Aah. . . food, glorious food!
Some people might feel mortified at the thought of the contents of their Covid Tracer app being made public. Not me. My digital diary essentially reads as a long list of my favourite places to eat and drink in Wellington. I would be only too delighted to share my recommendations with the contact tracing team.
To scroll through my app is to be taken on a food odyssey across the city. There I am at Dragons on a Sunday morning, eating my bodyweight in yum cha. Next minute I’m popping into Moore Wilson’s, the capital’s beloved gourmet supermarket, to pick up some fresh orange juice and a pastry to take home for lunch. Late in the afternoon, I head to Golding’s Free Dive for a pint. I end up staying for a pizza at neighbouring Pizza Pomodoro. On the way home, I stop by Duck Island on Cuba St for a toasted marshmallow icecream. Scan, scan, scan. Yum, yum, yum.
The contact tracers might notice some recurring patterns. Like every Wednesday night, I dine at a different Malaysian restaurant, as part of my ongoing quest to find the tastiest rendang in the capital.
On Sunday mornings, I’ll be at the Harbourside Market, stocking up on the best dumplings ever from the unassuming Orange Chinese Food Truck.
At this point, you might be thinking I’m an absolute glutton. You would be correct. But we Wellingtonians can’t help that we’re food-obsessed, we are products of our environment. It’s often said that the capital has more cafes, restaurants and bars per capita than New York, and it is true. I checked.
We also have an annual month-long festival in August, Wellington On a Plate, which is dedicated to dining out.
One of the most hotly anticipated events is the Burger Wellington competition in which the humble hamburger is elevated to an art form, when hundreds of eateries present their creations to the hungry public. It’s all taken very seriously. There is even a spreadsheet that makes its way around workplaces, as residents spend two weeks moonlighting as burger critics.
I could go on and on about my favourite dining experiences in my city (Turkish pizzas at Salty Pidgin, Tacos at Viva Mexico, salted caramel cookies at Leeds Street Bakery), but you don’t just have to take my word for it that this is a foodie heaven.
Check out Brook Sabin’s story on pages 34-35 about Wellington’s – and quite possibly the world’s – most delicious laneway.
Even this stretchy-stomached local is impressed by just how much he managed to fit in.