Cheap 'n' Cheerful 2
I'm going to leave the (heated) debate that followed the first Cheap 'n' Cheerful and head to another food-type altogether. There should be no debate about this one as it may be the only SXSE eatery in Wellington (not to be confused with SXSW).
Where: Sweet Mother's Kitchen, 5 Courtenay Pl
What: Slow-cooked Beef Po' Boy
How much: $9
What is a po' boy? A po' boy (short for poor boy) is a traditional sandwich from the Southern United States. It consists of meat or seafood, usually fried, served on a baguette. The baguette is the key here; crunchy outside, soft inside. Potatoes, lettuce, gravy, and various sauces can be added if you wish. I had a variation of these in France stuffed with frites Mmmm-mmmm.
Sweet Mother's does a variety of po' boys: BBQ chicken; vegetarian (which I think has beans in it) and slow-cooked beef (your dedicated author's favourite). Sweet Mother's Kitchen does a dressed po' boy as standard, which means that it has lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise with the meat, so it's easy to tick off that 5+ a day.
The slow-cooked beef is shredded and covered in gravy, which mixes nicely with the mayo to form a really messy combo (be warned if you're wearing white). Every bite will melt beautifully in your mouth as the baguette is good an' soft on the inside. I have also tried the BBQ chicken version but while it was good, it failed to reach the heights of the beef (I really should've taken a photo of it!).
Sindy, my partner in this quest, had the soft tacos which unfortunately fell outside of the Cheap 'n' Cheerful price range. However, she said that they were also delicious. And to be fair I have not had a bad meal there yet.
The environs are as good as the food. I assume that the name Sweet Mother's Kitchen is a reference to Mother's Restaurant in New Orleans and there is a nice relaxed southern (SXSE) theme to the place. There is good seating outside and booths inside but you can also be served at the bar. The tables are long so often you'll have to sit with other diners, which is rare in New Zealand but I like it. The staff are friendly and happy to accommodate your weirdest changes to the order (like strange cocktails recipes for example). And the most important thing is Sweet Mother's serves pitchers of Margaritas! (Unfortunately a pitcher cost more than $10, sigh)
My Score: 8, the same score I gave the meal at Satay Kingdom. The food at Sweet Mother's Kitchen is miles ahead but the price brings it down in the CNC rankings. However I'm willing to give Sweet Mother's the edge because you don't get bothered by punk/EMO kids.
Yes, I normally go for the "flash" options, though $20ish for a main including heaps of great sides (red beans and kumara mash, mmmmmm) is hardly extortionate. It's also great for dessert: we often pop in there after dinner and a walk for some key lime pie, rhubarb crumble or, if I'm feeling decadent, Bananas Foster.
i do love smk in heaps of ways. but.... they kicked me out once because they have no idea about customer service. (they seated us, brought our main, and as soon as we finished the food on our plates they asked us to leave because the table was actually booked in ten mintues)i'm still bruised. but the po' boys are great and i am often tempted to step off the moral high ground and return.
Just visited this one the other day. The "flash" mains are overpriced - even for courtney place - the mains part was delicious (blackened fish) but the sides were a little lacking. Mostly the yellow rice. Though i've had Ms Hubris' variety so maybe i've been spoilt.
The cheaper meals did look to be damned good value, and their fries are jawsome.
But don't waste your $35 on the carafe of Margarita. They're $10 by the glass, and our carafe barely made 3 glasses.
Loved the staff, and the vibe and everything else though and will definately go again.
Yeah, my yellow rice does kick the ass of SMK's, it's true. But I don't believe you about the margaritas, because I've had them both by the glass and by the carafe, and found the carafe to be better value cos the glasses they sell individually are smaller. Mostly I just like to order anything by the carafe though.
Its entirely possible we were just terribly ripped off this one particular time. There did seem to be a great abundance of ice, and not a particularly wonderful amount of margarita so who knows.
I had the best steak of 2006 at SMK - it is wonderful eaterie and the 2nd highlight of Courtenay Place - the first being KENNYS!!
partook in a chicken po'boy for lunch yesterday. delicious, and good value.
was quite envious of the taco action I saw, though ... next time.
Yep, one of the best things to happen in Wellington last year was SMK opening.