A seat at the table: Rosella Wine Bar

Thistles and Kiwis,

The talk at Pilates the other week was all about the lwonderful amb belly dish served at Rosella Wine Bar in town. We were all salivating, remembering the sauce and just how good it tastes. As a result, I had to book dinner there because I had to remind myself of the joy of this dish. We opted for the Just feed me menu with nine small dishes selected from the standard menu (the sizes are reduced as there are nine of them).

We started with focaccia served with ‘whipped almond’ and a parsley oil with Jerez vinegar which was very good (below and the featured image). This came with the wagyu tartare, anchovy, cured egg and harissa vinaigrette which was also good and with just a little kick from the harissa (can just be seen behind the bread).

Next up was the kingfish crudo, with preserved lemon, chardonnay sauce vierge, and as you can see, chillis and basil. I really enjoyed this dish.

Then came the moment we had been waiting for – the lamb belly skewer with black garlic and caraway, and yes dear reader, it was as good as I remembered. This came along with a potato potato pavé, with layers of savoy cabbage, lemon, manchego cheese, which proved another highlight.

Next up was the locally caught steamed butterfish, Moroccan eggplant (or aubergine) and fermented tomato, which was another hit for me. This was followed by the spice glazed beef cheek with pickled kalamata olive and parsnip. This was served with a disappointing Brussels sprouts based salad – disappointing because the dressing tasted like vinegar with nothing else added – far too acidic. Dessert was an OK tiramisu (not my favourite dessert – shock, horror!). To drink we had a glass of white wine from Portugal and a red from Lebanon.

All in all a very good evening, with a couple of hiccups which should not detract from the overall meal. The 9 course option gave a chance to try a wide variety which I enjoyed. Try them out and then go back for the favourites perhaps, and enjoy seasonal variations or add on some oysters.

Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

26 Comments

  7. What a feast! All that food looks like it is inviting you for a longer dinner that should be accompanied with great conversation. Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos of the food.

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    1. My dear husband was very fussy when I first knew him, but he has ‘improved’ and at least is mostly willing to try – though he did draw the line at turnip/swede the other night claiming it would be like ‘cannibalism’ – he is Swedish 🙂

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  10. What a wonderful selection of amazing food. You are very fortunate that you have a restaurant of such a high standard near you.

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