Wellington on a Plate (WOAP) is here and every one is excited….
We may be excited, but with 17 days (August 11th – 27th August) of Wellington restaurants putting it on for us with festival dishes, a burger competition, cocktails and countless events, it is almost impossible to decide which things to do. Never fear, Capital Eats, Wellington’s most in the know foodies are here to help!
I met with Alana and Victoria the women behind Capital Eats, to interview them and get their Wellington on a Plate TOP PICKS for 2017.
Read on for my foodie interview with Capital Eats and then their AMAZING easy to manage 15 TOP PICKS for what to do during WOAP.
You can also find all the WOAP info on their site: www.visawoap.com
CAPITAL EATS, A relateable, accessible insight into Wellington’s food scene
Run by Victoria Bostan & Alana Hepburn, two best friends who share a passion for sharing Wellington’s food delights, Capital Eats is an online platform sharing and celebrating Wellington’s food through Instagram and more recently a blog. Started back in August 2015, they post beautiful pictures of the latest and best food destinations in the capital city to entice our appetites and show us what is out there.
Being two Wellington girls who just love to eat out, they are relate-able for many. They don’t claim to be food critics and have a super positive outlook to the things they try. They take all their photos themselves and they are always on the ball with the latest food destinations. These are probably the reasons why they have a massive Instagram following of 9200 and growing!
These girls know Wellington food better than most, so who better to advise us on what to do during WOAP. Here’s what they had to say…
A Lost in Silver Fern Interview with CAPITAL EATS – Wellington’s Foodie Social Media Queens
What inspired you to start your Foodie Instagram account?
CE: We decided to turn our love for finding new eating spots (beyond our favorite Fidel’s) into an online platform dedicated solely to Wellington’s food. At the time, no one else was doing the same so we thought why not us?! We were looking for a page like this, so surely others were too. And its kind of just accelerated from there. Instagram will remain our primary platform but we have a blog now too as an extension of this.
Why is Wellington Obsessed with Food?
Good Question! People just love coming to Wellington for food adventures. I think its because we have such a huge amount of restaurants and cafes for the size of the city. Everywhere is walk-able and super easy to get to. You could easily have brunch on Oriental Bay, drinks on Cuba and dinner on Lambton Quay, and you have covered half the city!
There is a very strong sense of community in Wellington as well. Restaurants love using local products and supporting Wellington brands. Also people just love to see each other do well.
What is your favorite restaurant in Wellington?
A hard question for us to answer! But probably Chow for dinner, you can never go wrong with their Five Spice Curry, Beggars Purse and Blue Cheese Wantons. Prefab and/ or Loretta for brunch – these are our classic go to brunch spots if we’re feeling uninspired. Honorable mention goes to Customs Brew for their filter coffee and toast. We live super close to Customs so it’s always a hot spot for us during the weekend.
What are your favorite cheap eats in Wellington?
Tommy Millions pizza ($5) and the Lucky chicken poppers ($9) also their chips with gravy ($4 (a newbie but still worth a mention), toast from Customs Brew ($4 – $12), Chicken/Rice Katsu bowl ($6) from many places around Wellington is a goodie for work lunches. $2 Taco Tuesday’s at Rogue and Vagabond are another favorite of ours.
If you could live in any other foodie capital, where would it be?
Melbourne for sure! You would need an entire lifetime to explore all the amazing food it has to offer. We went there on a holiday a few years ago and it was basically just an eating trip and there was still so much we couldn’t fit in.
What are you most excited about for WOAP?
We were most excited about the Prison Gate to Plate event and we were actually fortunate enough to attend a preview of this event a few weeks ago. It was an absolutely amazing experience and we would recommend it to anyone. So apart from that, we are looking forward to the burgers (obviously), the Toast Pop-up, the Pinot and Pie event at Goldings, the Maranui Beach Party, the Tiny Portions exhibition and the Cuban Air Raid.
Thanks Capital Eats! Please can you tell us your Wellington on a Plate Top Picks for 2017?
Sure! (Check them out below)
The CAPITAL EATS WELLINGTON ON A PLATE TOP PICKS for 2017
The CAPITAL EATS Top 5 Burger Wellington Picks for WOAP
BASQUE – The Cheese Musketeers – $21 / $31 w/beer
Three cheese: Aged cheddar, Zany Zeus smoked brinza and mozzarella croquette patty, smoked chipotle relish, red cabbage slaw, green tea aioli and jalapeños in a Zaida’s milk bun, with paprika fries (V, NF, Pesc).
Matched w Garage Project Pernicious Weed
FIVE BOROUGHS – Flipping the Bird $22 / $30 w/beer
Roast chicken patty, Sunday roast vegetable hash, caramelised onions, mayonnaise and smoked brinza on a sage stuffing bun with chicken gravy (NF).
Matched w Garage Project Hakituri
SCOPA – Spaghetti and Meatballs $19 / $26 w/beer
Pork and herb meatballs braised in tomato with a pickle and provolone cheese in an Arobake milk bun, with tomato salt ‘spaghetti fries’ (NF).
Matched w Garage Project Hazelnut Bruin
BANGALORE POLO CLUB– The Double Down Donald $19
Two prime beef patties with lettuce, tomato, pickles andmustard mayonnaise between two grilled cheese sandwiches with Zaida’s bread
KANTEEN – Hangi Burger Yeah, Nah Bro $19 / $28 w/beer
15-hour steamed and smoked Longbush free range pork belly with watercress and pickled apple slaw in an Arobake bun, with kūmara fries (DF, NF).
Matched w Garage Project Hakituri
The CAPITAL EATS Top 5 Picks Dine Wellington for WOAP
DRAGONFLY – Dinner Approx $60 for 2 courses + drink
Festival Dish: Salmon and shellfish broth with rice cakes, kombu, fermented soy bean and winter citrus fruit (DF, GF, Pesc, NF option
HIPPOPOTAMUS – Lunch Approx $30 | Dinner Approx $90 for 3 courses + drink
Festival Dish: The Humble Kiwi Pie: Black Dog beer-braised Wairarapa wild venison leg and Parkvale Mushroom (NF)
LAUNDRY – Lunch Approx $25 | Dinner $45 for 2 courses + drink
Festival dish: Gumbo with prawns, chicken, chorizo, kale, red potatoes, okra, and lotus root in southern-style broth over red rice
FIELD AND GREEN Lunch Approx $30 | Dinner $49 for 3 courses + drink
Festival dish: Slow roast stuffed lamb, chorizo, date and rosemary stuffing, lamb jus, sauteéd Brussels sprouts and kūmara, Lot Eight harissa olive oil (DF, GF)
APACHE Lunch Approx $35 | Dinner $50 for 2 courses + drink
Festival dish: Coconut curry, five-spice grilled free range chicken with kūmara, beans and chillies with coconut rice (GF, NF option)
The CAPITAL EATS Top 5 Cocktail Picks for WOAP
DRAGONFLY – Tips and Lumps $20
A confectionary trip down memory lane: Chambord jelly in a Whittaker’s chocolate cup set on vanilla vodka, crème de cacao and cream. Accompanied by rum-marinated pineapple and Whittaker’s chocolate lump (DF, GF, NF).
SLIM DAVEY’S FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SALOON – Purple Jet Plane Fizz $19
Reid+Reid gin infused with purple jet planes, lemon, egg white and a touch of soda, served tall. Accompanied by a jet plane canapé (DF, NF)
COCO AT THE ROXY– Sonnetag’s Journey $19
A marvellously modern remake of an old fashioned favourite, featuring fat-washed whisky enriched with maple, vanilla and orange. Accompanied by a spiced pulled pork slider with Roxy Cherry Karma Cola chilli chipotle sauce and Sina slaw
ST JOHNS – Luke, I Am Your Father $25
A Star Wars™-inspired rum based cocktail, served with an ice-cold Death Star. Accompanied by a Jabba the Hutt apple jelly.
BURGER LIQUOUR – Sommes Island Iced Tea $15
A tall, stormy mixture of vodka, rum, gin, Cointreau, Bootlegger’s and Flight coffee cola, a splash of orange juice, and a dusting of untempered Wellington Chocolate Factory chocolate. Accompanied by coffeeboosted pork scratchings.
There is so much to try, but these highlights have definitely given me some ideas. Thank you Capital Eats!
Check out their blog for even more highlights and Wellington food reviews: Capital Eats Blog
I would love to know which places you try during WOAP, so let us know in the comments below
Don’t forget to follow @capitaleats on Instagram for all their WOAP updates
Thanks for reading and come back soon!
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If you enjoyed this post, you might like to read my recent review of Two Grey Bar and Brasserie
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Josie x