Amador a font for wine buffs
Anew wine bar has opened in downtown Wellington on the upper floor of Press Hall laneway. Amador takes its name from the font once used in The Evening Post and has the ‘‘only decent balcony on Willis St’’, according to its owners.
Co-owner Andy Gray, of Hanging Ditch, and bar operator Gordie Carlyle – who used to own Motel – had hands-on roles in Amador’s design.
Open from 7.30am as a cafe, with the breakfast menu currently evolving, Amador turns into a wine bar from 10am until the last patron leaves.
Its wines are predominantly from New Zealand, but varieties from Italy, Australia and Argentina make an appearance.
If it’s beer you’re after, there are five on tap from local brewers.
Find Amador on Facebook @amadornz. Porirua’s Monique Fiso is an experienced chef with international experience, and is no stranger to the trials and tribulations of running a finedining kitchen.
After two years of running pop-ups in other people’s restaurant kitchens, she has returned to Mt Cook to re-open Hiakai.
Fiso champions Ma¯ ori cooking techniques and indigenous Aotearoa ingredients, so you can expect Hiakai to offer customers something a little different.
Think deer milk icecream, kina panna cotta, and horopito and kawakawa chocolates – some of which were recently shared with visiting royals, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Hiakai, which means hungry in te reo, will open its doors at 40 Wallace St this month.
Start with a coffee from Barista of the Year, Morgan West at Milk Crate, before heading down the road to Prefab for brunch.
Prefab took out Cafe of the Year.
Street food has never looked so good thanks to Lucky, winner of the Outstanding Casual Dining/ Street Food Experience.
Pick up a halloumi and chicken burger and see for yourself what the fuss is all about.
Have a pre-dinner drink at Little Beer Quarter, the winner of the Outstanding Beer Experience award.
Then sit down in the evening at triple awardwinning restaurant Rita – the deserving recipient of three titles: New Establishment of the Year, Outstanding Regional Experience of the Year and People’s Choice Restaurant of the Year.
Finally, finish your winning day with an exceptional cocktail at Hawthorn Lounge, which took out Outstanding Cocktail Experience of the year. An advent calendar for adults is just what the silly season ordered, and Cult Wine has recently launched New Zealand’s first wine version.
The advent calendar will include 24 375ml bottles, which range from ‘‘frivolous fun wines to serious – and seriously delicious – cult wines,’’ says wine director Jules van Costello.
The bonus 25th bottle is a free half bottle of Champagne, which you’re encouraged to pop open on Christmas morning while you unwrap your gifts.
The Cult Wine advent calendar costs $600 (or $25 per half bottle) and is available to order at cultwine.co.nz until November 25.
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