Wellington, New ZealandThe food in New Zealand has been surprisingly better than originally expected. There are many choices due to the diverse culture on the islands. We have visited the local Malaysian, Indian, Korean, Thai, and Turkish restaurants, all of which were very good. However, last night we visited the Matterhorn in Wellington, which boasts local cuisine with fresh, organic produce and meat.
The Matterhorn was featured in a recent issue of the Daily Candy and was forwarded to me by my good friend Angela. I decided to look the place up before we got into Wellington and made sure it was on our dining itinerary.
The entrance, down an alley off of Cuba Street was a little awkward. We requested a table and were told we could make ourselves comfortable at the bar; a table would be available in about 30 minutes.
The restaurant boasts a lumberjack theme, but I found it much more elegant. The bar was very beautiful and stretched at least 25 feet. Lacquered and stained wood, mahogany in color, covered the walls and ceiling. The mahogany color was accentuated by subdued golden and copper colored lights placed perfectly behind the three levels of bottles behind the bar. After asking, we found out they use eco-friendly pine on the bar and ceilings, stained to give the appearance of mahogany.
We all ordered a cocktail and sat back enjoyed watching the three bartenders run up and down the bar making everything from a Blood Orange Martini, to a Margarita with fresh squeezed limes, to a perfectly poured bottle of Duvel. All drinks were mixed, stirred and shaken by hand; there were no electric mixers or pre-measured concoctions. These guys were pros. After a few drinks we sat down at our table. The menu included several dishes New Zealand is famous for such as lamb, fish and beef. After the excellent beef in Argentina, I figured I had to compare the New Zealand beef.
The beef was cooked medium rare, served on top of oxtail with chorizo and chickpeas. There was a spicy chipotle butter sauce on top of the steak that melted, mixing with the flavors of the oxtail, chorizo and chickpeas. The preparation was totally different than the simple salt and pepper on the steak in Argentina, but the tenderness and flavor was comparable.
The other dishes were equally tasty. Marc and Shelby both had the daily fish, which was tuna, served with little soft, fluffy gnocchi. Dustin had the chicken which flaked off the bone. We shared a tasty bottle of local wine to go with the local food, a 2005 Lamont Pinot Noir.
This was our best meal in New Zealand so far, and probably our best meal with Shelby and Dustin. We figured the next few nights in Abel Tasman will be rice and more rice with a little soup mix.
It was a great way to spend an evening… great food and great friends.
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