Zibbibo, Wellington New Zealand

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Zibbibo is a chic café in the heart of Wellington. Based on some friend’s recommendation, I decided to try it during my last trip to Wellington.  As you enter the restaurant there is bar at the ground level where you can have a few drinks before dinner. Dining is across both ground and first floor.  

For entrée we had the Zibibbo Tapas platter to share.  This was one of the house specialty and was divine with a clever assortment of nibblies. As another share entrée, we ordered the salt and pepper calamari with chili lime dressing.

For mains, I ordered the Special Of The Day, a rotisserie pork at NZ$32 which turned out to be great choice for seriously, who doesn't like a roast pork?

Friend #1 ordered the Pirinoa Lamb Rump ($33.50) which came with olive crushed potatoes and a confit of onion and salsa verde - the verdict was 'yum'.

Friend #2 ordered the Black Angus Beef Fillet ($35.50) which was accompanied by a potato gratin and porcini mustard and red wine jus.  Also declared 'yum'.

Friend #3 ordered the pork belly (drool). This dish came with confit brussel sprouts, smoked Jerusalem Artichoke Puree Honey Oak Crumb.  They are not vegetables I would normally gravitate towards but Zibbibo made them desirable.

We decided on sharing a few side dishes:  beetroot, mushroom and fries.  All $9 each.  

For dessert we had a selection of things to share:  the cheese platter ($16.50), vanilla panacotta, and creme brulee.  All very decadent, nicely presented and delicious ending to a lovely meal.  

Overall a memorable meal and fantastic service.  

Until next time...

Rice Paper Vietnamese Restaurant

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

It's an ongoing challenge to eat healthy when on the run.  I was particularly thrilled when I realised the Vietnamese restaurant, Rice Paper on Swanston St had a takeaway counter for those who perhaps did not have the time for a sit-down meal.  The takeaway counter situated right outside their entrance sold only rice paper rolls but that is more than ok by me.  They came in a sturdy takeaway box with a little container of hoi sin sauce.

I ordered a chicken and salad filled one.

And a lemongrass pork one.

To be honest, I didn't really enjoy these and they would be the first rice paper rolls (store bought or home made) that I didn't like.  They were airy and insubstantial, made of mainly salad leaves and little else.  I had to really seek out the chicken or the pork hiding within.

For a few cents per roll extra I would much prefer the rice paper rolls at Roll'd.  I wouldn't mind going back to Rice Paper to try their sit down menu but I would definitely be giving their rice paper rolls a miss.



Until next time...

Fisherman's Wharf Tavern - Gold Coast

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!  

Every so often, the caveman in me craves a nice juicy steak.  As the State of Origin was also on that day, Fisherman's Wharf was a-buzzing and it was the ideal ambience for a chow down pub meal.  

The 400g Scotch Fillet was calling my name.  It was $28.90 and the extra mushroom sauce was a rather exorbitant $2.90 extra.  I'm not sure why some establishments don't just charge a flat $31 for the steak inclusive of sauce.  I would have happily paid that.  Separating it out like that was a bit irksome.  Aside from the that, the fillet was wonderfully executed - it was an above average steak...juicy and tender.  

Scotch fillet and mushroom sauce

Other friends ordered the New York pork ribs, seafood basket, lemon pepper calamari and the eye fillet mignon. Everybody was satisfy with their choices which is always a good sign. All mains we had were between $18 and $29.

New York Pork Ribs

Lemon Pepper Calamari and Chips

Seafood Basket

Eye Fillet Mignon

For dessert, the choices were not as extensive as the mains.  We all had either the sticky date pudding or the chocolate mud cake. Both were served with ice cream. They were both $8.50 with and extra $1 for coffee. Both dessert were on the very sweet of sweet.  Perfect for sweet tooths but not so good for the health conscious. 

  

Great night and great food. Unfortunately the Maroons lost by four points and there were some very disappointed Queenslanders around. 

Until next time...

Thr1ve

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

Thr1ve is an eatery inspired by paleo and primal protocols.  Apparently the menu has been approved by a nutritionist.  So in a world where food court pickings are usually considered bad for you, Thr1ve fills a niche for those of us who are eating on the run but want a nutritional meal in the process.

So here's the process when ordering a main:

• you pick you base which could be sweet potato mash, brown rice, greens, etc
• you add your protein - choice of chicken, fish, greens, beef, etc.  Apparently the protein is measured out to the nutritionist's guidelines
• you can either upsize or add side bits such as egg, more greens, sauces, etc.  

So here's what we got:

This was the sweet potato and cauliflower mash base with grilled chicken with pesto, roasted capsicum and spinach.  As I feared I would be still hungry, I added an extra side of smashed avocado.  ($14.90)  I was right in thinking I would be hungry because I was!  Don't get me wrong, it was very delicious, the herb chicken had great flavours and the mash was comforting but it left me 90% full or rather 90% satisfied.  So then I was obsessing about snacking for the remainder of the day...eventually I succumbed and scoffed down a packet of tortillas.   

My sister ordered the brown rice base with grilled teriyaki salmon.  ($12.90) Her's was even mingier in size.  Whilst she reported it was well cooked pieces of salmon, unfortunately there were too little of it.  She ended up snacking on a sushi handroll later in the day.  

Whilst the concept of Thr1ve is a great idea and a much needed option in the food mall space, the portion size was a little on the wee size leaving one slightly less than replete.  

Until next time...

Let Me Be Frank

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I was very lucky to be invited out to brunch at a very family and community orientated cafe, Let Me Be Frank.  It had a very relaxed atmosphere with an al fresco area out the front for the kiddies with their trikes.  Inside there was a library where you can borrow a few books to read while enjoying your coffee.  Books and small produce can also be purchased.  What really sealed the deal with the community mindedness was a barrel of chokos at the front door - free to a good home.  The chokos were excess from the cafe's back garden.  

We kicked off with a few beverages:  spiced chai, coffees and a little hot chocolate for kiddo.

The breakfast burger (adult version) came with organic eggs and thick cut bacon and house relish.  A very substantial serve for $8.50

Kiddo had the kiddie's sized version of the breakfast burger.  It was the first time she deigned to eat a fried egg.  Kudos to the chef.

My Mum and Dad ordered the Hungry Frank to share.  This behemoth came with chorizo, hash browns, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, spinach baked beans and bacon.  Yum!  This was $22.50

This was the Avocado and Feta Mash with a corn and quinoa salsa.  We upsized and got it with two poached eggs for $16.  I didn't order this one but the eater was happy.

Lastly, my order.  It was the Healthy Frank:  spinach, fresh tomatoes, herbed cottage cheese and poached eggs.  It was too virtuous for me and I could not resist adding on the rashers of bacon.  These were the thick cut bacon - love!  I also requested for sourdough bread.  It was a healthy (probably not so much the bacon) brunch and very decent serve.

I washed it down with a cup of Earl Grey.

Exterior of Let Me Be Frank

Let Me Be Frank is a wonderful establishment with a good ethos.  Looking forward to going back.



Until next time...

Om

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I feel uncharacteristically at peace with myself and with the universe after a meal at Om.  Perhaps it is the inspirational quote on their wall:

Or perhaps it's their light yet nourishing vegetarian lunch for $6.50.  Yes, $6.50!  Where can you get a meal in the CBD for that?  So maybe I'm lulled into a sense of serenity by the price point.  Also I am being fed a vegetarian meal that actually tastes good.  Perhaps the all-you-can-eat chappatis tipped me into a carb-cocoon afterglow?  Whatever the reason, I leave Om feeling I can do and should do amazing things because you get out of life what you put in.  

To elaborate on what you get for your $6.50:  pilau of some sort, dhal, vegetarian curry, a little dollop of pickles and chappatis.  Oh, the chappatis!  They were crispy and airy with just a smidge of butter.  A lady walked around with a basketful of them and tops up your plate when you run low.  I could just feast on the chappatis alone.

A tip:  Although the address for Om is on Collins St, the entrance is actually in an arcade off Swanston.  Well worth keeping your eyes peeled for it.



Until next time..

Minh Ky

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

My litmus test for a good Vietnamese restaurant is by  how they execute their Broken Rice. Broken Rice is an art form.  The pork chop has to be nicely charred but still juicy, the accoutrements have to all be present and the icing on top of the cake so to speak is a perfect fried egg.  I have packed away many a platefuls of the stuff in my time and consider myself the Broken Rice connoisseur.  

As a first timer at Minh Ky, I noticed the Broken Rice was priced well above the normal going rate for Broken Rice in Springvale.  Must be something quite spectacular, I thought.  Which naturally translated to I must order it!  

Well, Minh Ky's deluxe priced Broken Rice turned out to be an anti climax.  The pork was dry as too was the shredded pork bits.  It was not particularly flavourful.  I have had cheaper versions of Broken Rice at Thi Thi and Hao Tran for much more satisfaction.  

If Minh Ky was the last place on earth serving Broken Rice, I just may come back for a re-visit. With all the other competitively priced Vietnamese restaurants dotted around Springvale, it is my last choice.  

Until next time...

Kapai

Hello Fellow Nom Seekers!

I found myself walking along Courtenay Place looking for a place to refuel my tummy when a little cafe called Kapai caught my eye.  It reminded me of the cafes along Acland St in St Kilda.  I later found out that Kapai was a Maori word for "good".  Since there were plenty of healthier lunch options on the offering, perhaps that's why it was good?  

I ordered the Big Dave which is a Kiwi kebab with Cajun chicken, sweet chilli beef and kumara cashew hash.  In case there was not enough kumara, I also had a side serve of kumara fries and a Kapai juice.  It was a deliciously ginormous serve which left me feeling very content and well fed.  By the way, the kumara fries were gargantuan compared even with the servings of fries usually seen in the US.  Abundance - love it!  However after packing this lot away, I needed a siesta.  

The whole experience set me back under NZ$25.  

Until next time...