervana in bringing this festival together? Trying not to wake up at night and run through my to-do list at 3 in the morning! Maybe I’m seeing it through these rose-tinted glasses – or amber-tinted glasses – at the moment, where this year compared to last year is so much easier, because of that excitement from the industry – everyone is just as invested in it. Last year, we really had to prove ourselves and that was incredibly challenging. Probably the biggest challenge for me is making an event that works for the industry and therefore works for everyone. Of the breweries new to Beervana this year, who are you most excited about showing off to Wellington? I’m really excited about McLeaod’s. They’re up in Waipu and the brewer, Jason Bathgate, is ex-8 Wired. They’re just doing amazing things. Craftwork – who I’ve talked about – Lee-Ann and Michael, an amazing couple doing world-class beers in a basement in Oamaru. It just blows my mind. Peckham’s – they’re making really good traditional cider, really dry crazy-good cider and they’re amazing people. And Choice Bros. Kerry from Choice Bros is building his brewery at this stage, but it’s his first time at Beervana, he’s got a double stand and he’s really going for it. He’s got some really great ideas, some really funny ideas around how to show [his beers] off. That’s the thing – it’s an industry that is growing and growing with more and more breweries. Yes, it’s about good beers, but it’s also about having a point of difference. That’s what’s really cool about Beervana – it’s not like going to a pub and the beers are all on tap – the brewers are there behind the taps and you get to meet them. Their personality is just as much part of their beer as anything else. Also, I think more than anything it reflects the fun that a festival should be. Everyone’s got these crazy ideas about the themes of their bars, or interactive elements of their bars. Road to Beervana features some really exciting events this year. What’s great about Road to Beervana – and it’s like this holistic thing – Wellington’s an incredibly beer-obsessed city and we’ve got all these amazing bars and restaurants that love beer and so they want to get involved. Last year, 35% of [Beervana attendees] came from out of town, which is pretty amazing. There’s all these people coming to Wellington, and after Beervana last year I realised how amazing this is. I really like the idea of making Wellington the destination for beer, the whole city just frothing with beer-related events. It’s part of the whole offer; it’s building on the whole experience. What can you tell us about the Road to Beervana events? The Great Beer Debate will be reasonably light-hearted, and it’ll be about “The War of Independence”. On one side we’ll have the Brewers’ Association – “big beer”, as they say – and on the other side we’ll have very staunchly independent brewers. What does it mean if you’re brought by a bigger brewery? Hopefully we’ll open up the debate around that. We’re just locking in the panel, but we’ve got one guy from [one of the visiting Oregon breweries], so there will be an international view. Battle of the Brewers is five breweries from Oregon versus five breweries from New Zealand, who will each match one of their beers with five courses at The Bresolin. The idea is a bit like Ready, Steady, Cook – people will vote for who’s done the better beer match. And what about New Zealand’s Hottest Home Brewers, which is new to Beervana this year? In the past, our homebrew competition was very serious, so we thought how about we do something that is more accessible? It’ll be like beer Olympics at the first session of Beervana – we’ll put on a spectacle and make it more fun and different to other homebrew competitions. Beer is fun. And you shouldn’t take yourself too seriously, and when you do take yourself too seriously it can be a bit intimidating to people on the outside. What are your top tips for a Beervana newbie? Check out the beer list before you go, and the map, and make a little bit of a game plan. Beer festivals are a good way to be a bit more intrepid and really test different styles you may not have tried – you can get a 75ml taste. Keep drinking water. If you’re new to Beervana, this year we’re doing free walking tours. There’s a theme for each tour – you’ll go to different stands and go to the front of the queue cause they’ll be waiting for you, and you’ll get a beer and the brewer will come out and talk about the beer, and then you’ll move on to the next one. Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  The post Beervana: Ode to hip hops appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Sweet anticipation
      • Visa Wellington On a Plate is less than three weeks away, and as your fearless blogger I’m criss-crossing the city, sampling and tasting everything in my path to give you a figurative taste of what our bars and restaurants have been busy prepping for you to enjoy. I’m also getting the chance to meet and talk with the people behind the scenes about their dishes and events, and they’re all just as excited as you about VWOAP and can’t wait for it all to kick off. Recently I had an (unexpectedly) long lunch with fellow food writer Heather Clinton. Heather blogs for Word on the Street and is a certified VWOAP fanatic. We met at Trade Kitchen, which felt appropriate because we spent most of our time trading tips about what to look out for in this year’s programme and how to get the most out of your own VWOAP experience. We also had a preview of Trade Kitchen’s Dine Wellington menu and Burger Wellington entry. For VWOAP, Trade Kitchen are offering some well-executed classic dishes. They’re deceptively simple, in the sense that they’re not fussy and really show off their moreish flavours and various textures. We started with a pork terrine served with a chutney made from homegrown apples. The chutney looked like translucent golden jewels, and its toffee-esque sweetness was the perfect accompaniment to the terrine and the peppery greens. This was followed by a twice-baked goat’s cheese soufflé, which was wonderfully light with a subtle salty tang from the goat’s cheese. It was served on a salad of grapes, walnuts, radish, fennel and celery. The many components of the salad added little bursts of fresh flavour and texture. Knowing that dessert was still to follow, Heather and I opted to split one of Trade Kitchen’s Burger Welly AppleMac burgers – a PrimeStar beef patty with applewood smoked bacon, chopped cherry peppers and barbeque sauce. This little powerhouse of a burger packs some fantastic flavours – particularly the tangy and bitter peppers that cut through the richness of the patty and cheese. The burger’s beer match is Garage Project’s refreshing Orange Sunshine, a citrus wheat beer that tastes just how its name suggests – bright, golden and crisp. At this point I had eaten way more than I typically do for lunch, but when a Fix & Fogg peanut butter jelly and ice cream sundae was placed in front of me it’s bizarre how easy it was to forget that I was full mere seconds before. This towering dessert looks like something you should share, but it is my expert opinion (as a non-sharer of desserts) that this would be an unwise choice given how ridiculously decadent this sundae is. Your dining buddy might be happy but you’ll only regret it. The tasty pistachio wafer served on top was perfect for scooping out any remnants in the glass. Heather’s written a blog post for anyone out there who’s new to VWOAP – it’s a beginner’s guide of sorts to help you navigate the programme. Baffled by the burgers? Not sure how to make your very long wish list a reasonable shortlist? Among her expert tips, Heather suggests the following: Pick your own ‘theme’ for the year to help whittle down the options. Suburban? Most outrageous? Classic? Favourite restaurants? New ones? If you’re really committed, allocate one event, dine or cocktail per day to avoid VWOAP fatigue (or take leave for two weeks and just have at it). Decide the events first, as they have specific dates, and build your schedule around them (don’t be afraid to build a spreadsheet like we do!). If you’re organising tickets for a group, nominate one person to book and pay so you’re automatically seated together, and reimburse among yourselves (max 10 tickets per booking). If your fave has sold out, sometimes events add extra dates. You can go on a wait-list for sold out events (email info@wellingtononaplate.com). Check whether the burgers are available at both lunch and dinner – some are only one or the other. Look out for the limited edition Garage Project beers brewed for the festival. This year’s are Hakituri (an organic Kiwi pilsner), Persephone (a balsamic and pomegranate saison), and Lola (a sour cherry and cola nut dunkel). Both Heather and I agree that you should try something new, whether it’s a restaurant, a type of cuisine or venturing out to another suburb. Another sneaky preview that I’ve been lucky enough to try is Portlander’s Burger Wellington entry, The Steakholder. Portlander have an impressive track record when it comes to Burger Wellington, and this year’s burger raises the steaks (sorrynotsorry) by letting them show off what they do best, but in burger form. It’s essentially a steak, eggs and chips dinner sandwiched between two soft Arobake buns – tender rib eye steak, shoestring fries, a runny fried egg, and a hot sauce mayonnaise that pulls everything together and makes this one astounding burger. There’s some salad in there too, but to be honest I barely noticed it (neither a good nor a bad thing) – this was all about the steak. Many extra napkins were provided with our burgers and many extra napkins were used. This one gets messy! I should also mention that The Steakholder is topped off with one of the greatest culinary creations ever – a frickle (a fried pickle). I cannot overstate how excited I am about frickles (and pickles) in general. They improve every meal by simply being present, and I will not rest until every burger and sandwich in the greater Wellington area is served with a plump and juicy pickle, fried or otherwise. Portlander (and many other venues) have already received bookings from large groups. If you don’t want to miss out a burger or Dine Wellington menu that you’re dying to try, now’s the time to start making reservations and locking in those lunch and dinner dates. August will be rolling around very soon! The post Sweet anticipation appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • The Jelly Archive – become part of the exhibition
      • Want to be part of the exhibition? The Jelly Archive needs you! We need your Jelly memories: stories, handwritten recipes, vintage jelly moulds, old jelly boxes/packets, memories, photos.  Basically we are after nostalgic stories around jelly to be part of one of the sections within the exhibition. Let us know what you can share and apply below. Note: items must be received by 10 August to become part of the exhibition. The Jelly Archive call for memories First Name*Last Name*Email* Contact phone number*Got stories you can share? Tell us or upload below!Have a jelly story to share? Tell us! Or upload any stories, photos, scans etc here: Drop files here or Got stuff you can send in? Old moulds, jelly packs, photos and more... be part of the exhibition! Send or drop off (during business hours) your jelly-related items to: Wellington Culinary Events Trust Level 1, 157 Vivian Street Wellington 6011Description of items (Please label each item clearly with your name)Postal Address to send items back to: Street Address Address Line 2 City Post Code I'm not already on your email database. Sign me up!   The post The Jelly Archive – become part of the exhibition appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • I’m on the veg of glory
      • Author: Chris Tse. Imagine going out for dinner only to find that the only thing you can eat from the menu are hot chips or a side salad. It’s happened to a vegetarian friend of mine, but they just shrugged it off as one of the complications of dining out as a vegetarian. That was many years ago, and thankfully for all of us there’s been a shift in both the quality and quantity of non-meat options, especially in Wellington. Chefs are increasingly using vegetarian dishes to experiment with techniques and flavours, subverting expectations of what you can do with vegetarian food. When I’m perusing a menu, I’ll gladly order an inventive vegetarian dish over something meat-based. The rising popularity of other cuisines in the city has also helped with the increase in variety – from Indian curries to gluten and soy in Chinese and Malaysian vegan dishes. The explosion of vegetarian and vegan dishes, burgers and events in this year’s Visa Wellington on a Plate line-up is super exciting, with more than 30 venues are offering vege Festival Dishes (in some cases multiple dishes), and there are 12 vege Burger Wellington options. So lettuce take a closer look at what we can look forward to. One of the vegetarian Burger Wellington entries that caught my eye is Basque’s Good Golly It’s Cauli!, which features a habanero cauliflower patty, caramelised beets and a caper aioli. Peter Richardson has recently started at Basque as their new head chef. In fact, on the night that I popped in to preview their burger it was Peter’s first shift. Peter, who is vegetarian himself, says that things are definitely getting better in Wellington when it comes to vegetarian-friendly fare with more places recognising that many people are opting for vegetarian dishes whether it’s for dietary or ethical reasons. For Burger Wellington, Basque wanted to create something vegetarian but also indulgent. Considering this year’s cauliflower price spike it certainly fits the indulgence brief! I wasn’t sure what to expect from a cauliflower patty, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that the texture was like a very smooth and soft falafel. This is a burger bursting with attitude – the habanero gives big heat and the caper aioli is an intense salty kick. Kumara chips can be a bit hit-or-miss for me, but the chunky ones served with this burger were fantastic – crisp on the outside but lusciously soft on the inside. Their sweetness complements the spice and savouriness of the burger. I was absolutely stuffed after this burger – it’ll shatter the myth that vegetarian burgers are lightweight in size and flavour. Cuba Street institution Olive’s Dine Wellington menu features a cashew vegan “mozzarella” (something they’ve previously used in their popular vegan lasagne) and a vegan mushroom pie with pine nut gremolata and cauliflower demi glace. If that isn’t enough to tempt your taste buds, Olive have just been named one of five finalists for this year’s Festival Dish Award. Olive’s head chef Jamie Morgan sees VWOAP as a chance to experiment with unconventional cooking techniques and to get more people supporting vegetarian and vegan food. Jamie firmly believes that it’s important that chefs have the right mind set to cook for all dietary requirements, rather than just cooking for themselves. Learning how to create exciting vegetarian dishes has given him opportunities to develop as a chef, and has greatly expanded his knowledge of plant-based ingredients he can use to create vegetarian and vegan-friendly alternatives. Researching these alternatives keeps Jamie motivated to learn and aware of how people’s needs and tastes are changing. Another Wellington eatery dedicated to pushing the boundaries when it comes to vegetarian and vegan food, and a newcomer to VWOAP this year, is popular Lambton Quay lunch spot Seize. In fact, they have a dedicated kitchen for experimenting and testing new concepts. At Seize, the focus is on clean eating for everyday foodies. Founder Mike de Lange says that Seize follows a plant-centric but inclusive approach to their food (they do serve meat, but it’s treated more like an add-on to their dishes). Mike and his team are passionate about making everything from scratch, taking familiar ingredients and presenting them in a way that is surprising and delicious. Seize is always packed during weekday lunchtimes. However, they shut up shop during the weekends, despite many requests from customers to open for weekend brunch. This is something that Mike says he is addressing by opening on Saturdays during VWOAP so people can get their hands on their Dine Wellington menu, which includes a Vegan Benedict, complete with a vegan poached “egg”. Seize are also offering a burger called Beets Don’t Kale My Vibe! (surely the pun-iest burger name this year?!) with a mushroom, beet and quinoa patty, and vegan aioli. For Modern Brunching at Seize, Seize will team up with Berhampore-based Libertine Blends to match organic teas with three courses of exciting vegan fare. It’ll be an intimate and communal affair over Wellington’s (arguably) favourite weekend activity – brunch. So carpe that diem and get your tickets as they are nearly sold out! Some VWOAP events aren’t purely vegetarian, but they will happily provide vegetarian-friendly alternatives. Salty Pidgin’s Vino Naturale can cater for vegetarians, as can The Creative Table, United Dumplings, It’s a Sweet Night (the grown-up’s version of the gelato-making event I previewed), Not Your Grandmother’s Tea Party, and Brewed: Tea by Tuatara. Here’s a tip: let a venue or event organiser know about your dietary requirements ahead of your dining date to ensure that they will have the vegetarian option on the day.  You can contact the venue directly or email info@wellingtononaplate.com with the event and date/session. Here’s a few other vegetarian offerings that you’ll be beet-ing down doors to try come August: BIN44 Restaurant + Bar are offering both vegan “steak” and “pulled pork” for Dine Wellington – sounds intriguing! You’ll be left guessing the fillings in Concrete Bar and Restaurant’s mystery vegetarian cannelloni – and there’s a prize if you’re right! Matterhorn’s entire Dine Wellington menu is vegetarian-friendly, utilising home-grown ingredients alongside buckwheat and seaweed. Southern Cross are putting a vegan spin on the hotdog by using carrot, crispy brussel sprouts and gremolata. Over in Paraparaumu, Woodshed Beer & Smokehouse’s burger might be called The Mis-Steak Burger, but rest assured it’s completely meat-free (it features homemade falafel, brie, portobello mushroom, wilted kale, cumin and coriander yoghurt, and citrus chutney). Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  The post I’m on the veg of glory appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Footloose and fancy feeds
      • Author: Chris Tse. Last month, in a moment of unbridled extravagance, I booked myself a degustation dinner in Sydney. This isn’t something I do often, if at all, but I was on holiday mode and had been strongly encouraged by a friend to ignore the increasingly muffled internal monologue of Fiscally Responsible Chris. It would be the most I’ve ever spent on a single meal. Jet lagged and still feeling the – ahem – indulgence of the Visa Wellington On a Plate programme launch the night before, I headed to the restaurant with doubts. Would it be worth it? Would I need a cheeky cheeseburger from Hungry Jack’s afterwards? To say it was one of the best experiences of my life would be an understatement. At times, I was on the verge of tears – that was how exquisite the food and service were. Not only was it worth it, I left with a renewed appreciation of a whole new kind of dining experience, one that will stay with me for many years to come. In one of my previous blog posts I highlighted a few events for you to splash out on. So let’s drop it low like Iggy and Charli and get fancy with a few more of VWOAP’s high-roller offerings. (To keep things balanced, I’ll be doing a cheap eats blog post in the coming weeks!) Foxglove is one of Wellington’s go-to institutions for drinks and tasty treats on the waterfront. Remember when they first opened and everyone was buzzing about the elusive secret door? We’ve probably all had similar confused phone calls looking like we’ve been stood up: “I’m at Foxglove.” “I’m here too!” “Where? I can’t see you.” “The wardrobe!” “The wardrobe?” “Yeah!” “Errr…” And so on, until someone rescues you and whisks you through to the secret lounge. Although Foxglove Bar & Kitchen are VWOAP veterans, this is the first time they’re holding an event, and they’re very excited about it. They’ve chosen to take the festival theme of “an element of surprise” and apply it to their Secret Garden Winemaker’s Dinner. Held in the grand space of Foxglove’s Queens Wharf Ballroom, the dinner will showcase what Foxglove’s chefs do best, pairing five sumptuous courses with fine wines from Martinborough Vineyard. The wines are already some of Foxglove’s most popular high-end wines, so it was a no-brainer to make them part of the event. Foxglove’s Samantha Ryan says the element of surprise will be reflected in how each course is presented and in the entertainment on the night, which is being kept hush hush just like the secret passageway. Foxglove’s Dine Wellington menu will also have you dining like a high-roller. The menu features Foxglove’s adventurous takes on popular dishes like crayfish mornay, duck a l’orange and beef Wellington. Desserts are one of Foxglove’s strengths, so they’re offering an intriguing cold apple crumble as part of their Dine menu, and petits fours with their Picnic at the Beehive for Cocktail Wellington – both will be a decadent finish to a night out. Speaking of decadence, Logan Brown are offering one very fancy burger that is sure to be a hit come August. It’s only the second time that Logan Brown have thrown their tongs into the heated contest of Burger Wellington, and they are definitely a contender with their Just Winging It burger. It’s a towering multi-tiered burger featuring two confit duck and pork shoulder patties, shiitake mushrooms, air-dried venison and a fantastic cherry and tonkatsu mayonnaise-dressed “yum yum slaw”. Although it might look like a Big Mac, the only arches here will be your raised eyebrows as you tuck into this seriously delicious burger (bonus points if you can get through all of the layers in a single bite). This burger isn’t as rich as you might expect. The perfectly cooked shiitake mushroom adds a delicate earthiness to balance out the duck and the robust slaw. The venison, which has been rubbed with pastrami spices, takes everything to that next level of extravagance. Here are some of the other top-shelf burgers, cocktails and menus that have caught my eye: Taking the crown for most expensive burger this year at $29 is Muse Eatery & Bar’s The BBW, but with a Wairarapa wagyu beef patty you know what you’re forking out for. Pan de Muerto pits Mexico against New Zealand for its manuka-smoked lamb’s cheek burger with barbeque adobo, guacamole and chipotle beetroot slaw.  This one carries a price tag of $27, but it sounds like it’s worth every cent. The Hideaway’s Burning Forest cocktail will set you back $36, but it promises to pack in a lot of bold smoky flavour in both the drink and its matching tapas. If you’re a fan of whisky and bacon, this is the cocktail for you. Coene’s Bar & Eatery 124 Conch Street cocktail features housemade butter pineapple rum, lime and agave. It’s already giving me island holiday vibes, but pairing it with smoked eel and pork fat croquettes makes it another Cocktail Wellington entry worth checking out. If you’re looking for a Dine Wellington menu to treat yourself with, check out the offerings from Afrika (they had me at “crocodile gumbo”); Capitol Bistro; Five and Dime (I’m keen for the almond gazpacho); Jano Bistro; Ortega Fish Shack & Bar and Zibibbo (last year’s VWOAP Award winner). These meals might snip the purse strings, but you’ll leave full in your tummy, heart and soul from the experience, and isn’t that what great food is all about? Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  Treat yo’self! Want to win a $100 voucher to Afrika or Coene’s Provisions, head to our Facebook page (closes 15 July). The post Footloose and fancy feeds appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Bed and breakfast…and lunch and dinner
      • Author: Chris Tse. One of my favourite things about Wellington is how compact it is – you can walk everywhere! – and within that compactness you’ll find endless options to eat, drink, and be Welly. This can come in handy if you’re an out-of-towner visiting during Visa Wellington On a Plate. If you’re staying in one of our many inner-city hotels, it means you won’t be far from your next meal or drink. In fact, you won’t have to venture far at all because you’re sure to find some Visa WOAP delights right in your hotel. Check in to your room, then check out the food and drinks on offer. Hotel restaurants sometimes get a bad rep, but Wellingtonians know that some of our city’s finest dining establishments can in fact be found in hotels. And when they join the VWOAP fun, that’s even more reason to visit them. I’ve already given you a sneak peek at what Hippopotamus Restaurant at the Museum Art Hotel is plotting this year, and perhaps you got a bit squeamish reading about The Portlander’s ballsy offal event in one of my previous blogs. Let’s have a look at how a couple of other hotel restaurants will be accommodating your nourishment needs. At One80 Restaurant & Lounge Bar, the stunning food won’t be the only thing on show. The restaurant sits on the 7th floor of the Copthorne Hotel, giving you sweeping views of Wellington’s harbour. One80’s chef Chetan Pangam was born in India, trained in France and has lived and worked in New Zealand for 15 years. This has all influenced his “modern Indian-French cuisine” – pairing traditional French cooking techniques with Indian spices and flavours. It’s sophisticated Indian food with a French twist. Every time Chetan returns to India, he’s amazed with the refinement and growth of Indian food yet chefs there still acknowledge rustic values. His Dine Wellington menu for One80 incorporates ingredients like masala spices, chakra phool and paan jelly. One80 will also be hosting an eight-course Bollywood Degustation, which promises to be a very colourful event filled with great food, film clips and music to get you dancing the night away. Chetan is also hoping to match each course with an appropriate soundtrack, reflecting the regional differences in Indian cuisine and culture. Local suppliers and producers will also be on hand to talk about their products, so you’ll get to know the people behind the ingredients that you’ll be enjoying. While it’s not compulsory, guests are encouraged dress up to make the night even more of a party. Down at the other end of town, executive chef Maclean Fraser will be at Artisan Dining House at the Bolton Hotel. The Bolton is fiercely proud of its independent status and place in Wellington’s history, something that it will celebrate during VWOAP. Your Key to a Suite Wellington Journey is billed as a “cocktail function with a difference”. An entire floor of the hotel will be blocked off for this relaxed and casual affair, and guests will be invited to explore the rooms, each showcasing Wellington through its food, beer, wine, and art. It’ll all culminate on the top floor with a high tea dessert. Maclean says that Wellingtonians are already food savvy and adventurous eaters, but VWOAP can be a chance to push boundaries a little more and introduce diners to the likes of lamb’s head and duck livers. He’s passionate about using good quality ingredients from ethical and sustainable sources over more “high-end”, supposedly superior choices.  For Maclean it’s all about quality – Artisan doesn’t purport to be fine dining, but instead focuses on serving fantastic food with personality and creativity. “Trust the chef,” he says, “like you would a doctor, or a mechanic.” The Bolton’s sold out event Bypass the Bin will give leftovers and perishables a second life instead of binning them, and they invite you all to put on the Ritz for its 1920s throwback A Little Party Never Killed Nobody. The Intercontinental Hotel’s Lobby Lounge will keep those energy levels up for strolling our compact capital with High Coffee. Their restaurant, Chameleon, has truffle fries, artichoke risotto and chocolate fondant gracing their Dine Wellington menu, and their “Cool Breeze” Cocktail Wellington will be a much-needed splash of summer for winter. CQ Hotels will also celebrate a slice of local history with People’s Palace, a Wellington-themed four-course lunch complete with live bands and gramophones. The Colour Purpose will take you over the rainbow for a meal where colour plays a major role. Wellingtonians, ditch your usual black and grey wardrobe and dress up suitably for this kaleidoscopic event. CQ’s Dine Wellington menu is also available in New Zealand Sign Language, lending new meaning to the term “the hand that feeds”. You won’t have to resort to hunger thanks to these other hotels and their restaurants’ Dine Wellington menus: Abel Tasman Hotel – Bistro 169 Amora Hotel – The Grill at the Amora Hotel James Cook – Sojourn Cafe & Bar Ibis Wellington – Vivant! Restaurant & Bar The Thorndon Hotel by Rydges – The Glasshouse Restaurant & Bar Trinity Hotel – The Arborist Rootop Bar & Eatery Wellesley Boutique Hotel West Plaza Hotel – City Dining and Bar So whether you’ve spent a packed day traipsing around Wellington as a foodie tourist or you’ve decided to splurge on a staycation, doesn’t a short lift ride to dinner sound like just the ticket for a relaxing but delicious night in? Try a one-stop shop for your VWOAP getaway. Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  The post Bed and breakfast…and lunch and dinner appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Additional event dates released
      • This just in! With so much interest in our Festival Events, we’ve pleaded with organisers and those who could have popped on another session for you to fit into your diary. These will be on sale from 2pm, Friday 24 June. More events to be added as they are announced, just keep checking back here! Further capacity has also been allocated for the existing High Coffee and Not Your Grandmother’s Tea Party. Don’t forget there’s more where these came from with plenty of tickets still available for some great events. So go on. Get involved! EVENT NEW DATE/TIME TICKETS RELEASED A Little Party Never Killed Nobody 20 August 6pm 60 Craft Chocolate and Soda Night 24 August 6:30pm 20 Drink The Dresses 16 August 5pm 72 L’arte di mangiare bene 28 August 12noon 16 Moments of ‘Bliss’ 25 August 11:30am 19 Poneke Coffee Beer Degustation 20 August 6:30pm 60 The Beanery: Speciality Coffee 101 12 August 2:30pm 15 Umami Origami 23 August 7pm 44   The post Additional event dates released appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

    • Doing it for the kids
      • Author: Chris Tse. Some of my most treasured childhood memories are of helping my grandmother in the kitchen, from pressing dough for her famous baos to wrapping hundreds of wontons. That’s where I first learned to love and appreciate cooking, and how anyone can create something that can bring joy to others. There are a number of Visa Wellington On a Plate events that will introduce kids (and their parents) to all aspects of food, from growing vegetables to baking, with plenty of opportunities to taste and eat along the way. Carrello del Gelato’s Visa WOAP event It’s A Sweet Life, gives kids the chance to see how gelato and sorbet are made. I needed some kids to take with me, so I borrowed my good friend and parenting blogger Emily Writes’ son Eddie and roped in Eddie’s friend Kōwhai, who was easily swayed by the prospect of dessert for lunch (let’s face it – most adults would be too). The two of them bounded into Carrello’s Oriental Parade shop, ready to get stuck into some gelato and sorbet. But first, we had to make it. “What’s the very first thing we do before we start making food?” asked Carrello founder Nathan Meyer. Eddie and Kōwhai erupted into giggles, screaming “SUGAR!” I glanced over at Emily, who shot me a “you asked for this” look and slinked off to get coffee. For the next hour (after washing our hands and donning funky blue hairnets), Nathan and his daughter Evie took us through the process of how they make Carrello’s award-winning gelato and sorbet. Eddie and Kōwhai were entranced throughout, and they got to help at every step of the way. There was chocolate to taste, stuff to pour and mix, and buttons to push. I pulled rank at one point to have a go with the industrial mixing wand. Sorry kids, but Uncle Chris needs to go first for, uh, research. And then there was the good stuff at the end – dessert! We made enough for us all to take home tubs of luscious, silky chocolate gelato and incredible feijoa sorbet. And the kids’ verdict? “This was the best day ever!”, said Eddie. “I’m going to eat this all today!” exclaimed Kōwhai, cradling her newly acquired tub of gelato. Kids will also be kept busy in Kids Learn, Lunch and Munch, Hosted by One80 Restaurant’s executive chef Chetan Pangam, who is a firm believer that kids be introduced to the kitchen at an early age. Chetan’s six-year-old son often helps with cooking and has talked about being his sous chef one day. He’s even got the beginnings of his own knife set to get him there! Chetan has run various events with kids in the past, including at his son’s school, to teach them about healthy eating and kitchen skills. For Kids Learn, Lunch and Munch, junior chefs (aged 7–12) will get stuck into some very hands-on activities, including making gnocchi and a Bombe Alaska. Their parents will join them for lunch afterwards, where they can show off the dishes they’ve had a hand in creating. Older aspiring chefs (aged 14–20) can put their culinary skills to the test in Cook Off Against the Clock. This fast-paced competition, a mash-up of Masterchef and Jamie’s 30-Minute Meals, will have contestants replicating dishes that they’ve just been shown. It won’t be your run-of-the-mill dish like spag bog either – these culinary challenges will separate the wannabe boasters from the kitchen stars of tomorrow. There will even be the added pressure of an audience, as friends and family will be watching the tension build from the next room behind a glass partition. In A Taste of Old: Pioneer Cooking for Kids, we’re going back to basics – like, pre-electricity basics (hashtag ‘in the olden days’). All the ingredients for this interactive event will be gathered from the garden or made from scratch, including the flour and butter! Learning about how our food is produced is also a focus of Together We Grow, an inspiring garden-to-table lunch at Epuni Primary School, where Common Unity Project Aotearoa has been working with students and volunteers to establish and tend a ‘Unity Garden’. The project aims to teach the community new skills and foster social sustainability. A fab event for the whole family (and Thunderbirds fans) is Thunderbirds Are Hungry, which takes its inspiration from the classic 60s series and its modern remake, which is filmed right here in Wellington. You’ll be given a behind-the-scenes look at the models and miniatures used in the series (the detail will surprise and amaze you) and meet the clever people who make them. Afterwards, you’ll tuck into a 60s-style Pacific feast prepared by the Park Road Post chefs, including cookies to ice for the kids and mocktails for the adults. Don’t stand by for action – Thunderbirds say go book your tickets now! Chris has the hard task of eating, drinking, previewing and reviewing the tasty menus, events, burgers and cocktails as our official Visa WOAP! Festival Blogger.  Be in to win!  Win a Carrello package! 2 large pizzas, 4 drinks and 4 gelato – have a day out with the family and keep everyone happy. Enter to win. The post Doing it for the kids appeared first on Visa Wellington on a Plate.

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