Today, Rosa, Millie and Laura and I sat beneath beautiful chandeliers at Pravda (for a Wellington on a Plate lunch) and partook of something I can only describe as glorious.
It was pretty hard to choose two out of three tasty-sounding courses, but Millie resisted the lure of dessert and chose the starter (smoked fish and potato chowder with saffron aioli and toasted ciabatta) and the main… while three of us went with the main and dessert.
I think I can safely say we all enjoyed our meals immensely!
Venison and wild mushroom ragout with parpadelle pasta and parmigiano reggiano cheese – rich, tender and perfectly flavoured, this dish was really a pleasure to eat. Loved the ‘just-right’ portion and sweet burst of ripe tomato too.
Chocolate fondant served with mandarin cream – sliding my fork through it caused something akin to a smooth volcano eruption, as the chocolate oozed out swiftly and engulfed my spoon! Complemented by the delicate fragrance of the mandarin slices and cream, it was heavenly to savour.
Not pictured: a glass of Te Kairanga Pinot Noir each, and rich espresso to go!
Thanks ladies for a great lunch and conversation! :-) Rosa wrote a beautiful post about our lunch too – heck, reading it just about makes me want to eat it all over again.
Pravda Cafe – 107 Customhouse Quay, Wellington – Phone: 04 801 8858
treehousekitchen 
Oh man, I’m simultaneously hungry and full again after reading this and Rosa’s post too. What a luxurious lunch hour (if you take a rather liberal interpretation of ‘hour’) that was! Great to see everyone :)
Oh, I’m jealous girls !… Happy though you had some great time !
Millie – :-)
Vanille – hope you can make it to our next gathering when we organise it!