Scotland & The Gardens

Here is a selection of our photos from the weekend.

We went to the Scotland day at Te Papa on Sunday.

And found the tulips and blossoms to be surviving the changes in weather quite nicely at the Botanic Gardens.

Bangalore Polo Club

Planning for this night began way back during Wellington on a Plate in August.  Whence we were enjoying the fabulous cocktails of the Museum Hotels Cocktails in the City.  These consummate hosts stayed behind to keep us company after the official cocktail session had ended.  One of these hosts, the very charming Houston was telling us he was later to meet with friends who were visiting Wellington from Christchurch.  These friends were employed by the owners of the Bangalore Polo Club in Christchurch and were still being paid, even though the Christchurch Bangalore has not reopened since the February earthquake.  Such loyalty to staff must not be overlooked. 

So we made a pact that night, to venture to the new Wellington Bangalore Polo Club, which has opened up in the old Coyote spot of Courtenay Place. 

And here we are, nearly seven weeks later, only to find the place heaving by six o’clock on a Friday night on their second week of trading.  Lucky I booked a table.  I got proceedings under way with a ‘Catapult’.  How apt.  It really did catapult the mood from weekday-ho-hum to weekend-hip-hoorah.  I can see why they decided on the name ‘catapult’, perhaps my name for it is a little wordy for the menu.  But, I will let them use my term, should the feedback be resolute enough to get it back on the menu.  My friend ordered a Lady Stacy, which could be described as a meal in one, with strawberries, mint, cucumber, pineapple juice and a brand of Vodka I can’t pronounce without slipping into an Australian accent.  A bit early for that!

Feeling ‘fearless and brave’ as the Bangalore Polo Club catch phrase goes, we ventured away from the drinks menu and settled into reading the entertaining 13-page dinner menu.  Rest assured there was to be no funny business about food this time.  We were again female diners, but this time we had healthy appetites and not afraid to sate them.

Saying that, I wasn’t going to be seduced by the cheesy and herby calzone.  No!  I’ve learnt this is a foolish weakness to give into at such an early stage of the evening.  It can only lead to buttery lips and a full stomach, leaving no room for the main show.

Even with such resolve, we did not get past the entree menu.  We were sold on the prawn cocktails, how could you not love these nostalgic gems.  The prawns were big, the dressing creamy but not enough to drown the plentiful prawns, on top of shredded lettuce, avocado, tomato and a wedge of Meyer lemon (not too hard, not too bitter or too dry, but just right).  My partner thought the prawns could’ve been tastier if they were fresh, but I’m not sure how easy it is to find fresh prawns in Wellington.  I suspect not very easy.

We foolishly ordered the BPC sharing platter at the same time as the prawn cocktails.  One of those eyes bigger than our stomachs situations.  The platter would happily feed 2-4 hungry people.  We certainly saw tables of 6 female diners sharing the platter and not finishing it.  Not that a platter must be scraped clean, we’re not that greedy, but it does seem a shame to waste such delicious food.

The whole menu is an eclectic mix of dishes.  You’d think given the theme of the place you’d find Indian curries, and you would be right.  But also you will find seafood chowder, Waldorf salad, risotto, roasted pork hock, pizza and my ultimate Italian dessert, affogato.  So, the menu has something to please everyone.

We gave the platter a good hour to enjoy and sample a little of everything but still couldn’t clear the board.  We unanimously agreed the Umai (pronounced Ooh Mai – indeed) was the absolute winner on the plate.  The Umai is a Malaysian style cold salad with fish, pickled lettuce, carrot, onion, coriander and chilli being a delightful mix of light and crunchy with plenty of bite, all beautifully complementing each other.  A close second favourite on the platter was the chicken liver pate.  The pate was so creamy and airy with maximum flavour, definitely the best pate I’ve ever had.  Also deserves a mention were the crispy chicken drumsticks, with their clever mix of herbs and spices; the seared tuna; mango lassi (cold yoghurt drink in a shot-glass); cucumber pickle; cured meats; more of our prawn cocktail, oh look, I’ve nearly described the contents of the platter – it was all good.

Unfortunately, we then had no room for desserts, not even my divine affogato.  But, this is good news, as there is plenty to come back for.

We decided a gin and tonic would be appropriate instead of a dessert.  The movers and shakers (excuse the pun), of all things mixology at The Museum Hotel have us sworn off Bombay Sapphire Gin, so we knew knowledgably ordered the Beefeater 24 Gin - we were not disappointed.

The service was excellent at the Bangalore Polo Club, right from booking a table through to entry to the bar onto our table through our meal and settling up at the end of the night.  The music was also a great mix of old classics.  They’ve got it all right.

RWC supporter car flags

Due to popular demand, this blog is all about flags.  Yes, truly.  More specifically, RWC supporter flags.

We went looking for New Zealand car flags at the Warehouse, sold out.
We went to every petrol station, sold out, or you could only get one with a Mastercard (BP Connect Stations)
We went to New World supermarkets, sold out, but had car side mirror covers, good but not fluttery enough.
We scrolled through the internet, no joy.
We went to $2 shops, who had some, but they weren't hemmed, and quickly frayed so might not last as long at the Rugby World Cup.  Not good enough.

But now we have The Flag Shop, right here in Thorndon, Wellington.

See their website here.

The Flag Shop are selling car flags at $9.95 and you can collect them in Thorndon.

New Zealand - Car Flag $9.95

Click to enlarge 30 x 45 cm Car Flag of New Zealand Made from fully hemmed 100% screenprinted Super-polyester with plastic attachment for fixing to your car window. Flag flies as you drive along. SHOULD NOT BE USED FOR DRIVING ABOVE 70KM/H Postage prices are more due to size of plastic mast.

They also have car flags for the following countries:

Argentina
Australia
Canada
England
France
Scotland
South Africa
USA
Wales

The Flag shop also have bunting flags, desktop flags, banners, mast flags, etc.

So, what are you waiting for?  Show us your patriotism!

Italian Festivals

The Italian Festival is back! On Sunday 6th November, the Westpac Stadium will once again become a vibrant corner of Italy and showcase everything Italy is famous for all over the world – from food and beverages to art, fashion, design, motors, holidays destinations and more...


Our programme for the day will include cooking demonstrations, entertainment for children, live Italian music, and for the very first time in New Zealand, performances by a group of Italian flag wavers (Sbandieratori) who will come to Wellington for this event.


Keep on checking this page for the latest updates – more information to come soon!


Experience a day in Italy... with the New Zealand Italian Festival in Wellington!


www.theitalianfestivalnewzealand.com

Also the Italian Film Festival is at Wellington Paramount Cinemas from 12 − 30 October.

"Welcome, Benvenuti to the 2011 Alfa Romeo Italian Film festival

The Italian Film festival is very pleased to welcome Alfa Romeo as the naming rights partner. The festival is proud to have such an iconic Italian brand associated with the event.

The Alfa Romeo Italian Film festival continues to expand. In 2010 the festival grew to two and a half weeks in Auckland. In 2011 this continues and we are proud to announce the festival expands to two and a half weeks in Wellington and remains screening in five other major cities. Obviously this is a challenging time for Christchurch, but the festival organisation is totally committed to screening the festival in that city in some form. We will be there whatever it takes.

The Alfa Romeo Italian Film festival has developed into the most successful cultural film festival on the national entertainment calendar and continues as the second largest film festival in the country. Last year the feedback from you, the audience, was as enthusiastic in your praise as ever before. So we describe this year's event as exciting, rewarding, and a challenge we're thrilled to take on.

We are also pleased to welcome visitors to New Zealand here for the Rugby World Cup. This major sporting event is an opportunity to showcase our country's assets, environmental and cultural, and there's certainly a rich diversity of both. And if rugby is not your thing, whether you are a visitor or not, or you just want to take a break, then this festival may be just what you're looking for.

People regularly ask me which films I recommend they watch. My advice is to simply pick a time when you can indulge yourself with around two hours of great entertainment, and go and see the film that is screening then. I am certain you will not be disappointed. Viva il cinema italiano!"

Cav. Tony Lambert
Director

www.italianfilmfestival.co.nz

Spring Festival at Botanical Gardens

The Wellington Botanic Gardens have their Spring Festival on this weekend.

The tulips have survived the icy hail stones in the week and are about to show us all their glory.

SPRING FESTIVAL

17 September - 2 October 2011

This two-week festival has more than 30 events, with highlights including:

▪ Otari open day and plant sale on Saturday 17 September

▪ Tulip Sunday in the Botanic Garden on 25 September.

This year we've designed the Botanic Garden's renowned tulip beds to pay tribute to the overseas teams playing in Wellington for Rugby World Cup 2011. The planting's been done so that the flower colours will represent teams' national flags.

you can download the festival guide here:

Spring Festival 2011 programme 

The duck pond

The magnificent flowering Magnolia tree

The surviving tulips of the icy week

Flax ball at entry

Daisies

Soho Brown's

We were rather sad to see the Magnetix magazine store closed down.  So were interested to see what Soho Brown's was all about and what they would do with the space.

Today we went to Soho's for lunch to find it almost full at 12.30pm on their sixth day of opening.  The place had been well fitted out with plenty of tables that were well spaced to allow for plenty of diners. It seems there is still a market for a sandwich, lamington and a cup of tea or coffee.  It certainly will be a welcome sight for the type of clientele who get a little confused by all the talk of focaccia and macchiatos.

We weren't completely sold on the books wallpaper.  Preferring to see the real thing, as they had done on one pillar.

I suspect some of the staff had been enjoying a little too much of the staff coffee.  The manager was rather entertaining to watch as she literally ran from table to counter.  I'm not sure how long she will be able to keep that up for, but I suspect it will take her wages in coffee to keep going past the first few weeks.  I'm never really bothered by how long it takes to receive my coffee as long as it's good when it arrives.  And it was.

My salmon sandwich was delicious and very good value with the amount of salmon in the sandwich, but the bread had started to dry out, as the sandwiches weren't wrapped or covered to prevent drying out.  I also enjoyed the pea and ham soup, which was thick and full of flavour with plenty of ham.

The DH ordered a smoked chicken and cranberry on turkish bread and a berry tart.  The turkish bread was very fresh and again, full of filling and all very well balanced.  The tart went down very well, but might have benefited from a little natural yoghurt on the side.  Also popular were the single shots of smoothie pre-made - great idea.

We debated whether it was better to have the start of the queue for ordering food as you enter the premises.  Or, if it was more advantageous to walk past all the counter food available to begin filling your tray before making your choices.  This way, you don't get to the end of the queue and wish you had chosen something a little more substantial before you got to the sweets.

I'm sure they will iron out some wrinkles over the next few weeks.  It's not an easy thing to run a cafe.  Soho's is in a fantastic location and will enjoy a busy time with the summer months coming, as there will be hordes of sun worshippers flocking to Midland Park to enjoy their lunchtime.

Maranui Café

This morning’s trip out to Maranui Café was a compensatory visit.  Not for the hungry hordes whom happily ate there.  But for the DH (Darling Husband) who wanted a surrogate Father’s Day celebration, as last weekend was spent away from home with my family.  Fair enough, we’re not complaining.

Soon after we get seated at Maranui, a group of cyclists came in, “table for 10?”  Ha ha, good one!

Now, a word of warning.  If you want to experience the best-run café with a brilliant atmosphere and food and in the weekend, get up early.  Even if you do manage to get up, dressed and out to Lyall Bay before 9am, be prepared for a wait, for a table and food.  This is well known, which is why nobody really minds waiting and will happily queue up the stairs.  You do occasionally find people who like to have everything just perfect.  These frustrating people want loads of space and pronto service, and will keep table swapping until they find the perfect table.  Forget that; eat at home if that’s what you want.  You come to a café to enjoy the people watching, get served on and eat food that you wouldn’t whip up yourself on an early Sunday morning.  Stop fluffing, relax and enjoy.

The buzz at Maranui Café is exactly what drew me to cafes in the first place.  As a student in Dunedin was my first café experience.  Not a tearoom – they’re entirely different.  But a proper café, that served fresh espresso, huge savoury muffins and salads.

The best thing at Maranui, apart from the view and the food, is watching the staff working expertly together.  There is very little verbal communication between the staff.  A humorous bike hooter is used instead of “SERVICE”, a raise in music volume is used to rev staff up when the place is packed and queued out the door, and a smile is used when new staff look overwhelmed.   Then the barista staff break into song along with Amy Winehouse “I told ya I was trouble, you know that I’m no good”. 

Maranui doesn’t need the good press.  Never has.  Ironically, that is another reason people go there.  It’s a fickle thing, getting the right mix in running a café.  Maranui have it in truckloads.  I go and sit there in the weekday afternoons with a coffee and watch the planes coming into land.  It’s very therapeutic.

There is usually pulling power on the celebrity front too.  Not that we’re bov’erd.  We’d rather gaze at the surfers paddling out to catch the next wave, or watch the planes battling the gusts of wind to level out just in time.  I believe that’s where the clapping started, by the way, when you’re on a plane coming into land and the pilot has masterly glided the plane in during a northerly, now that deserves an applause.

Today we were all very hungry, as I was saying.  The junior Locals love the Maranui kids Pixie pancakes and thick shakes.  Part of the appeal of the thick shakes for the juniors is that they are delivered in the original metal milkshake containers.  How is the thick shake then Noisy Local?  “It is FANTASTIC and has two straws!” Can I try? “NO”.  Fine, I sneak some later.  I very rarely can go past the adults version of the pancakes that are organic buttermilk with crispy bacon and banana.  The DH chose the eggs benedict with dense ham off the bone, crusty sourdough toast and obligatory hollandaise sauce.  He was very happy, felt treated and content.

www.maranuicafe.co.nz

Waterfront Fan Zone

Fan Zone Central on Wellington Waterfront:

Kiwi short films screened every night from 5-10pm

What we like for 5.9 − 11.9.11

Let's not beat around the bush any longer.

There is nothing else on this week - it's all about the rugby.  The Rugby World Cup (RWC) to be precise.

There is talk of rugby everywhere you turn, flag bunting hoisted outside shop fronts and houses and there is a thick air of anticipation.  What will people think about NZ?  What if they get stuck behind a caravan on SH1 or even worse get a bad coffee?  Heaven forbid.  But, really the thick air of anticipation is not because of the state of our roads or coffee, but whether the All Blacks will win at home!

I can answer that, I have just read The Dominion Posts RWC 2011 guide to the biggest event in NZ (on sale today).  Non Kiwis look away now if you don't want the result spoiled for you.  WE WIN!

Ok, so that is THAT sorted.  Now, let's relax, enjoy the party atmosphere, and get on with doing what we do best, play great rugby and afford our visitors the best hospitality anywhere in the world.

Most of the teams have arrived by now.  Scotland is the last team to arrive, arriving in Invercargill at 7.25pm tonight (7.9.11).

Friday 9th Sept at 7.30pm is the official opening of the RWC at Eden Park, Auckland.  This precedes the first game of the tournament between the All Blacks and Tonga at 8.30pm.  Tonga will follow the All Blacks haka with their own, and then the games commence.

Whilst you are out and about, pick yourself up a Wellington Region 2011 Festial guide map for the RWC.  Or, download it here:
Download the Festival Guide

You can also get a mobile guide:
m.WellingtonNZ.com from your mobile phone
or
text WELLINGTON to 315 and get the link sent to you.

Official RWC 2011 websites:
rugbyworldcup.com

Festival of Carnivale and Wellington information
WellingtonNZ2011.com

Wellington Official Tourism Websites:
WellingtonNZ.com

REAL NZ Festival
realnzfestival.com

GO THE ALL BLACKS

Hastings Farmers Market

We were in the sunny Hawkes Bay last weekend.  It had been a while since we had been to the Hastings Farmers Market, at the Showgrounds on Kenilworth Road, off Karamu Road.  So, we all headed down there as a family.  Me to take photos, talk to the producers and sample their wares, the kids to get the obligatory gelato and the DH to get his favourite venison burger.  Other favourites of the day were the jammy in the middle German doughnuts, the walnut brittle, Hawthorns coffee and generally catching up with long lost friends.  The last time I was in the Hawkes Bay A&P Showgrounds halls, I was about 8 years old and was being mesmerised by the art canvases covered with paint splattered from a spinning wheel.  These canvases never quite had the same appeal once I got one home as they were no longer amongst their splattered surroundings.  Which is entirely the opposite to how I felt with our basket of lovingly made and grown produce from the mornings outings.  Here is just a sample of what is on offer:

this was a fraction of the pastries the Harald's Bread World had on supply that completely sold out

Harald's Bread World German doughnut

Orcona Chillis 'n Peppers www.chilli.co.nz

www.originalmuesli.co.nz

www.hannaberryfarm.co.nz

The Damson Collection - Damson paste is the 2011 Cuisine Artisan Awards winner www.thedamsoncollection.co.nz

'Sweet As Cupcakes' at $2 small & $3 medium  www.sweetascupcakes.co.nz

Village Press olive oil tastings  www.thevillagepress.co.nz

Al Brown & Co. extra virgin olive oil by Village Press

www.hawthornecoffee.co.nz

Coastal Squeeze juices

www.marketground.co.nz/gelato

www.marketground.co.nz/gelato

www.gotchatreats.co.nz

Maimai Creek wines

Just in case you missed it - that's $3 a BAG!

The Wright Sprouts  www.wrightsprouts.co.nz

Walnut brittle - my absolute favourite of the day

www.marketground.co.nz/maudandharrys

The Smoke Hut - do a smoked brie!  www.marketground.co.nz/thesmokehut

Organic Wheatgrass - my kids were transfixed with this stall  www.wheatsup.co.nz

www.originearth.co.nz

Hastings Farmers Market open every Sunday 8.30am to 12.30pm www.hawkesbayfarmersmarket.co.nz