The neglected Molesworth area of Wellington (or as we like to call it, Wellington's "fifth quarter") is the work place of many hard working individuals who, for some reason or other, need to be nearby to the houses of Parliament. But what do they do when they have to feed?

Jo and Hadyn decided to find out.

Word of Mouth

Word of Mouth is a semi-deli with some really really tasty food. The trouble is, the portions are tiny, and the prices are large. Still, with a choice of six different salads, a hot dish and soup every day, as well as divine thin crust pizza, an assortment of baked goods from Pandoro as well as their own muffins, a good range of (small) sandwichy things and nice Café L'affare coffee, it's hard to resist returning here, even though it's expennnnnnnnnnsive.

At least they cram as much as possible into their salad containers, but their coffee loyalty cards will make you buy 10 coffees rather than 9 before you get a free one. Everything is available for takeaways, but if you have the chance to eat in, do.

They have an extensive range of magazines, and easy access to water jugs, which should never be underrated. If you're starving and on a serious budget though, you can get a fresh bread roll, bagel or crossiant with butter for around $1.50 to take away, which is very handy for those two-days-to-pay-day emergencies.

Also the breakfasts are fantastic. The option of wholemeal or 5-grain toast and crunchy bacon are my favourite bits.

Click read more for the rest of Molesworth's hidden eateries.

The Beehive Café

The name and the fact that there's cabinets with sausage rolls and lamingtons might trick you, but the Beehive Café is primarily a Malaysian café.

Curry, rice and roti will set you back $9, and we recommend the coconut rice & rendang combo for $12. The mee goreng is different to other places, and perhaps a little spicier, but it's bloody tasty. One of the oddest things about their menu is that they offer doner kebabs - chicken or beef with lettuce, carrot and spicy sauce wrapped up in a roti. It might sound odd, but it's delicious - although you'll need to eat it with a knife and fork.

The decor isn't flash, and it can be a little chilly inside, but they do have water and gossip magazines for you to read while you wait for your noodles and CaféNET wifi can be found by the far wall. In summer you can sit at the fixed tables outside in the sun and they'll bring your food to you.

The most interesting thing about the Beehive Café is the ordering system. You must know the code to get the food. Regulars have slowly been taught what to say (rather like a certain fictional soup server). For example, if you want the lunch special of chicken curry with a roti ($7.50) you say "one roti and chicken, please"; if you want two of that dish you say "roti and chicken times two, please"; if you want an extra roti you say "two roti and chicken please". Anything else you're on your own.

Café 93

If you're a salad fan but think Word of Mouth is a rip-off, you gotta come here and get a huge container crammed full for $8.50. We recommend the pumpkin & chorizo salad, as well as the cajun chicken salad - there's no stupid lettuce unnecessarily taking up room here, just carby carby joy. Café 93's blackboard menu is quite diverse too, covering things like pasta and BLTs, as well as singapore noodles and an assortment of other oddities.

It can be really hard to get a table, but once you do, there are Real Groovy and newspapers to read. Cabinet food includes a wide range of sandwiches and baked goods, all clearly labeled with their ingredients which makes it very handy for those who are vegetarian or gluten-free. The prices are pretty reasonable, especially for this end of town.

Single File (the café in the Archives Building)

The best corn fritters in town can be found in this big open space, as well as some very lovely service. However, if you want counter food, you'll need to get in very quickly, as it's often pretty empty by 1pm. The blackboard menu is pretty small, but they do great fries as well, as well as salmon pasta. There are no magazines though, and I'm not sure if they even have newspapers, but they do have a treaty or something.

Saint Paul's Café

You know how people who work for the Ministry of Education are a special kind of dowdy? [Is that right Jo? H] Same with this café.

Sure, the staff are very friendly, and will take the time to learn your name if you go in regularly because of your workmates, but the coffee is mediocre and so is the food. Some of their cups are branded "Muffin Break" and I suppose that explains why they have such a large range of stodgy undercooked muffins, which are kind of tasty if you like to eat cake batter. Their scones are huge but flavourless, and their blackboard menu is similar. The best option I've found is lasange, which comes in its own baked-in dish.

There are plenty of women's magazines, and you only need to buy four coffees to get a free one, but their water glasses are really small, which I find annoying. And whatever you do, don't go in on lunchtimes on Fridays, when they have a man playing "popular tunes" on a casio keyboard. You have been warned.

They do have CaféNET though, and that wifi-goodness also floats across to...

Fuel

The counter food at Fuel suffers from that weird Molesworth disease of being teeny teeny tiny. Fuel used to have the best fudge brownies and raspberry danishes, but the guy who used to make them sold up and moved to Oz (curse you brain-drain!) and now La Closhe have the contract and are making some seriously strange, small and expensive food.

Thank god the coffee's good. Also the hot chocolates are also like chocolate mousse - albeit served in a cardboard cup, though they have been given back their porcelain cups for those drinking in (but it might pay to request it). The bench seats have perfect back support and the reading material (on long sticks) is the DomPost or The Guardian or The New York Review of Books.

Mojo

It's a bit of a trek up to Mojo, but oh, how divine the coffee is, and how friendly the staff are. They have a great range of elaborate sandwiches (I so rate the haluomi and eggplant, but the chicken ficelle is a little dry) and sweet treats, and it's a nice space with good magazines. It's not cheap though (large coffees are $4.50, which admittedly they are in most places, sandwiches are around $7.50), and they don't have hot food, except for when they toast your sandwiches. Probably a better place to get takeaway breakfast from, rather than a hearty hangover lunch...

The Thistle Inn

If you're hungover, perhaps the peace & quiet of their little courtyard and their $17 burger with excellent fries is what you're after. If you're after Friday drinks though this is the place as long as you get there by 4pm (what are you doing working after four on a Friday anyway?)

The Backbencher

Unless you book for lunch, you'll be on a bar stool in the back room, but they have a good selection of hearty and hilariously-named meals for you to choose from (I really liked this potato thing last time I was there, it was named after John Campbell). Just be aware that there'll be all kinds of political bastards all around you, so make sure you take your own reading material. If you are a little bit younger can also pay to bring along a grown-up who can tell you who all of the puppets are.

Cellar-vate

It's nice to eat surrounded by bottles, so the mini menu at Cellar-vate might tempt you. Their risotto for $9.50 is rich and filling, and the space is warm and cosy, the communal table features both the DomPost and an assortment of community newspapers for your perusal. We love the manager, and their Immigrant's Son coffee is a good way to start the day. Their muffins are a point of difference between Jo (dislikes) and Hadyn (likes), so that one's up to you.

The Sushi place

I have totally forgotten the name of the Sushi place (I want to say "Irashi"), but the sushi is pretty good. You can choose from the cabinet or the fridge by the door (that also has inari and soy beans). But the best thing is the noodle soup, for $10 you get a giant bowl (or container for takeaway) filled with soup, noodles, veges and chicken. Be warned, it's really filling.