You really can’t beat Wellington on a good day and what a lovely morning I enjoyed today.

First I bumped into Andre Russell, newly from Provoke (who was off to feed the ducks by Te Papa) and we shared coffee at Mojo. Then I visited Elements again. They had flat mushrooms. And they kindly made my favourite brunch - brushetta with pesto, grilled flat mushrooms, goats cheese feta, chopped mint & flat leaf parsley, with grated potato hash browns on the side. Divine.

I made time to drop in and chat to Michael McCormack. I bought a couple of his pieces last year. He’s showing some lovely new works in his Island Bay Gallery and has an exhibition coming up soon. I’ve borrowed one of his images below. I hope he doesn’t mind.

The harbour is calm - going diving/fishing tomorrow if it stays like this.

Normally I’m camped in a hotel room in the City of Sales on a Thursday night so hanging in my favourite city was a novelty this week. I got along to Circa Theatre to watch ‘The American Pilot’, thanks to Chapman Tripp. There were mixed reviews after the lights came up. Some thought it a little slow with a simplistic plot. To me, it was deliberately paced, with intelligent observations of American foreign policy, their lack of assimilation into offshore lands and the resultant heavy handed reactions. Plenty of humour, skillful acting and great timing with cleverly orchestrated sound effects (well done to Marmalade Audio). A lean-forward kind of play. You should get tickets and support Circa.

After Joanna’s recommendation of Elements Cafe in Lyall Bay, Wellington, as a brunch venue, we headed back with DomPost under wing and guest in tow.

Things started impressively; the waitress immediately recalled my flat white request from Thursday night and politely asked if I might like another. We lined up coffees and juices and tucked into the Saturday paper. This turned out to be the most disappointing act of the morning - the weekend papers are really starting to lose their lustre.

I chose Bruschetta with mushrooms, goats cheese feta and herbs, with a request for semi-dried tomatoes on the side. Spectacular. The basil pesto on the bruschetta combined perfectly with the mint and parsley topping my meal.

Ange followed Joanna’s lead with the toasted coconut bread, grilled banana and blueberry mascarpone. It’s a bold move choosing sweet over savoury for brekkie but well-founded this time ’round.

Dharshi chose the bubble & squeak, chorizo and poached eggs. The eggs came out perfectly. We debated whether the vegetable mash could have been browned and crisped slightly more, however a split decision ensued due to variations from respective historical family fry-ups. Perhaps a Martha Craig poll might resolve this issue.

We all enjoyed another amazing meal. So much so, I’m reticent to rave too much about this place until we get our own permanent table.

I put their name in lights with notcelebrity.co.uk

Well, it’s hardly local. In fact, getting to Elements, cnr Wha & Onepu St, Lyall Bay, is a bit of a hike from my house. But it sure felt like home when we got there tonight.

We booked for 6.30 and the place was already busy when we arrived. Scott and Dean were busy in the kitchen and the lovely front-of-house staff were all buzzing about. Coney Riesling and Craggy Range Chardonnay, please.

Crispy Squid - served with very cool sliced Japanese radish soaked in sesame and fish sauce. Pork fritters with cucumber salad, done in a clean tasting Thai style. I was surprised that they used Terakihi for the fish pie and Monkfish for the fish of the day but it worked. The Monkfish was fresh and firm with that lovely lobster flavour - served over an amazing jerusalem artichoke salad and under an equally spectacular cauliflower puree. The ricotta stuffed chicken I enjoyed sat on an exquisite celeriac puree with a bizarre bread pudding sided with a dab of salsa verde.

We agreed that the word ‘captivating’ summed up the experience. The fresh flavours, the extensive use of purees (well, in both our mains anyway) and the new treatment of old vegetables starkly contrasted against the sameness of much of our CBD dining, which I described over dinner as “same duck, different place”. We’re heading back next week to taste the sirloin and the desserts. And we’ve booked in for the winter cooking class on the 28th. See you there.

All in all, 4.8 MGs.  After two years of trying, we’ve finally found our local.

I’ve been to lunch at St Johns twice now.

The first was a big boozy thank you to a mate who helped secure a very talented staff member into my team.  This was more than six months ago.  Whitebait fritters, plenty of pinot noir and the best lunch service I’ve experienced for a long time.   A bit odd with 20+ Pirates frantically emerging fresh from a hyped up training session in the next room, but hey - this is Wellington!

The second was a rapid inside-the-hour work meeting, introduction and brief.  The service again excelled.  Mains and juice orders were taken promptly, the waiter was relaxed, brisk and efficient - all at the same time.  The bread and oils were fresh.  Mains spot-on.  Well done to the (not so) new team there - you’re on fire.

It’s been too long since I last savoured the citrus roti from Juniper (or rather its previous incarnation in Cuba St). And I was absolutely positively delighted with the paua fritters and scallops main $28, washed down with a crisp Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc. It gets 4.5 MGs. It’s been a few months since I dined here so I hope this is still on the menu.

11 April 2007, Sunday Magazine, Going Up Going Down column.

Dear Michelle,

The long daily queues for the Hot Beef Rolls at Meat on Tory, Wellington indicate their stellar rise in local popularity and deserved position in your Going Up section. As an addict, I can vouch for their succulent beef, fresh warm buns, piquant horse-radish sauce, rich gravy and crunchy sliced gherkin. I am yet to find a better lunch-on-the-go in Wellington. MG

You probably know by now that Newtown is my favourite takeaway hotzone. We went up to Chok Chai for Pad Thai and Green Curry last night. Chok Chai is tucked in beside the well-known greengrocer, opposite Planet Spice on Riddiford St. The people who run this place are the loveliest, happiest, most beautiful family I have ever had the pleasure to deal with.

We interrupted their nibbling on succulent beef dipped in hot chilli sauce behind the counter. We tasted as we ordered. Spectacular. The Pad Thai is my recurrent favourite. The Green Curry, hers. Simple with bamboo shoots and capsicum.  Total for both, $19.  Cheap.

Please support this fabulous Thai takeaway. It’s not far to drive and you will thank me for it.

Let me take you back to a tranquil flooded valley in the Keneperu Sound of Marlborough, New Zealand. A yacht is peacefully swinging on its mooring. The call of the Tui and Bellbird resonate through the bay.

It’s February ‘06 and we’ve been promising ourselves lunch at The Portage for over a year now.

A tangy Forrest Estate Riesling is the perfect match for the crispy battered , perfectly cooked fresh blue cod. I can still remember the taste and the ambiance like it was yesterday. A late harvest and cheese board outside on the deck in the afternoon sun spectacularly finished off a lazy Saturday lunch.

It’s now mid-August. Four of us get the chance to enjoy The Portage - again for lunch. This time a very quiet Monday. The service was attentive and appropriate for this rural resort.

Two chose the battered blue cod. One, an interesting penne pasta dish. I selected the fresh groper. It was unbelievably well cooked - moist and melting, slightly underdone, salivatingly special.

If you are looking for the best plate of fish in New Zealand, try The Portage. It’s a bit of a mission to get there, but you’ll enjoy an unforgettable experience.

Unlike the recent Capital Times review of Eateria de Manon by my fellow employee, Matt McNeil, my first visit down the dark entranceway and into this out-of-the-way Riddiford St, Newtown, restaurant was nothing but splendid. Sure the weather has turned now and the crispy duck main accompanied by a notable pinot just feels right again. But Manon really lived up to the rapturous reviews I keep getting from Nigel, Ben, Shelley and pretty much anyone who’s ever been there.

We booked very late in the piece, in fact half an hour before arriving. No problem. Whisked upstairs, the lovely maitre de, Hannah, hung our coats and settled us in. The tired ex-Swiss Chalet fitout felt in harmony with the relaxed at-home warm feel of the place. Manni’s food was spectacular - the escargot looked superb, the beef fillet perfectly undercooked, my crispy dusk was devine. It was tough to find a flaw in this place. Matt - even the music was unobtrusive, blending into the background as the chatter of the evening filled the venue.

This place is the second (after Zibbibo) Wellington restaurant to win 5 MGs. Well done and I’ll see you here very soon.

Courgette & Halomi fritters. Chateau du Tetre. Lamb - rare and simply presented. Enough said.

Update 21 May ‘07: 4 of us - walk-ins before a comedy festival gig.  Risotto mozzarella balls, more Chateau du Tetre, rare Lamb skewers. The best service by the young dude with glasses.  4.7 MGs.