Winifred decided to organise a catch with the usual suspects. However, Louie De Palma and I were the only others that ended up catching up. Pomelo is a relatively new eatery to the Wellington scene and I was excited to have the opportunity to try it out as I had heard very good things about it. We were lucky to have a set that overlooked Oriental Bay and as it was a stunner of a day, the view was stunning.
We decided to go with a mixture of small and large plates and then put them in the middle to share. We also asked to get these plates to come out all at once, which they were very happy to do.
Small Plates:
Crispy Tofu
Capsicum, Seas Salt, Five Spice, Chilli, Garlic Crisps
This was a great dish. The tofu was nicely deep fried with the skin being crispy and the inside nice and soft. The seasoning was really nice especially the chilli and garlic crisps.
Free Range Pork Dumplings
Scallion, Ginger, Chef’s Speical Marinade, Vinegar
These were really good and potential some of the best dumplings in Wellington. The skin was nice, silky and soft with a crisp bottom. The filling was really good and then you add the vinegar, just some great dumplings.
Soft Shell Crab
Coriander, Chilli Mayo, Slaw
This was recommended to me but a friend that was sitting at another table and damn these were good. Good size pieces of soft crab and nicely seasoned crisp batter. The chilli mayo complimented the crab really nice and was nice to have the scallions on the mayo as well.
Seafood Cake
Scallops, Prawn, Chicken, Fresh Asian Herbs
I was surprised that these were ordered, but I just went with the flow. The cakes were actually really nice and full of chunky pieces of seafood and chicken. The sweet chilli sauce complimented the cakes well.
Large Plates:
Crispy Chicken
Teriyaki Sauce, Sesame Seeds, Kale Slaw
Was nice to see the teriyaki sauce poured on top of the chicken, instead of it tossed through. The chicken was nicely cooked and crispy. The teriyaki sauce was quite salty but having rice with it does mellow it out nicely. The Kale slaw was good and slightly different with the addition of apple as well.
Yellow Curry
Roasted Baby Carrots, Kumara, Potatoes, Seasonal Vegetables, Lotus Chips
I decided that we decided to go vegetarian with this curry instead of adding chicken to it. I was glad we did, as it was really good and jam-packed with good big pieces of different vegetables. There were potatoes, carrots, kumara, but also beans and okra. Also, there was some deep fried tofu as well. The curry was nicely seasoned and went well with the rice, but no kick of spice, unfortunately.
Desserts
Chocolate Cream Cheese Brownie
Whittaker’s Chocolate Mousse, Crumble Topping
All I have to say is wow! This was a great dessert. The mousse was great and not too sweet or rich and the crumble added some great texture to the dish. The brownie was so good with the cream cheese baked and layered on top of the brownie. Put it all together and you have an unforgettable dessert.
Chai Tea
I cannot remember the last time I ordered a Chai Latte or even if I ever have. The chai came in a teapot and had loose leaves. The chai was really nice and quite different for me.
Overall this place is great. I really loved the food and the atmosphere. The service was good and I loved the big windows showing off the view. I will be back as there were plenty of other dishes that I want to try. Also an advantage about the place is there is not a lot of competition for parking.
Address: 6011/232 Oriental Parade, Oriental Bay, Wellington
Facebook Page: Pomelo Kitchen & Bar
Trencherman's Travels 