The capital’s best chefs and restaurateurs share their favourite local eateries and hidden gems. I have always been fascinated by chefs and restaurateurs. Perhaps it is because of how altruistic they are, existing in a space that seeks to provide pleasure to others regardless of how it impacts on their own lives. Maybe it is because they do not experience time in the same way that most of us do; weekends do not exist, and their days are shifted back to peak when most of us are unwinding and connecting with those we love. They spend endless hours on their feet, hands in and around immense heat, whilst executing incredible acts of dexterity. They are a fraternity of people who operate outside of the world most of us live in, but where do they go when they are at rest? What food provides them with nourishment and joy? I asked some of the best chefs and restaurateurs in Wellington about the places they will return to time and again. Marlar Boon, Mabel’s Marlar runs Mabel’s Burmese Eat and Drink Shop with her husband, Ian, and their friend Dan. It’s named for her paternal grandmother (Phwa Phwa) Mabel, who opened The Monsoon, the first Burmese restaurant in New Zealand, in 1978. My chosen spot is Magic Kitchen, I’ve been dining there frequently for the last three years. Their food… well, it’s all in their name: magic. We have many large family dinners there. When dining out, I like having a shared meal and feeling relaxed like I’m eating at home. We often play cards or Rummikub while we eat. I always order the stuffed jade tofu with prawn and fish paste – two portions if we’re dining with a large group because everyone wants more than one piece. The sauce is gentle and coats the stuffed tofu perfectly. The softness of the Jade tofu contrasts beautifully with the minced prawn and fish, giving the dish a salty umami flavour. I also love the green vegetables served on the side and the elegance and angles of the plating. It feels homely. We regularly order their typhoon shelter crab fried rice and steamed king prawns with garlic. The prawns are delicately plated; their tails flick up in the air and sit on a delicious bed of vermicelli noodles. And, of course, we always get a pot of tea for the table. Vaibhav Vishen, Chaat Street Born in Kashmir, Vaibhav is the chef-proprietor of Chaat Street, an award-winning Wellington restaurant reimagining Indian street food. My choice is Highwater Eatery on Cuba Street. I first visited there about two years ago for our anniversary. If I had the opportunity and the time, I’d probably go there every two weeks. That’s how great it is. It isn’t very often you see restaurants so clearly indicating the amount of hard work, thought and love that’s gone into their food. It looks like a very chef-centric restaurant in the sense that everything has been well thought out. It’s a magnificent, well-oiled machine from the moment you step through the door. The service is top-notch, and the staff are always smiling and very welcoming. My favourite dish on the menu would be the charcoal roast black wagyu, it is an absolute delight. The meat is so tender and almost buttery. The charred cabbage is mind-boggling too. The thing that makes the wagyu special is the charcoal. There’s something very earthy and organic about cooking anything on charcoal. The smoke adds to and amplifies the entire experience of any bite you take. I think anything that touches charcoal tends to get its own identity, which is more relatable to us as humans. Traditionally, as humans, we started out cooking on coals and over fire – using gas is something that is still very new to us. A lot of their food is quite tactile, which I like. When you use your fingers to eat, you connect with your food a lot more. Giving that experience to the diner just changes the overall experience. Alicia Mendez, Everybody Eats Alicia hails from California and has spent the last four years as head chef of Parrotdog. She recently took the reins at Everybody Eats, a koha restaurant on Dixon Street that focuses on feeding bellies, not bins. My cafe of choice is Mekong Cafe off Victoria Street. Mekong is the epitome of a mom-and-pop cafe and is really authentic. No fuss, just a phomily, if you catch my phobulous pun. [This interview was submitted by voice note, and whilst the pun really doesn’t work on the page, I think that is fine]. Vietnamese food is something I find very comforting. I’m originally from California, specifically San Jose, which has a large Vietnamese population that migrated to California after the war. So, growing up, I had the privilege of being exposed to Vietnamese culture and dining. Mekong Cafe pulls on two heartstrings: I’m comforted by a rare beef pho, because it reminds me of home, but it also just feels nourishing and recharging after a busy work week or even a night of drinking. I admire Mekong Cafe for this authentic approach in a family-operated business that has been standing and surviving pretty tough times across the board. You really do feel that family dynamic. I feel like I’ve watched their children grow in the space as I’m dining. I’ll see them occasionally doing school work at the dinner table while Dad’s in the back cooking and Mum’s serving the guests. They’re proud to say that their prices haven’t changed either, despite some economic changes, so there’s just this lovely consistency around the dining experience where it’s affordable, approachable and delicious. Juno Miers & Tom Adam, Margot Juno and Tom own and operate Margot, a 28-seater Newtown restaurant that pairs seasonal European-influenced small plates with a drinks list that celebrates all that is good in life. We have loved Indian Sweets & Snacks in Newtown since it first opened about 11 years ago. It does many things, but we go for the street food on the wall menu (but not in the paper menus!). We love Indian street food and have had a lot of it around the country, but this is still the gold standard. We change up what we get quite a bit but always order the paneer pakora, which comes in such a light, fluffy batter and with a tamarind sauce. Otherworldly. We also usually get an aloo tikki, which is a spiced potato patty with yoghurt tamarind and some crispy bits. They recently updated their menu, and we love the new pav bhaji pea and lentil curry, which comes with a lightly toasted bun brushed with butter. Everything is really nicely balanced and not overly heavy or sweetened for the Kiwi palate. The service and decor aren’t super fancy but after a decade of custom, we have won the owner over. There are always some good Bollywood music videos on while you wait, and everything is best washed down with a masala chai. Alric Hansen, Highwater Eatery Alric is head chef and co-owner of Highwater Eatery, an award-winning restaurant that focuses on local, sustainable produce treated with care and attention. My new spot of choice is Volco in Kelburn, which I first visited a few Sundays ago. I’m a big fan of pizza and I like to support owner-operators that are doing good things. It’s delicious, you can taste the passion and see that they really care, which goes a long way. I go every Sunday now to get their flatbread. If I had to pick one dish it would be the goat cheese, guanciale and honey combo – delicious. The wood-fired pizza base is awesome. There’s a great combination of flavours: beautifully balanced salty, sweet, and sour. You can tell the ingredients used are quality. At this stage, it is takeaway only but they are looking to get some seating soon. Luckily, it’s close to the Botanic Gardens, so on a sunny day, it’s pretty nice to get some takeaways and head there with my family. Asher Boote, Hillside and Daisy’s Asher is the owner and head chef of Hillside Kitchen and its sister restaurant Daisy’s. His focus is on sustainability and locally sourced ingredients. Hillside has been exclusively plant-based since 2018. I’m going to shout out to Little Penang. I’ve been eating there since their original tiny site on Dixon Street, well over 10 years ago. I’m someone who doesn’t give two shits about food being “authentic”, I actually feel it’s become quite a detrimental term in food. People want food to fit into a prescribed set of rules to be authentic, whereas genuine food from a particular place comes with all sorts of variables, individualism, and cultural guidance – and at some point, chances are Grandma did something different on a whim, and it stuck. The food that Tee Phee and her family produce at Little Penang is just this: it tells a story of their history through their eyes and is bloody delicious. I’m also a huge believer in supporting the people behind the business; these guys are just some of the most kind and genuine people around. I pretty much always go for the char kew teow; it’s an absolute comfort food for me – always well kissed by the work and the fermented funk of the lap cheong they use hits just right. It’s always worth checking if there are fresh curry puffs in the cabinet too. Michael Chan, KC Cafe Michael is the founder and chef of KC Cafe, a Wellington institution which opened in 1998 and is famed for its vast menu. My chosen spot would be Customs on Ghuznee Street. I went there for the first year last year, but now I go about three times a week. I love it because they make the best coffee. They take so much care in making each cup, but you never have to wait too long. The staff are super friendly and attentive too. It’s quite a small cafe but it has great decor and really catches the morning sun. It’s the perfect place to relax a little bit before the chaos at work – and you can bring dogs there. I always order a latte and a cheese scone or the banana toast – they use cinnamon butter. Ellis Robbins Ellis is the former head chef at Everybody Eats and has just completed a summer in France cooking fresh local produce at Margot’s Retreat in Ardèche (not to be confused with Margot in Newtown). My pick is Margot. I love that it is a truly local restaurant, tucked down a side street, tiny and unassuming. I’ve been going whenever possible since they opened in 2022 and always try to get to their pop-ups or guest chef events. I love that they’re always trying something new and involve their whole community. Tom’s food doesn’t miss a beat. It strikes the perfect balance between thoughtful and unpretentious and manages to make simple things taste exciting. It’s hard to pick a favourite dish – every time I go I leave thinking “that was the best one yet”. But I have to mention a dessert I had there once: a chocolate mousse with green olive oil, roasted hazelnuts and cherries. It was flawless. Juno is the best host in the business. She always makes you feel like she’s so happy you’ve walked in. She even squeezed my whole party of six onto the bar at Next Door once when I messed up and booked for the wrong night. The wine list is perfect, and it’s the only place in Wellington I’ve had a proper pickleback. I love everything about that place. Max Gordy, Graze Max is chef patron of Graze Wine Bar, a lively spot in Kelburn that serves produce-led small plates. Max and partner Stina Person recently won Cuisine magazine’s Champions for Change award for their commitment to sustainability. For me, Bongusto in Miramar is always a treat. I first went four years ago, which is criminal as they’ve been around for much longer. I love it for the delicious food and the great community atmosphere. I try to head out there at least once a month – it’s near a few op shops, so I tend to make an afternoon of it. I usually get the small pasta of the day, a slice of pizza, and something sweet. It’s just simple food done well. There’s a real art in that, and I’ll keep coming back for it. I particularly love the sausage and mushroom pizza – the sausage reminds me of my childhood pizza spots in Chicago. Conor McDonald, Plonk Conor is the head chef of restaurant-come-jazz-lounge hangout Plonk. He has garnered praise for his attention to detail, playfulness, and sheer flavour in all his dishes. My top after-work spot would be Dee’s Place. It is a nice refuge of calm, down the unmarked stairs away from the chaos of Cuba St. The blues playing on vinyl with moody lighting and dark wood furniture make the perfect ambience. It also has some of the city’s best cocktail bartenders working there, but without any of the pretence you can get at some cocktail bars. They’re happy to crack a cold beer, pour a shot of whiskey and ask how your night was. One drink I’m particularly fond of is the whiskey and apple, with apples juiced to order – a very refreshing beverage for the thirsty. The baguette with (lots of) butter and prosciutto is my go-to snack when I’m there. It’s fatty, salty, and great with a beer, but it still feels like you’re eating real food. The complimentary corn nuts are addictive too. Thom Millot, Supra Thom is best known as one-half of genre-busting Wellington favourite Amok. He recently launched Supra, which is quickly earning a reputation for its inventive and original dishes, live-fire cooking, and tunes from Thom’s private record collection. I love Dragons. It’s always open when I need it, and the yum cha trolley comes within moments of sitting down. I go any chance I get. Friend in town? Dragons. Date night? Dragons. Staff party? Dragons. If I’m there for yum cha, I’ll usually get a few dumpling options, the roast duck, the fried calamari, and order the pickled wood ear mushrooms off the menu – but my favourite dish is the BBQ pork rice rolls. They hit all the right flavour notes, and I love the silky, soft, slightly chewy texture. Kirran Buckland, Volco Kirran is the dough master at Volco in Kelburn, a neighbourhood pastry and dough joint that is one of the best of its kind anywhere in the city. My go-to is Rams Restaurant on Cuba Street. Their chilli oil dumplings are banging. A mate told me about it 10 years ago when I was working at Boulcott Street Bistro, and I have been going there ever since. I still go every couple of months. The dumplings are crispy but soft and full of flavour. They’re super moreish, and good value too. The chilli oil is baller, and not too spicy, so you can really dump heaps on. They also do the fish in chilli oil that you sometimes find at hot pots – that’s an absolute go-to for me too. The decor is shit, which makes it class. The drinks are shit too – just the usual basic range – but it’s always super lovely there. They don’t speak much English but are always smiling. I’ve never had a bad dish from Rams. Laura Greenfield, Field & Green One half of the Wellington icon Field & Green, Laura is known for focusing on the heritage and histories of dishes and people, bringing stories and love to the food she cooks. I really enjoy having breakfast out. It’s time to myself, reading the news, playing Connections and drinking good coffee. I love Squirrel cafe on Blair Street. I’ve been going regularly for about five years. When Field & Green was open, I would go every morning for breakfast and have a quick chill before the frantic day started. It’s a lovely space, very relaxing and always has a good buzz. They allow dogs inside, which is cute, except when they start barking. I used to get Maude’s chicken sammi, which has roast chicken, herbs, creme fraiche and capers on Wellington sourdough toast, but my new favourite is the smoked salmon open sandwich with creme fraiche, pickled red onions and coriander seeds. I’m obsessed with smoked salmon – cold smoke only. I could eat it every day. Their coffee is great too – I only drink short blacks, so there’s nowhere to hide, it has to be perfect. I’m here right now, actually, and my breakfast has just arrived.
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