“I love his t-shirt” …
… says Helen as we take our window seats at this bustling café on Cuba Street Mall opposite that bucket fountain that looks like it has been swiped from the Sesame Street set. We’ve just sat for lunch at Plum with Ania from Positively Wellington Tourism to try yet another great value Dine 2010 menu at the measly price of $25. Two courses with wine and coffee though something tells me it was a good idea to skip on the vino as my liver was tapping on my ribcage while whispering “Not now, honey, I’ve got a headache”.
A quick glance around the place is enough to tell you that the mountainous plate of cooked breakfast is a bit of a drawcard and the coffee, judging by t-shirts donned by the staff, is something worth worshiping. HNF needs coffee. Big time. And when I taste it I’m about to get into the same position as the bloke in the t-shirt. Does anyone make bad coffee in this town?
I’m craving something rich and as soon as I spotted blue cheese on the menu I just had to have it. Potato gnocchi with Kapiti blue cheese & toasted walnut cream. As a starter is was perfectly sized and the stunning flavour had me enraptured. That Kapiti blue really is something. A bowl of cheesy paradise.
Ania goes for the Salmon pavé on Pinot Noir risotto and when it arrives I’m wondering how she’s going to get through the massive portion. This is a starter? The risotto with its Pinot blush lays the foundation for a mound of creamy spinach, the salmon pavé (non French may call it steak or fillet) and it’s crowned with olive tapenade. I snuck a taste of the risotto and found it perfectly cooked with a definite flavour of Pinot.
Helen dives into a celebration of colour. A very healthy looking salad of Pumpkin, fetta, tomato, olives, red onion and leaves and Ania, after her mighty attempt of almost finishing her risotto, chooses a Calamari, rocket, fetta, lemon zest and caper salad for main.
An impressive stack of Corn blini’s with house-smoked salmon, salad greens, chive creme fraiche & tomato salsa lands infront of Helen for her main course. The salmon was playing peek-a-boo from between the beautifully-golden blini’s.
Rather than have a main course I skipped straight to dessert and while the girls tucked into their savouries I sweetened myself up with Vanilla pannacotta, poached rhubarb & lime jelly. The vanilla-freckled pannacotta is creamy and silky and possibly the best I’ve ever had and the sharp bite of the rhubarb is very refreshing. The discs of firm lime jelly are milder in flavour than I expected and are similar in texture to the palm seeds you get in those Indonesian es campur desserts. A perfect ending to a delicious lunch.
HNF dined at Plum as a guest of Positively Wellington Tourism for Wellington On a Plate (WOAP)
Plum 103 Cuba Street Wellington 6001 +64 4 384 8881 Mon 8am-6pm Tues-Fri 8am-10pm Sat 8.30am-10pm Sun 8.30am-6pm plumcafe.co.nzOther posts from my Wellington On a Plate experience:
City Market & Harbourside Market, Wellington NZ
Muirlea Rise & lunch at Bar Saluté, Wairarapa NZ
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