09/03/2018 - Teller #028 - Finally! Really good fish

On the 2nd evening in Wellington, I decided to rely on TripAdvisor and chose number 2. This was because I had parked my car just around the corner in a residential area and passed by it on the way back to the hotel. It looked very nice and the menu was appealing. A check on TripAdvisor revealed it was ranked number 2 in Wellington. So I quickly checked the reviews again and booked a seat at the bar for the next day.

During the day, I spent most of my time at the "Te Papa" Museum to learn about Maori culture. A really beautiful museum.

However, the exhibition about the heroic deeds of the New Zealand Army in World War I was a bit unsettling. As a German, I'm not used to such an approach to the past. We sometimes have a problem with that.

After the museum, I explored the city on foot, did some shopping (outdoor clothing), had a "happy hour beer" with the locals at a pub, and then leisurely returned to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

Te Papa Tongarewa (https://goo.gl/maps/bLCpxcqsVAn)

The restaurant is very popular and therefore it is difficult to get a reservation at short notice.

Ortega Fish Shack ( https://goo.gl/maps/49oacVCw8CA2)

When I went to the restaurant the evening before to make a reservation for the next day, the chef looked at me skeptically when I reserved a table for only one person. But when I told him that I would like to sit at the bar and he could give the table to other guests, his grin was hard to miss! I had made a new Kiwi friend ;-)

When I arrived at Ortega in the evening, the chef greeted me personally and led me to my seat at the bar. They had set it up beautifully just for me :-)

During my trip, I really learned to appreciate having a seat at the bar. You can watch the staff at work and also have time to talk to them. The same was true here. I received a very good wine recommendation for my food selection. To make sure it was the right one, I got to try three different white wines and then chose a Chardonnay from California. Very delicious and totally different from the NZ Chardonnays I had tried in the past few weeks.

For a starter, I chose Bonito Tartare with Wasabi, Pomelo, and Rice Crackers.

A very delicious dish.

For the main course, there was John Dory with corn mash, smoked eel, pickled onions, and crispy chicken skin.

I had given up hope of ever getting a fish that was not overcooked in the past few weeks. But this one exceeded all expectations! A revelation!