Sure, I'm a nasty little insect that brings doom and pretense, but I like to think I also bring some small rays of sunshine.

At a recent outing to the new Wagamama (along with hundreds of other Wellingtonians I had a wonderful experience. As a quick aside Wagas was just how I remembered it from London (when I was a Anglo-fly-le, ha ha) aside from having more space here to swing a cat in.

But the real story begins when my main was late coming out, however, the floor manager more than made up by:

1. spotting the fault in the line order in the kitchen and fixing it, and
2. offering free extras - drinks and more starters to tide us over for the two extra minutes it took for the mains to come out

Hopefully this isn't just new-restaurant diligence. Well done Wagamana!

Yeah I know, I'm a disgusting pesky fly. But just because I slurp food off the plate with my proboscis doesn't mean I should have to pay full price when I have a handy-dandy gold entertainment card to get a free meal.

Here's how it went down... we went to Finc on a Friday night - for the simple reason that it is in the Entertainment Guide. We ordered two mains both worth around $34 each and an entree for $8. The deal in the Entertainment Guide is:

"you and your guest are invited to enjoy one complimentary main course when another main course of equal or greater value is purchased. Up to $30.00 value".

We were told that as our mains were both over the value of $30 we would receive NO discount. When we also asked them why was the entree not taken off we were told that we did not intend to have this as a main so they would not discount that either.

To read the shocking conclusion click "read more"

Item! The next Cellar-vate dinner, which we have drooled about before is on July 9, featuring Ngawaka wines, and it costs $40. Give the lovely Rebecca a call to reserve your tickets.

Item! The supercute Green Land Cafe under the Ministry for the Environment on Kate Sheppard Place is running a competition to win a bottle of the famous olive oil grown on Mt. Vic. Buy a coffee, pick an number and go into the draw. Actually, don't, because it's a gorgeous green virgin, and I wants it. So back off! Also, how lovely are the staff there? They totally buttered my scone for me, if you know what I mean. And of course what I mean is I think it's part of their waste reduction responsibilities.

Item! It's not near Molesworth Street, but it's just as bleak - Stanley Road on the corner of Victoria Street and Willeston is running Happy Hour from 4pm-6pm, with all kinds of beers (Corona etc) for just $3.50. It's not a particularly cosy spot, but hey, given how dry this part of town is, consider it a good oasis to stop at while you cross the desert of Willis Quarter.

Eva Dixons lives on in Miramar (133 Darlington Road - Google Map | Zoomin Map) - just up the road road from the newly visited Weta Cave which, as Richard Taylor said to me, "It's a bit different for Miramar eh?" ... such a shameless name dropper I am.

Back to Eva Dixons ... Not only is it a great place to eat (all day menu), drink and be merry but if you happen to pop in on any Thursday eve (menu) this month you'll be treated to free live music.

12th: Mojo Mama
Piano based boogie and blues with enough sass to light your fire.

19th: Sean & Amanda O'Connor
Inspirational folk/pop songwriters & harmonisers, singing their inner and outer journeys with guitar, flute, heart and soul!

26th: Eva Prowse Trio
Eva Prowse (vocals, violin, mandolin), Chris Prowse (guitar, bva), Dave Currie (bass, ukulele, bva) playing a variety of alt-country music. Suitable for old-timers and new-timers alike.

At the top of Cuba Street, opposite Fidel's and next to a sex shop is what appears to be a crappy little tea room named Chef's Cafe. You might think that they're going to try and sell you a pie and a custard square, but you couldn't be more wrong. See that little sandwich board outside that says "Takeaway Curry $10"? That's right, this is an Indian restaurant. And it's good. And it's insanely cheap*. If you dine in, you're looking at a cost of around $12.90 for a meat curry, rice and naan. The decor is admittedly nothing at all to look at, but the menu is really extensive and the curries do actually all taste distinctive and tasty, rather than just coming in different colours of the same slop (cough cough Tulsi). Plus, it's BYO, and not just wine - the corkage on a small bottle of beer is $1, and $2 for big bottles. We really think you should try it out. We would like it to have more patronage. Just not on Tuesday nights, because that's when we go before the Quiz around the corner at the Cross.

* If you work on the basis that most Indian places charge at least $15 for a curry, and that doesn't include naan and in some cases doesn't even include rice.

In two weeks Amigos, the Chilean restaurant in Newtown, will be expanding in to the space next door. Their plan is to keep the restaurant going until 9pm and then have live music and tapas into the night every night of the week.

The Wellingtonista heavily approves of this move as we are fans of Central/South American food, late night dining, music, tapas, and drinking. So, wanna get your Pisco on? Then I'd recommend popping down to Amigos, order a pitcher and flamenco the night away.

At the Wellingtonista we don't often give props to less consciously hipster places like One Red Dog, even though their continued success shows they have a devoted following. Today we discovered one of the reasons why this devoted following might exist.

Review after the jump.

Once again, I had left my book at home somewhere, so it was another gold card restaurant that was needed. Since my other sister decided to gatecrash our party, a total discount venue, rather than a two-for-one mains was desireable. And because it was cold and I was lazy and didn't feel like walking anywhere, somewhere on the bus route home was needed - preferably somewhere that I could get a big plate of heartiness at. Medina was decided upon, as it seems to have beaten the curse that made other restaurants in its location at 18 Cambridge Terrace close down very rapidly. The review is after the jump.

Rollin, rollin, rollin.
Keep them doggies rollin.
Rollin, rollin, rollin.
RAWHIDE!

Where: Rawhide, Waterfront in those shed things by Frank Kitts Park
What: Gourmet Hotdogs
How much: $5-6

Sindy and I had walked past this place a few times on our way home from work and we decided that it did indeed meet our criteria for the CNC crusade due to the seating.

Rawhide is the latest in a run of food/juice places that have occupied the sheds. Tom’s documented a few including this one. Rawhide does gourmet steak sandwiches and gourmet hotdogs with nothing over $10. So over summer it seems like the perfect place to stop in on your way home along the waterfront, then maybe grab a coffee and gelato at Kaffe Eis, around the corner, afterwards? Lovely.

So we bowled up at 5pm (or there-abouts) on a blustery but sunny afternoon. There were a group of kids sitting and talking about Frank Zappa with an old fella at one table and one spare table in the lee of the wind. While we were perusing the board, the “chef” came out and started to pack away the spare table. We looked a little perplexed and asked if they were closing.

"Well that depends on what you want" she replied.
"Well what can you make?" I asked
"Well that depends on what you want" she replied.

This was getting us nowhere.

READ MORE

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.

[READ MORE]

Alan a while back suggested a quest to find the best bacon sandwich in Wellington (at least I think it was Alan. UPDATE it was actually llew). This, of course, would be to match Tom's gallant mission to visit every Wellington bar in a year.

Well I tried to do a "Big Breakfast" review but was beaten back by the cholesterol in my veins (I'll post the results here soon). Bacon Sandwiches and Martinis are not my areas of expertise but there is one type of food that I can give an expert opinion on: Pies. That's right, I ate all the pies (in Wellington) and reviewed them for you, the people.
(You might notice a theme when it comes to flavours)

Steak & Cheese from Bon Mange, 110 Lambton Quay.
Bon Mange means Good Eats in French and if you don't have the pies, then that is really correct. The pie crust is flakey and the top separates from the base with alarming regularity causing "steak" and ooze to, well, ooze in your paper bag, revealing a large "window to weight gain". Also I never could stand yellow pastry.
4/10

Mrs Macs Steak & Cheese, most dairies.
Never before has mankind crafted a cheesier pie. A pie from "across the ditch", made with Australia's latest infusion de fromage technology, a Mrs Macs pie is a spectacle of flavour. If you are a Pie-and-a-coke kind of person, then this is the pinacle of lunches. Unfortunately, while the pastry is filled to overflowing with yellow gold*, it is a little lacking in solid meat. Teh more Bohemian amongst you may balk at the fact that these pies can also be found in frozen form at your local supermarket.

The front page story on the Dominion Post is Party on, says dying Il Casino Boss, and all media grumbles about the horrible exploitative nature of that stupid newspaper aside, the Wellingtonista is really upset to hear that Remiro Bresolin has terminal cancer. Readers will surely know how dear to our hearts Il Casino, Scopa and Boulot are, so our thoughts and well wishes are with the family.

Fellow Wellingtonistas, I am taking my in-laws out for dinner tonight. Any recommendations on a nice restaurant that isn't The White House, Logan Brown, Il Casino, Boulot or Chow? Quiet ambience a definite plus.

I'm a big fan of Maria Pia's. Excellent food; the service is ok to good (provided by the family, so that you know what to expect)... but maybe not hugely quiet.

In the same geographic and gastronomic area as Maria Pia's is Francois. Nice, small and French. Try the snails.

If you're after something at the level of The White House, Logan Brown or Il Casino, then try Citron or Martin Bosley at the Yacht Club. Definitely some of the most amazing food in the city, and quiet too. Also, while I haven't been to Bisque at the Bolton Hotel, I've heard consistently great things about it.

It's not quite so quiet, but Zibibbo is always good. Adam Newell's one of only two Michelin-starred chefs in NZ, and more importantly, they do pizza! If the in-laws are partial to a bit of cow flesh, then I've heard that Crazy Horse is the place to go.

And I can heartily second the recommendation of Maria Pia's, but it might be rather short notice.

thanks all - the Yacht Club gets the nod. Although good to have those others in reserve for future occasions...

Don't you just love the Hive Mind?

Because she is obsessed with Elvis, and also maybe due to some experiences on tour buses that she alludes to but never puts her photos on flickr from, our intrepid publisher decided to treat us all from the Wellingtonista towers to lunch at Harem to celebrate the launch of the new URL.

Well, it's all on tonight. If you're not exhausted after seeing the rugger at not-the-Cake-Tin, listening on National Radio to performances by unlikely permutations of small animals, hearing the pipes calling at the Opera House or seeing some obscure up-and-coming band at what I think is still called Indigo, then Sandwiches has a party night for everyone. Electroluxxe is billed as "TechnoElectroRockHouse", thus pretty much covering every genre other than dub, jazz and country. You know how it is: you're with a bunch of people, all with different tastes in music, and no-one can agree: someone likes 80s New Romantic, another one goes for dirty punky electro, someone else likes indie rock and some sad bugger (probably me) prefers 90s techno. So Electroluxxe comes to the rescue with a play list that includes the likes of Duran Duran, Peaches, Bloc Party and Carl Craig. The word "mashup" doesn't even begin to describe it.

Those with especially capacious reserves of energy (and cash) could then explore the most decadent dishes and deranged decor of culinary Wellington or try to track down the latest mystery bar. Here's a hint: one of the commenters has already got it. Here's another: this is possibly the only bar to have actually become classier when it was taken over by Brian Le Gros.