EAT
FIELD & GREEN: Having relocated
from London with her business partner, chef
Laura Greenfield drew upon her Jewish roots
to produce a menu of ‘European soul food’
— essentially, high-quality comfort dishes.
While lunches and dinners are reasonably
elaborate and pricey, it’s the small yet filling
simpler dishes on the all-day menu — Welsh
rarebit, homemade crumpets, sardines on
sourdough — that make this restaurant both
affordable and special. fieldandgreen.co.nz
SHED 5: Housed in a Victorian woolshed
in Lambton Harbour, Shed 5 really plays to
Wellington’s strengths: stunning seafood
dishes accompanied by fantastic Kiwi
wine. The seafood risotto changes daily,
‘depending on what the tide brings in’, while
anyone who can resist the oysters must be
tired of life. shed5.co.nz
HIPPOPOTAMUS RESTAURANT & BAR: If
you came to Wellington hoping for a hipster
dining experience, then French fine-dining
might seem a stuffy option. But stuffy it
ain’t, and, besides the food, the impressive
third-floor harbour views and fancy decor
make this a smart choice. Located within the
Museum Art Hotel. hippopotamus.co.nz
LIKE A LOCAL
COFFEE TIME: If you want to feel like a
local, then the first thing to do is grab a
coffee — Wellington has been in the grip of
bean fever for two decades and every type of
brew is available. Head to The Beanery by
Mojo where you can sample cutting-edge
Nitro, Cold Brew, Steampunk and Pheonix
coffee, among others. mojocoffee.co.nz
DIVE IN: If the weather’s fine and you find the
waters in Wellington’s harbour too much of a
temptation, head to Taranaki Wharf, outside
Te Papa, where you’ll find an elaborate diving
platform, and — if you’re lucky — a small
crowd of curious, well-meaning spectators.
SEAL COAST SAFARI: For all its charms,
Wellington is a small city and longer-stay
visitors would be mad not to get out and
explore. Take a 4WD tour along the city’s
rugged coastline for the chance to meet a
local colony of fur seals. sealcoast.com
Timber! // The majestic Old
Government Buildings on
Lambton Quay is the largest
wooden structure in the
Southern Hemisphere. Its
timbers come from the kauri
tree and it was the world’s first
building to ban smoking
WELLINGTONNovember 2016 151