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BOULCOTT STREET BISTRO
Locals describe Boulcott Street Bistro as “halfway between casual and fine dining,” and that’s a great description of these two small rooms in a vintage house. White cloths swathe about a dozen tables. Copper pans hang over the window to the open kitchen, showing the chef’s staff hard at work. Large prints give a Parisian look (though there’s the occasional photo of Maori people, bringing you back to New Zealand). A bay window at the front lets light in on the white walls and ceiling, and the general feeling is cozy and polished. It’s the food, however, that elevates it to the level of fine dining, from starters like a scallop salad with tiny orange segments to signature entrées like fillet Bearnaise with pommes frites, or braised lamb shank with mashed potatoes, lentil sauce, and minted peas. Crème brûlée or a chocolate ganache tart finishes you up perfectly. 99 Boulcott Street. Tel: 011-64-4-499-4199. http://www.boulcottstreetbistro.co.nz

MARTIN BOSLEY’S YACHT CLUB RESTAURANT
The beautiful room at Martin Bosley’s Yacht Club Restaurant, overlooking the harbor, has possibly the best view in Wellington. Its only competition is Bosley’s fantastic menu. Pick out a wine from the extensive list. Select an elegant starter like the trio of tartares: bright red tuna with three little squares of pumpkin gelée, tiny gougère filled with snapper and a few dots of sturgeon caviar, and the orange salmon flecked with yogurt, cucumbers, and hard-boiled egg yolk. Like all Bosley’s dishes, it’s a little work of art, as worthy of the eye as the taste buds. The combinations here make sense, creating sunbursts of contrasting flavor, texture, and color, from fish with mustard gnocchi and parsley ice cream to grilled melon with candied tomatoes and champagne/rose petal marshmallows. As the chef passes my table, I comment on the purity of the combinations. He smiles. “I could mix white chocolate and caviar if I wanted to,” he laughs, “But I’m over that.” Bosley’s way is best: awesome creativity that knows when to leave immaculate ingredients alone. 103 Oriental Parade. Tel: 011-64-4-920-8302. http://www.martin-bosley.com

MATTERHORN
When you enter Matterhorn, you might think it’s just another noisy, buzzy bar. Large rooms echo with the chatter of the full house (which you’ll find pretty much any night of the week). Then your sweet waiter hands you the menu—a series of index cards in a binder—and you can see they take food seriously here. Start with crab ravioli on buttered new asparagus or a many-layered and fascinating pickled beet and caramelized onion tart. Try the parmesan/semolina-crusted tuna, served on warm caponata with creamed cannelini beans and candied fennel, or juniper-spiced venison from New Zealand’s South Island. By the time you savor chile-roasted pineapple with coconut/lemongrass pannacotta and passionfruit sorbet, or the little piece of decadence known simply as “the expensive chocolate dish,” you won’t think of Matterhorn as just another noisy bar any more. 106 Cuba St. Tel: 011-64-4-384-3359. http://www.matterhorn.co.nz

CITRON
If the only attraction at Citron were the gorgeous room—a tiny upstairs hideaway with half a dozen tables, brick columns, slanting ceilings, bas reliefs, and rounded black banquettes—it would probably be enough. When you add chef Rex Morgan’s amazing cuisine, you’ll come up a winner every time. It’s Morgan’s simple touches that spin familiar dishes into the realm of wonder. Cucumber swirls top perfectly-done scallops on a bed of cauliflower purée. Baby beets, fennel, and spiced raita accompany a luscious mushroom strudel. Choose your courses, or let Morgan and his staff delight you with a degustation menu (all with carefully chosen wines, of course). Morgan’s partner Wendy welcomes you with a grace and warmth that immediately let you know you’re in for something special, a prelude to Morgan’s simple yet refined, gorgeous yet unpretentious cuisine. Don’t miss it. 270 Willis St. Tel: 011-64-4-801-6263. http://www.citronrestaurant.co.nz

HIPPOPOTAMUS
Very exciting things are happening at the Museum Hotel, where chef Laurent Loudeac has taken over the restaurant, just renamed Hippopotamus. For this Frenchman who’s settled in New Zealand, it’s a major opportunity, and his inventive menu uses fresh local products with a bit of French, Mediterranean, and Asian influence. The result is a clean, fresh taste that’s as appealing as the stunning view of Te Papa Museum and the Wellington Harbor through the long row of windows. “Wellingtonians know their food,” affirms Loudeac, and his menu reflects the discerning palate of the local populace. Salmon sashimi comes with wakame salad and pickled ginger syrup. Braised pork belly is paired with a red wine vinegar toffee apple. A degustation menu features a mystery: you’re placing yourself in his capable hands, and you’ll find out what you’re having for dinner when your server brings each little course to your table. It’s a new era for dining at what’s already the most unique and original hotel in town. 90 Cable St. Tel: 011-64-4-802-8900. http://www.museumhotel.co.nz

THE AMBELI
Shae Moleta, the proprietor of The Ambeli, welcomes you to this casual and winning spot with good cheer, personally overseeing your dinner with a devotion to your enjoyment that is absolutely infectious. It’s a sweet little place: two rooms separated by a small, white-bannistered stairway, with deep red walls and gilt framed mirrors. Try a potato/caper/anchovy pancake, savory and satisfying. Enjoy mains like slow-cooked crispy duck or seared tuna with warm roasted vegetable salad. Ingredients are New Zealand sourced and, where possible, organic. There’s nothing too deconstructed or re-imagined here, just a deceptively simple cuisine that’s bursting with flavor. Shae’s good vibes accompany your lovely food just like the fascinating selection of New Zealand wines, from an Osteiner produced by Rippon Vineyards to Te Mata/Woodthorpe Vineyard’s Gamay Noir. If you don’t leave this place feeling good, it’s entirely possible you aren’t capable of it. 18 Majoribanks St. Tel: 011-64-4-385-7577. http://www.theambeli.co.nz

FLORIDITAS
Floriditas could be in Paris for all its bistro-like charm. Etched glass windows look onto Cuba Street, paisley swirl panels adorn the walls, an L-shaped bar holds domed cases of baked goods and an ever-changing stack of jars of jam that they make and sell, white tile walls behind the bar and bentwood stools in front of it give an informal, Parisian feeling. The service is sweet, the food satisfying and ingenious, such as pasta with pea tendrils and asparagus. Desserts are great, from a “chocolate pot” to that classic New Zealand dessert, the Pavlova, a massive confection covered in meringue. While the menu constantly changes, there are generally a few pastas, a fish dish, and several other mains. It’s a favorite with locals for a casual lunch or evening meal, and it’s comfortable, friendly, and buzzing, but still low-key enough for a quiet tête-à-tête. 161 Cuba Street. Tel: 011-64-4-381-2212. http://www.floridatas.co.nz

[Published: October, 2008]