Matterhorn, Wellington

At last. I am pushing open the door to Matterhorn.

Mattherhorn's reputation precedes itself. In 2008 it won Cuisine Magazine's Best Restaurant in New Zealand award, one of many achievements in its 40-year long history. Established by two Swiss brothers in 1963, Matterhorn was initially set up as a cafe, soon becoming a weekend favourite with families and -- between lapses of disrepair and business-changeover -- reopened as a 40-seat lounge bar in 1997.

You will find Matterhorn at the end of a very long and dim corridor off Cuba Street. I confess that on a previous visit to Wellington, I'd stood on the street outside on the my own on a Saturday night, peering cautiously down the length of the arcade, before chickening out and continuing on. The darkened arcade and solid door gave away nothing about what lay on the other side.

And so, as I finally push open the mysterious door, I'm surprised to find a large and airy space drenched with natural light, the room filled with weekend lunchers. Today Billy, John, Peter G and I are dining with Ania and Angela from Positively Wellington Tourism.

We're pleased to find that we are also joined by local Wellingtonian food bloggers Laura and Millie and Auckland food blogger Andrea.


White bean and lemon dip with crispy pitas and spring onion relish $8

We start with a selection of dishes to share, a bowl of white bean and lemon dip is a thick but smooth puree that is perfect for dipping in large shards of crunchy pita triangles.

Rustic garlic bread finished on the char-grill $6

Rustic garlic bread is helplessly addictive, its surface slightly smoky from the char-grill, and I find myself compulsively reaching for the bowl of olives garnished with neat squares of reggiano shortbread ($7).

Ata Rangi Petrie Chardonnay 2008

We are here to sample the special Wellington on a Plate menu which includes your choice of two courses and a glass of wine. Ata Rangi Petrie Chardonnay is crisp and fruity, but the red wine option, the Ata Rangi Celebre 2007, is more rewarding, an unusual blend of Merlot, Cabernet and Syrah that gives it a berry richness.

Entree option 1: Terrine of braised wild rabbit

Although Billy and I are seated at opposite ends of the table, we instinctively make arrangements to order alternate dishes so we can swap halfway through.

The terrine of braised wild rabbit is a picture of elegance, a narrow length of tender rabbit set in cool gelatin, served with strips of candied carrots and an intriguing cardamom cream in tangerine yellow.

Entree option 2:

Carpaccio of yellow tail kingfish with rhubarb, grapefruit and ginger buckwheat

Carpaccio of yellow tail kingfish is a regular item on the Matterhorn menu, and I enjoy the contrast of colours, flavour and texture in this dish. Smooth slivers of kingfish play off against the crunch of ice berg lettuce and nutty grains of buckwheat. The simple citrus dressing is heightened by thin strips of rhubarb and refreshing segments of sweet ruby red grapefruit.

Main option 1:

Wagyu skirt steak with red wine onions, celeriac remoulade and parsley salad

The majority of the table opts for the wagyu skirt steak and although it looks promising, I find my slices to be a little chewy. The celeriac remoulade and parsley salad is lovely, if a little overwhelmed by the red wine jus.

Main option 2:

Crayfish basmati in risotto style with prawns, fennel and lemon

Instead the crayfish basmati is my favourite dish of the day, the basmati rice holding up well in a seafood stock that is delightfully intense. The stock outshines the token garnish of prawns but I do relish the paperthin shavings of fennel that counterbalance the richness of the dish with their faint aniseed flavour.

We bid a hasty farewell in a somewhat rushed lunch when we realise we are already late for the next event on our itinerary at Osteria Del Toro.

Osteria Del Toro: Paella for the People

Paella for the People

The facade of Osteria Del Toro is unmistakeable - the Tory Street building painted in zebra stripes. The restaurant serves Moroccan, Spanish, Italian and Greek dishes on its menu, and we join a throng of spectators for the fully booked out Paella for the People, a special event for Wellington on a Plate.

A semi-circle of seats surrounds a giant paella pan to watch a cooking demonstration of traditional Paella Valenciana. As we watch the chef add smoked paprika, rice and seafood to the pan, we find our attention is captured by the decor, an over-the-top collection of baroque furnishings that is simultaneously garish and cool.

Water feature

Peter G in the gilt-edged mirror

Pineapple light fittings above the kitchen

Calasparra rice sacks

The holy trinity: olive oil, salt and pepper

Lemon lamp at the reception desk

The bar at Osteria Del Toro

Paella Valenciana

Covering the paella with a napkin to steam the rice

Paella Valenciana

The paella seems to cook in no time at all, and just as we're scraping the last grains of rice from our plate, we're ushered out the door and into taxis for our next event, an olive oil and wine tasting at the Museum of Wellington.

Museum of Wellington:

Flavours of Wellington to Wairarapa

Olive oil tasting

The impressive von Kohorn room in the Museum of Wellington City & Sea is the location for our tasting this afternoon, called Flavours of Wellington to Wairarapa.

Over the next hour we will sample Lot Eight olive oils from Martinborough, breads from artisan baker Pandoro in Wellington, local cheeses and a number of Murdoch James wines to see how each of them influence each other on the palate.

Olive oil

It's an insightful afternoon, observing how a cheese can taste more creamy or piquant depending on the wine or olive oil that accompanies it. The eating has been non-stop and whilst our day's schedule has been tight, our pants are only getting tighter.

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Matterhorn

106 Cuba Street, Wellington, New Zealand

Tel: +64 (04) 384 3359

Opening hours:

Monday to Sunday 10am till late

View Larger Map

Osteria Del Toro

60 Tory Street, Wellington, New Zealand

Tel: +64 (04) 381 2299

Opening hours:

Monday to Friday 11.30am - 12 midnight

Saturday 5pm - 12 midnight

Sunday 12pm - 11pm

Museum of Wellington City & Sea

Queens Wharf

3 Jervois Quay, Wellington, New Zealand

Tel: +64 (04) 472 8904

Open 7 days 10am - 5pm

Entry is free

Grab Your Fork dined at the Matterhorn and attended Paella for the People and Flavours of Wellington to Wairarapa as a guest of Positively Wellington Tourism for Wellington on a Plate. Wellington on a Plate ran from August 14-29, 2010.

>> Read the next Wellington on a Plate 2010 post [Wellington Pop-Up Restaurant]

< Read the first Wellington on a Plate 2010 post [Te Papa Museum]

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Wellington on a Plate 2010 - Logan BrownWellington on a Plate 2010 - Matterhorn
Wellington on a Plate 2010 - Osteria Del Toro
Wellington on a Plate 2010 - Petone Food Tour

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Wellington on a Plate 2010 - Wellington Pop-Up RestaurantWellington on a Plate 2010 - Wellington Pop-Up Restaurant in Sydney

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