Laura and I love a good icy drink at our favourite cafes, and as summer is coming (one day!) it’s time to look at where in Wellington you can get a great ice coffee! In this review we cover six popular cafes and give you the low-down on which serves the best ice coffee!

Parade Cafe

Cost: $5.50
Rating: 7.5/10
Comment: Tastes good, but expensive!

Peter : The Parade Cafe is a great spot on Wellington’s waterfront. On a fine day it’s a pleasant walk from the centre of town and after a coffee or a bite to eat you can enjoy a stroll along the harbour (and end up having an ice cream at Kaffee Eis, Bonus!). Parade Cafe is known for its good food and great patio space, so we thought it a good idea to examine their ice coffee in detail.

Laura: I’ve always thought Parade’s Ice coffee was unique. They only use honey to sweeten it (or so I’d like to think). They swirl the honey all around the inside of the glass, which looks great and tastes nice and rich. Yes it’s expensive for just a glass of ice coffee, but I’d like to think of it as a gourmet ice coffee. Not your usual, coffee mix with milk and sugar and ice or ice cream. Although..I couldn’t really taste the coffee, either they didn’t put enough coffee in it, or maybe the taste of the honey was just too strong, so it over powers the coffee. But I still love it! One refreshing drink on a hot sunny day, oh and it doesn’t taste too fattening too! I think I’ll put this ice coffee in my “guilt free” list because I think it’s one lite ice coffee (although I know it’s not, but let’s just keep it quiet shall we? =P )

Peter: Parade often does things a little differently, and this is true with their ice coffee. There is no lump of ice cream and it’s sweetened with honey. I like this ice coffee, it’s a little different from what you’ll get elsewhere in Wellington, but it is very, very sweet! And the coffee taste isn’t strong - which can be a good thing, or a bad thing, depending on your point of view. I do appreciate the ice coffee not being swamped with a lump of ice cream, which for me takes away a lot of the point of an ice coffee, so it gets bonus marks from me for that. A good solid performer, well done Parade!

Espressoholic

Cost: $4.50
Rating: 9/10
Comment: Creamy, tasty, great price!

Peter: I have a love-hate relationship with Espressoholic. On the one hand it’s really conveniently located in the middle of town, but on the other hand it tends to be loud and this can make it hard to have a conversation in . Then again, it does some of the nicest cakes around, but I don’t exactly find it a ‘relaxing’ place to enjoy your treats! I’m so conflicted! So, it was with trepidation I went in with Laura to try out their ice coffee. What would I do if they served up the best in town? If I wanted a relaxing Sunday afternoon with an drink and a magazine, Espressoholic wouldn’t be my first choice, but buying an ice coffee anywhere else would feel wrong if theirs was the best. I lead a difficult, challenging life, as you can see.

Laura: difficult challenging life?….er not. Ignore that last part of Pete’s comment..his life is not difficult but he’s fussy haha! I kinda disagree with Pete when it comes to Espressoholic. Yes it’s loud and noisy sometimes, but I think the place is quite cosy. It’s not posh and it’s not the neatest looking cafe in Wellington. But…it has it’s own style, it’s grungy, casual and I like looking at the posters and flyers posted on the walls. I do agree with Pete on one thing tho, they have yummy cakes! And I like the way they design the tables and the painting on the outside wall, very creative!

Peter: The ice coffee looked challenging when it arrived. The coffee was sunk at the bottom, the milk on top. The first job, therefore, was to stir the coffee and thus get a nicely mixed drink. This seems a little bit annoying as the glass was very full and it’s so easy to make a mess and send ice coffee everywhere! On the other hand, the visual effect was pretty neat looking. Egad, conflicted again! Well, I managed to stir the coffee while Laura watched carefully, ready to tell me off if I spilled coffee everywhere.

The taste test went very well. Laura reckons they use frozen milk (or nearly-frozen) which they blend up before adding to the coffee. The result is a creamy, rich drink with a light sweetness and a full coffee flavour. Of all the ice coffee we drank it had the best coffee taste, but without being too bitter or overpowering when you’re looking for something refreshing. The frozen milk technique seems to provide the lovely creamy texture unique to Espressoholic’s ice coffee and set it head and shoulders above the competition, especially at the $4.50 price tag, among the cheapest we sampled.

Laura: Espressoholic does use frozen milk for their ice coffee, and I think that’s a wonderful idea! It makes the drink more enjoyable and you don’t have to worry about the taste becoming blah after a while as ice melts and makes the drink loose its original flavour. The way they present the ice coffee is interesting too, with coffee down the bottom and milk on top of it, it reminds me of ying and yang, the good and the bad. Although neither coffee or milk is bad, but I’d like to think of it as coffee is the one with the bitter taste and milk is sweet and it balances out the bitterness of the coffee, so both of them combine together makes a good combination. Oh by the way, Pete did pretty well in stirring the coffee, well done Pete, if he spilled just a bit of it, my oh my, he’d be in big trouble haha!

Fidel’s

Cost: $5.00
Rating: 7/10
Comment: Generous and tasty.

Peter: Fidel’s is a haunt I’ve enjoyed for a while. It’s funky and cool and the food and drink are always great. If you haven’t heard of Fidel’s you probably don’t live in Wellington, but if you ever visit, just head up to the top of Cuba Street and you’ll find it there. They usually have a great selection of cafe food and cakes as well as a fairly extensive menu to order from. Their post-Lord of the Rings popularity (the place was a favourite with some of the stars too, I believe) hasn’t dulled their edge and it was with excitement I looked forward to the ice coffee.

Laura: Fidel’s has always been one of Pete’s fave cafe, so of course we couldn’t skip this cafe. I must admit I’ve only started going to Fidel’s regularly when I started going out with Pete. I’ve been there before, but only for dinner. When I first entered Fidel’s, I thought the place was very packed & small (I only went thru the main entrance and straight to the back). Then I found out that they have more spaces next door, which used to be a barber shop. They haven’t changed the name on the window which explained why I saw people eating at a barbershop and none of them getting their hair cut!

Peter: The ice coffee is a generous serving (like much of what you get at Fidel’s) and looks great in the glass. Lots of marshmallows on top is appreciated - if you don’t like them you can always dunk them in a friend’s coffee, which is a quick way to get in someone’s good books I find (*looking at Laura*). Anyway, the taste was good and the drink made of the usual mix of coffee, ice cream and milk that seems to be standard around here. Again, I’m not big fan of ice cream in my coffee, the vanilla starts to dominate the taste too much for me, but Laura enjoyed it.

Laura: I like the way Fidel’s present their ice coffee, I think it’s pretty! With marshmallows on top (I don’t know why Pete mentioned my name there, since he’s the one who always ate all the marshmallows) and the type of glass they use it’s very attractive. The flavour of the ice coffee however, wasn’t that special to me. It’s just another ice coffee, yes it’s nice, but nothing that really differs it from any other ice coffee. Still it’s something that I’ll definitely order again the next time I need a nice cold drink from Fidel’s, especially since they put one scoop of vanilla ice cream in the ice coffee! Yummy ^_^

Mr Bun

Cost: $4.50
Rating: 6/10
Comment: Cheap and Cheerful

Peter: Mr Bun is a ‘budget’ chain of cafes in Wellington with a shop on Cuba mall and another on the corner of Courtney Place and Taranaki Street. They serve up coffee, drinks and the usual assortment of pies, cakes, brunch and lunch items. The food and drinks are usually good quality, if fairly boring by Wellington standards, but you can usually rely on Mr Bun for a good value snack or meal.

Laura: Mr Bun has always been my mum’s and sis’s fave place, especially the one in the corner of Taranaki & Courtenay. They like the comfy couches and people watching while enjoying their drinks. They do have a good range of food and drinks, but to me they’re just another cafe, and more of an extended bakery than anything special you would seek out. Mr Bun reminds me a lot of the bakeries in Asia, where they are usually a bakery and cafe joined into one.

Peter: I was pleasantly surprised with this ice coffee. It was in a nice tall glass with a big dollop of whipped cream on the top, as well as a nice dusting of chocolate and a chocolate covered coffee bean. The rest of the coffee was cool and milky but with ice diluting the flavour somewhat. I don’t think anyone would be disappointed with this offering and the price is reasonable. That being said, there’s nothing really special about it and the ice does get annoying. Well, to picky old me, at least!

Laura: Ice coffee has always been my mum’s and sis’s fave drink at Mr Bun. I can say this is their “must” order drink every time they go to Mr Bun. I do think the taste of the ice coffee is not bad, I think it’s just the same like any other ice coffee, and it can be a bit tasteless sometimes. And they put too much whipped cream I think! mind you I’m not a big fans of whipped cream. This ice coffee is not something that I’d recommend to anyone, it’s not bad but it’s not something that you’ll miss either.

Deluxe

Cost: $4.50
Rating: 6/10 or 8/10?!
Comment: So many treats!

Peter: Deluxe is a cafe with its own quirky style that has been a favourite of Wellingtonians for years. It is funky, relaxed and full of interesting customers and it’s location next door to the Embassy cinema at the end of Courtney Place makes it great for people watching.

Laura: I’ve never really noticed this cafe to be honest. I know it’s there but never really made me curious enough to go there. Walked past it so many times and I’ve noticed it’s busy most of the time, but I always thought it’s too small and the decor never really attract me. It is a relaxing place, and yes like Pete says it has its own quirky style..but location wise, I don’t think it’s a great place for people watching

Peter: The ice coffee presented was the most ‘accessorized’ of the ones we tried, with no less than a chocolate marshmallow, a biscuit wafer thingy and some marshmallows thrown into the mix. I was pretty excited by all of this, as for the price, there were a lot of little treats on offer! The ice coffee was pleasant, following the standard mix already described, but I was very much taken with the range of little extras thrown at the customer. It’s nice surprises like this that make you want to go back for more. Well done Deluxe, great ice coffee and our second place pick!

In Conclussion…

It looks like Espressoholic is the winner! Clearly the most delicious coffee and we applaud them trying something a little different with their approach to this classic cafe cooler. Go out and try one yourself and let us know what you think.

Laura: Pete is one of the most difficult people in the world! I had difficulties trying to find him a birthday present, so after much consideration and lots of thinking, I decided to take him to a nice dinner. After doing some research on many restaurants in Wellington, I finally decided on The Ambeli. I’ve read reviews about this restaurant, and none of those reviews were bad, and it made me so curious, I just had to try it myself. Ok..ok..treating Pete to a nice dinner maybe sounds like an excuse now since I was the one who was curious about the restaurant, but hey in the end, Pete and I had a nice evening and my curiosity was satisfied!

Peter: Laura kept me in the dark about where we were going until the last minute, which was good fun and it was a nice surprise to turn up at The Ambeli. I’d not heard of it, or been there, but it looked like a classy joint and Laura had told me it had great reviews. And as for me being difficult!? Never?! I’m the essence of simplicity!

Laura: I made the reservation for 7 pm, and I arrived with high expectations for the restaurant. Not just for the food and wine, but also for the atmosphere and the service. We were greeted by very friendly wait staff who took us upstairs and seated us at a corner table by the window. He dimmed the lighting which made the room feel warm and romantic. The place was very nice, seems like it was an old house turned into a restaurant.

Peter: Yes, the restaurant is very attractively laid out and decorated and the waiter was very friendly and fun. After some chit chat, and overheard conversations, we figured this was “Shay” who, from what we’ve read, owns the place, or manages, or is in someway deeply involved in the running. Anyway, this was pretty clear from the get-go really, he had a real passion for the food and wine and clearly loved his job and serving up top quality food to happy guests!

Laura: After a long browse and much consideration of their menu, (from which I was so tempted to order every single dish listed) I finally decided on the Seared Tuna, Shaved Fennel and Tapenade for my entrée, and since I’m not a wine expert, I asked the waitress to recommend me a suitable wine. The Tuna was sooo delicious, I like how the well cooked part (the seared edge) is very tasty and the Tapenade really complimented it, salty and savoury but not overpowering the Tuna. The waitress brought my wine which was recommended by Shay, and it was very nice, lite, flowery and had very nice smell. Both Peter and I ordered from the “old world” wine list, veering away from our usual Kiwi wine preference.

Peter: I decided on the riccotta with focaccia for the entrée, and it was light and succulent and came with a sweet, minty bean mash thing. At first glance the thin slices of focaccia were rather slim and small looking, but they were just perfectly toasted and complimented the riccotta nicely. The bean mash was surprisingly delicious and added a little zing, complementing the ‘cleanness’ of the chesse and bread perfectly. Considering I had two more courses to go, I was quite happy with the dish. A lovely entrée to a great meal! I can’t remember which wine I ordered but it was an old world Spanish wine with similarities to a Riesling. An excellent suggestion by the wait staff.

Laura: For the main I ordered the Pan-Roasted “Sweetbriar” Lamb Shortloin, Eggplant Relish, Onion Chickpea Fritter & Beetroot Tzatziki. Again this dish really impressed me. The presentation was interesting. The fritter was located in between the lamb and the beetroot and eggplant. I didn’t know what “Sweetbriar” meant until the waitress kindly explained that the lamb doesn’t eat lowland grass like any other lambs, but is instead from a high station where herbs and wildflowers are common fodder. Maybe the best way to describe it is that it’s posh lamb! And boy oh boy did those lambs were really well taken after, the meat was so tender and juicy. I’m not really a big fan of lamb, because of the smell and peculiar strong taste. But this lamb was so delicious, it was very well cooked, and althought there was still a slight peculiar taste it wasn’t that strong. The taste was more like it’s just there just to indicate that it’s lamb.

The combination of the lamb, eggplant and beetroot together was just heavenly. Not to mention the fritter was also tasty! I’m a big fan of fried food, but usually what makes me like fried food, apart from the fact that it’s crunchy, is also the spices that they put in the mixture. But this fritter was different, I think whatever spices they put in the fritter was just right. The texture was very nice too, not too crunchy with a little bit of a doughy texture. All in all, I gave this dish a 10! Again for the wine, I asked the waitress to recommend me something nice, and she recommended me a Te Mata Pinot Noir, and I have to say I’m officially in love with this wine. It’s so full of flavour, but delicate and it’s one of the best Pinot I’ve ever tasted, actually I’ll say it’s the best Pinot I’ve ever tasted. I’m not so much of a Pinot lover, but that wine was just so nice.

Peter: For my main I ordered the Chargrilled Angus Beef Fillet, Braised Cavolo-Nero, Leek & Parmesan Polenta Cake, Salsa Verde & Jus. The dish looked great when it arrived, there was good sized piece of steak (when one may not expect a lot at a fancy restaurant like this) with a triangle of polenta cake, both smothered with some salsa verde. The steak was delicious, tender, tasty and rich, and well complimented with the polenta and salsa. Very fine! Even better, Laura ordered a side of roast rosemary potatoes for us to share and they were perfect. Crunchy little golden balls of delight is perhaps the better way to describe them and they were perfect for mopping up the delicious jus!

Laura: Finally, the best and most important dish…yes, it’s the dessert! I’d read some good reviews on the chocolate velvet and the brownies, it was a bit of a dillema for me between these two, because both of them contain chocolate!! And I’m quite a chocoholic. Finally, I made up my mind and decided to go with the chocolate velvet, and I really didn’t regret it. The dish was comprised of three small bowls. One contained the dark chocolate mousse infused with a little bit of coffee, one contained the brandied muscatel raisins and I think this last one was ricotta, or maybe cream (sorry but I was too busy eating I totally forgot to memorise the menu). If you only eat the chocolate mousse alone, you’ll think that it’s way too rich, but combine these three together, oh boy oh boy, it feels like you’ve gone to heaven (or maybe because I’d drank too much wine explained how I felt!). Speaking of which, for this course I had a glass of yummy sweet Lustau Pedro Ximenz sherry. The sherry and the dessert were just a perfect pair!

Peter: I must admit I was a little bit jealous of Laura’s dessert, not that mine wasn’t good, but I do really love chocolate mousse! Instead of the mousse, I ordered the rhubarb jellly with cream, toasted walnuts and caramel. It was very tasty, with the jelly being light and slightly sweet (but not sickly, which was great) and the whipped cream, nuts and caramel adding the sweetness the jelly needed. Altogether the ingredients came combined to produce a refreshing and tasty dessert! For my drink I ordered the noble pinot noir they were offering. The name of the vineyard escapes me, but it was sweet and succulent as one would hope, and although not a natural partner to this particular desert, was still very enjoyable.

Laura: To sum up the whole thing, the meal, the service, the place, not to forget the wines..I’d give The Ambeli 10/10. I’d definetely come again next time! Although we ended up spending $200 for the meal and wines, I think it was well worth it. I’d definetely recommend this place if you want to splurge and have a nice relaxing, romantic evening, or even just for a good nite out with your friends and family. Well done The Ambeli, you’re officially one of my fave restaurants in Wellington!

Peter: Thanks for a lovely night out and birthday present Laura! I think you might officially be the best girlfriend ever!

Laura: Sad but true..as of 28 October ‘07, Wakefield Market is closed for good. The building is going to be made into a fancy apartment by Watermark, and I guess Wakefield Market just doesn’t fit Watermark’s image…

Brief news on the food stalls’ owners’ plans: I spoke to the people from Lion King stall, about their plans for the future, and they are going to take a break for now, at least for this year. However, they are looking for a place to open up their own restaurant, under the same name of course, but this won’t happen until next year at least. As for the Japanese food stall, the owner is thinking of opening up her own place too, but this is not certain yet. The guy who cooks at the Chinese food stall (next to the bubble tea stall) is going to become the cook at Asian Kitchen, which is located at Victoria St. I wish I had more info about the other food stalls, but I was just too busy feeling sad, thinking that I wouldn’t be able to have the nice Singapore Fried Noodle and Mee Hoon Goreng from Lion City any more!

On their last week, I went to Wakefield Market on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and willingly waited for 1 hour for my food. *sigh* what I do for good food! Crazy I know but I loved the food at Lion City so much. Anyway if you have any info on the other food stalls’ plans or if you know anything more than what I have stated here, please update me.

Thank you Wakefield Market for providing me with good food for the past nine years (that’s how long I’ve been living in Wellington). Farewell to you, and I do wish the food stalls owners luck with whatever they’re planning to do in the future.

Right, I better stop being so cheesy now..That’s it from me, feel free to write comments about Wakefield Market here and don’t be afraid of being cheesy!!!!

Peter: Don’t worry folks. I’ll give Laura a biiiggg hug to keep her smiling!

Peter: The Crossings Festival is a yearly celebration of South Asian food and culture held at various places in Wellington. On Saturday, Laura and I went to the TSB Bank Arena where there was the promise of tasty Indian food! We were not disappointed.

Laura: Unlike Peter who’s easily satisfied, I’m actually a little bit disappointed with the festival. Maybe I just didn’t read the flyer thoroughly, but I was expecting there’d be dancing and other things at the festival apart from food. (Although food is my main reason for being there =p). It just felt weird going into TSB Bank Arena, and it was nearly empty. Only 1/4 of the place was filled with food stalls on the half of both sides. And one big stage with band equipment, and about 20 round tables and chairs so people can enjoy the food. I was expecting the festival to be colourful, with lots of activities like how festivals should be, and usually Indian Festival is the most cheerful festival amongst any other festivals.

Peter: I’m not that easily satisfied! Well, anyway, there were a few less stalls than I expected, mostly the place was set up for the concert later that night so there wasn’t a lot of room for food stalls. Even so, there was some great nibbles to try. First I picked up a mango lassi, I love that stuff! It was quite tasty, with a hint of what I think was aniseed. It was a little different, but still quite tasty.

Next we tried a fried spicy potato ball that was placed in a bun and lathered with a nice sharp green chutney. It was a nice, strong, sharp taste that we both enjoyed.

Laura: I like the flavour of the green chutney, I think it must be made out of coriander, a bit of green chilli, and a bit of yoghurt or something sour. The green chutney really compliments the fried potato curry. It’s nice but I think it’s still a bit dry, could use a bit more sauce.

Peter: Yeah, more sauce would have been good, but even so, it was nice! Then came the best bite of the day! A delicious construction that went by the name of a kathi kebab. Essentially it is an Indian version of the traditional Middle Eastern kebab, but with a bit of a twist. The flat bread is dipped in egg that has been mixed up with coriander (we thought) and then quickly fried. The bread is then loaded with a chicken curry mix (thick and dark, not watery, thank goodness!) and a little salad and some yoghurt. The bread is then wrapped up and served like a traditional kebab. It was delicious! The bread was distinctly eggy and the meat spicy and tasty in its thick gravy. After we finished our shared kebab, Laura and I wanted more, more MORE! But, we held off, instead, I went and had a chat to the owner about his food.

Laura: I only have one thing to say about Kathi Kebab: DELICIOUS! I really like the taste of the bread dipped in egg. I hope they sell it in Wellington more, it’ll definitely be one of my fave food!

Peter: Turns out Naan Plus, the family selling the Kebab only do events and catering, the gentleman making the stuff explained that he cooked for a hobby as good Indian food was a passion of his. Well, on their suggestion I gave them my email and they promised to mail when they are out and about cooking and catering. I know Laura and I will be keeping a careful eye out for more Kebabs!

Laura: Next I decided to try this fried dough with a combination of potato curry and lentil curry, I had the option of chosing one curry or combination of both, so I chose both. It looked like curry burger, but instead of using buns they use the crispy fried dough. It’s nice but very messy, and I think the dough was oily and at the same time it’s dry too. After this one I decided that’s it enough Indian food for the day, too much curry and I better stop before I started dancing around like those bollywood actors!

Peter: Aww, I think you might look good in a Sari! But yeah, the curry thing was nice, although I think it would have been so much better if it was hot too. Cold or luke-warm curry can seem a bit heavy! Even so, quite nice, but I agreed, after that it was enough curry for one day. I’m sure we’ll be back next year and definitely we’ll be hunting more kathi kebab in future!

I was so excited when I found out the date for the Food Show (May 2007). I think you will known by now that I’m crazy about food (not good for my figure but well….). But, the Food Show has always been one of my fave events in Wellington. I was so sad when I missed this event last year, so this year I made sure I didn’t miss it. I even made up my mind, I’d go to this thing with or without a companion. And since Pete was away, I was really prepared to go alone. But my friends decided to join me. So on a lovely Saturday, we all went to the Food Show, on empty stomach of course!

We got there around 11.30, the first stall that I saw was Bakels stall, they had some cookies as samples. And boy oh boy, for a gluten free product, it’s great! So great, I even bought the baking mix, let’s just hope it’ll turn out as great as that sample when I bake it. The whole day was just full of eating, from cookies, chocolates from Cadburry and Whittakers, crackers and dips from various vendors, jams, sausages, tea, wine, spices, breakfast bars, cereals/muesli, and many more. It was a pure food heaven.

By the end of the day, I had too much to eat, my tummy was ready to explode (I don’t think that’s possible but that’s how I felt). I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegarette from Prenzel, which is my fave dressing and it’s also nice to be eaten with bread. I also bought Bakels cookie mix, which I will try to make sometimes soon. Strawberry Jam from Annathoth’s which I reckon is one of the best jams ever, it’s not too sweet. Some biscuits, some Mediterranean dips of Sweet chili and cashew nuts (yummyyyyyyy). Green tea from China White Ltd, it’s so refreshing, and not too sweet at all. I also tried the yummy Margarita and Pina Colada from Ice Republic, this is sad but I kept on going back to their stall just to get another sample of Margarita haha.

I highly recommend you food lovers to go to the Food Show next year. Not only is it worth every cent of your money because of all the yummy samples they provided, but also, you get to try some new exciting food that you might have been wanting, but too scared to try. So see you all at the Food Show next year ^_^

Peter: Half way up Aro Valley there’s a nice little cluster of shops, which include Aro Cafe, a great place to stop and watch people go by on a sunny day. Laura and I ended up here after going to the Aro Valley Fair. Fair? Well, more like whatever a few of the locals could scrape off their floor, throw on a table, and stick a price label to. But even if the fair was a bit of a disappointment the cafe turned out to be a nice place to stop and have a bite.

Laura: So much for a fair…I was sooo disappointed when we got to the fair and only found what looked like a small gathering of the people of Aro Valley. It looked like Aro Valley Garage Sale rather than a fair.

But…my disappointment was soon recovered after we found this nice little cafe. The place was buzzing when we got there, we managed to land a table outside. It was quite a warm day, so I was glad we got to sit outside.

Peter: I had this tasty breakfast panini thing and a latte. The panini contained egg, bacon and some tomato from memory and it was nicely made and quite tasty. It was a reasonable price too, so I think I chose well. The coffee was excellent, and well made by the Barista. I think I’m starting to get a bit snobby when it comes to coffee, I enjoy my coffee well made, that is; not burnt, rich in flavour, well fluffed milk and in a good portion! Thankfully, Aro Cafe delivers and it’s worth a visit. Enjoy sitting out watching people wander past and then perhaps pick up a loaf of bread and a sweet treat from the bakery opposite. An excellent start to any weekend I think!

Laura: I decided to try this funny looking pastry thing, which somehow I just can’t remember the name of it. It has chicken and mushroom and cheese filling (at least I remember that bit). When I got my food, I thought the presentation was too plain, not appealing at all. I was expecting they’ll put a little bit of salad on the side, or at least just serve it on a smaller plate. However…..I won’t complain about the taste of it, it’s delicious! Soon after I tasted this weird looking thing (do feel free to tell me if you know the name of it) I forgot about the presentation of the food.

For a small cafe in Aro Valley  it seemed to be doing pretty well. I saw some other food on the menu and display that I’d like to try. So I’m definitely coming back here someday, and I think I’ll do it soon!!

Laura: When I first came to NZ, many years ago, my parents’ friends brought me to this food hall market. From the outside the market looks old and a bit run down. There was only a small sign of the place which indicated that they sell food in there, unlike now, where they have a big sign saying ethnic food stalls. When you enter the place, you can smell food, glorious food!! well Asian food mostly…The smell that will stick on you if you stay for a bit too long, and that’s one thing I kinda dislike about this place. I smell like food every time I eat there, but this doesn’t stop me from going, the food they sell is good!

Peter: I’d only ever walked through the Wakefield Market (it’s opposite my flat) but never stopped and eaten there. It was Laura who prompted me to stop in this rather odd food hall. Compared to the usual food halls, where everything is fairly uniform and large brands compete for space, the Wakefield Market is small, with little unique stalls providing a good variety of food. The tables and chairs are a mix of styles, and mostly they work too! You’d be forgiven for thinking that the place is dirty, it’s not, it’s just a bit old!

But none of that is important if the food is good, and fortunately, the food is good, and it’s cheap! There’s a range of stalls, from Indian, Malaysian, Singaporean, Chinese, Japanese, Mexican and so on. My favourite is the Japanese stall with it’s “Tama”, and Laura seems quite obsessed with Lion City and their noodles and Grass Jelly Tea!

Laura: Lion City has always been my fave since I first landed my feet at this place. It is owned by a very nice couple, I think they’re from Singapore…assuming from the name of the place. I have two fave dishes here, their “Singaporean Fried Noodle “and “Fried Mee Hoon”. What I love about the dishes from Lion City is they really taste like home cooked meals. The dishes are simple, they don’t look fancy, but they taste good! They also have grass Jelly drink, I can’t really explain what it is exactly, all I know is it’s good for you especially when you have a fever, it’s very soothing. They also have very tasty bean curd and soy bean milk, yummm ^_^

Peter: For lunch I find a pile of rice and noodles a little too much, so my favourite place is “Moshi Moshi”, the Japanese stall. There they make something I’d never tried before, tama. Tama is a sort of omelette made out of bean sprouts, egg, milk, flour (I think) and cabbage and a selection of ingredients such as bacon and mushrooms, or corn, or cheese, etc. Served covered with Japanese mayonnaise and BBQ sauce, you end up with a great tasting, light, yet filling snack or meal. And for $5.50, the snack size suits me for lunch perfectly!

Laura: Although every time I go this place I always order something from Lion City, my mum and sis seemed to be more adventurous than me. They’ve tried the Chinese Food stall next to the Bubble Tea stall, their fave is the Mee Goreng. To me, the taste is just ok, but the BBQ pork that goes with it, yummmmm. The best in Wellington I’ll say..well for Asian food anyway. I’ve triedd the Indian food once, the Murtabak was ok, not my fave. If you fancy some roast pork or roast duck, then you gotta try Tam’s BBQ, their meats are just delish. I also fancy the Thai food that’s located right at the Wakefield St entrance.

So one weekend, you should really go to this place and try the ethnic food they have to offer there. They only open weekends, some stalls open on Thursday too from 10-5. Be quick, I heard they’re only going to be there until the end of this year since that development of the nice fancy apartment is going to start soon!!!

Peter: Yup, Laura is right, get stuck in and try it out before they redevelop the place into the swanky new flats and offices that are going in. No doubt the market will not be a part of the completed development, it’s far too random and thrown-together to be part of a new ‘proper’ development, which is a shame. Don’t let the odd look of the place put you off, get stuck in to the food and then enjoy a nice walk along the waterfront, only a stone’s throw away.

Laura: I’m starting to think Peter can read minds, mine especially! So freaky…On Sunday, we were thinking on what to have for dinner, we had some places in mind but we couldn’t find a place to park around Courtenay Place. So we tried to think about other places to go to, somewhere that’s not in Courtenay Place. I thought about R&S but I remembered Peter told me that he went there once a while ago and he wasn’t pleased with the food, so I didn’t suggest it. About one minute later, Peter said “hey, why don’t we just go to R&S?”. How freaky was that? The other time was when we went to Oaks. I thought about it first, but I kinda thought nah maybe somewhere closer to Courtenay Place, then Peter suggested it!

Peter: I have zee sekret powers! It’s true! Mostly they are to do with eating food faster than Laura. But sometimes I guess a good place to eat before her. I’m either psychic, or we have one-track minds, you decide! Anyway, R&S is a place I used to visit regularly when I was a student but haven’t been to since I got back from the UK. It fell out of favour with me because the decor is a bit sterile (makes me feel cold in there!) and it’s half way up Cuba Street, so outside of my usual food hunting range. But after Laura mentioned it I remembered the food wasn’t too bad and perhaps I should give it another chance. Hence, I suggested it! Don’t tell Laura though, I prefer that she thinks I’m psychic.

Laura: R&S has always been my sister’s fave when she was here, she dragged me there every week, and sometimes she dragged me there twice a week. Anyway, we both decided to have the same meal last night, we both ordered combination fried noodle with extra egg. I only had beef in mine, and Peter had the usual pork, chicken and beef. I don’t mind chicken and beef, but I think the pork makes the dish taste a bit weird. I’ve always loved combination fried noodle, it’s tasty, it’s something I can’t cook at home (well..maybe I can but I’m just too lazy haha), and last night, the taste was just right! They usually serve this dish with chopped small green pickled chilies, nice and sour tasting. Me, being crazy about flavour, I always added a bit of soy sauce, or sometimes I just put it on the saucer and dip the beef on it, and as usual…I added chili powder and those pickled chilies, just to make it spicier.

Peter: Laura made an excellent recommendation. Those eggy noodles were delicious and I even took part in the pickled chilies (best prime a spoon first with a couple of them, then throw on a pile of noodles and so-on). Fantastic! It was one of the nicest noodle dishes I’ve had in a while, well done Laura! She deserves an extra pat on the head for this choice of main.

Laura: My other fave dish at R&S is the Satay Noodle Soup. Let me put it this way, if you like satay and if you like spicy stuff and you’re in the mood to eat something soupy..then this will be the right meal for you. I normally order this dish when the weather is cold. And, as usual, I add all the sauces provided on the table. I put a dash of lemon juice, a bit of pepper, a little bit of soy sauce and lots and lots of chili powder.

I highly recommend this place if you’re looking for good eats, with cheap price and filling. Oh..and try their fried ice cream, it’s yummy. I usually have either ice lemon or ice coffee with my meal, simply delish!

Peter: Laura and I needed a quick bite to eat before heading out dancing and so we agreed on going to an old favourite, Oaks Satay Noodle House, at the corner of Cuba Mall and Manners Mall. You’ll need to go upstairs to find it, but it’s worth it for a great selection of food at very reasonable prices!

Laura: Oaks has been one of my fave places to go in Wellington. The food is great, the price is very affordable, and so far I’ve never had to wait that long before for my food, no matter how busy they were.

My fave is this beef and vegetable on thick rice noodle and I usually add an extra fried egg on top. I love this dish, it’s tasty and colourful (because of the veggies they use). I usually add a bit of chili powder and chili sauce, and of course salt and pepper for my egg, and I eat the egg last. I also love the fried rice at Oaks, my fave are the combination fried rice and the curry fried rice. Depending on my mood, if I feel like having something spicy then I’ll order the curry fried rice, otherwise, it’ll be the combination fried rice with three types of meat on it, and cashew nuts. The other dish is the chicken on rice, but I usually change the rice into fried rice to make it more tasty.

Peter: I often grab the beef and vegetables with noodles for takeaway, it’s a tasty dish and great value, but this time I thought I would have something I can’t get takeaway. In the end I chose beef and meatball noodle soup, and was quite pleased with what I got. A generous bowl full of noodles and well supplied with meat and meatballs too! The broth was a little boring for my taste, but I understand that that’s a fairly standard feature of noodle soups. Thankfully, Oaks is one of those places which wisely provide a number of sauces on table, so with a slop of soy sauce and chili sauce and the soup was as spicy was I wanted.

Laura: I seriously thought Peter has gone mad when he added hoisin sauce in his soup! I can understand soy sauce, but hoisin sauce? Usually people put hoisin sauce on the side. Hoisin sauce is just like barbecue sauce, so imagine putting that sauce in your soup? However…I have to say, it didn’t taste that bad. It made the soup taste a bit sweet, but still it’s edible. But for me, it was still too sweet for the soup, I prefer it spicy.

Peter: Ha! I am full of surprises. There’s no point in doing what everyone else does! Frankly, I would happily add BBQ sauce to a light broth soup. Yum! Anyway, it was good to have that tasty, simple food and of course, I will be going back there again whenever my needs for cheap noodles need to be met!

Peter: For Valentine’s day I decided to surprise Laura and take her to a great French restaurant I heard of, Bistro Breton in Kelburn. I had been assured by a workmate that the place was a very romantic location for a couple such as ourselves, and that the food was excellent, combining rustic Bretonian French dishes with great presentation and taste.

So, on the big day we had a quick drink at the Backbencher in town before heading up to Kelburn. The place was easy enough to find and was attractively laid out. Service was friendly and the menu looked appetizing.

Laura: So much for Pete trying to surprise me, he gave up and told me where we’re going when we were having a drink at Backbencher haha. When we arrived at Bistro Breton, my first impression of the place was it’s such a nice, clean, pretty and cozy place. You know how some “clean” places can make you feel awkward, because it makes the place look formal? But this place was cozy, very romantic, and the lighting was just perfect. They had this guy playing guitar and singing in one corner, which made the of the Bistro romantic, and the waitresses were very friendly.

Peter: For our entree we agreed to share the pork sausage crepe. It was delicious! A huge savoury crepe with gravy, pork sausage and onions on it. At the side, a little salad. It was a good dish to share and would easily satisfy me for a lunch at another time. The sausage is made locally to the chef’s recipe and was delicious and well suited the rest of the dish.

Laura:I’ve never been an expert on sausages, and I’m a bit fusy when it comes down to meals that use pork as their main ingredients. I think it needs a special skill to cook pork, if one is not careful, pork can be very smelly. But this sausage was just perfect, the flavour was savoury and a little bit spicy. And you can just tell that the sausage is a good quality sausage, not just one of those sausages that you get from the supermarkets or butchers. The buckwheet pancake and the gravy really compliment the dish, I agree with Pete, I’d be happy to have this dish alone as my lunch, the portion of this dish was big enough for an entree.

For main, I ordered steak with potato gratin and gravy. First bite of the beef, I just couldn’t believed how tender the beef was. It was just so tender and juicy. The potato gratin was also delicious. What a great combination, the beef, the potato gratin and the gravy, they really compliment each other.

Lastly, I just had to order dessert. I’m a big dessert fan, and I have to say I was very satisfied with my dessert and Pete’s! hehe. For dessert I ordered Crepe with raspberries, mixed berries sauce and vanilla ice cream. After I finished my dessert I felt like I was in heaven! Great food, great place, great service, great atmosphere. What a way to spend valentine’s day. I highly recommend this place, especially for those whose trying to win a girl’s heart =p