Monday, April 11, 2011

Since we are still in Paris....next stop is Coucou!

As we are still in the world of French culinary and taste, I thought it will be great to review Coucou. Coucou is a small family operated French cafe and restaurant situated in the homely suburb of Karori in Wellington city. What I love about this place is the honesty and simplicity of taste and flavours which brings you close to France in so many ways. The two main favourites of mine are the Duck a'lorange which is cooked in two ways, confit and roasted as well as the ultimate dessert, Creme Brulee! I am always scouting for a good Creme Brulee and this one comes out tops as compared to it's sister rival "Le Metropolitan", Coucou's Creme Brulee not only tastes authentically French, it is a fraction of the cost at a mere $10! Unbelievable but its true. 
The service is impeccable with waiters and waiteresses coming up to you to ask what you need or how the meal is and the Chef oftens comes out of the kitchen to speak to you if you do want to complement or say something about the meal which is so refreshing and humble. I love that kind of communication where you know where the food sources from and who cooked that fantastic meal as it just makes a huge difference to the taste and how you perceive your meal.
The ambience is light, romantic and very Frenchy with beautiful music that serenades you while you feast on some delicious meals. Very clean and cosy feeling which suggest to me a great place to dine with your special someone or loved one.
The price ranges from $5-10 for starters, $15-35 for mains and $10-24 for desserts while drinks are standard pricing for normal tea, coffees and soft drinks. A selection of fine wines, beers and spirits are also available on the menu. The coffees are excellent and they even have a selection of liquer coffees.
You definitely have to come and try it for yourself. A true enjoyable experience I guarantee you will feel French after dining and will not regret your pennies worth if you do decide to try it!
Ciao!

Coucou


Contact

+64 4 476 3354
reservations@coucou.co.nz
92 Karori Road, Karori 6012, Wellington, New Zealand

Sunday, April 10, 2011

First up is my weekly favourite visit to is.......

Simply Paris!
Bonjour....Je voudrais un lemon tarte, et une orange presse et une cafe au lait sil vous plait? See where I am going with this? I have to say without fail, my close friends and I visit Simply Paris once a week usually on a weekend and savour the delicious and scrumptious desserts and a wide range of selection of coffees and teas that simply satisfy your taste buds! So why is this my favourite mecca destination?
There are a couple of reasons. Firstly, it brings me close to the memories of France and it's beautiful delicious pastries, cakes, croissants, breads, tarts and even meals that are pretty 'French' may I say. The waiters, waitresses and chef are French and speak the lingo, the music is French and the decor is very French so all in all its autenthically Frenchy which just gives the perfect ambience and lovely atmosphere to enjoy wonderful culture and appreciate what France has to offer right here in the heart of Wellington.
Prices are reasonable. Usually for a coffee and cake adds up to $8.00 NZD and most drinks ranges from $3-5 and cakes/desserts are from $2.50-7.00NZD. Meals range between $10-25NZD and they serve lunches, brunch and dinners with a selection of French and local wines, beers and spirits. 
Atmosphere as mentioned earlier very Frenchy and romantic if you do go there in the evening with candle light at the table and dim lighting. In the day the french doors are opened which makes is alfresco and you can choose where you would like to sit depending on your desire. It is situated along the busy street of Cuba St and a haven for lots of wonderful eateries.
Great service as the waiters and waitresses look after you, ask after you and offer assistance as well as prompt and fast food delivered to your table when ordered. 
Overall I give this place a rating of 4.5 out of 5 which is pretty excellent to my standards! I recommend everyone especially those who appreciates and love that sweeter things in life with a bit of elegance and sensation!
Go check it out! What are you waiting for?
Au revoir.

Simply Paris (Cuba) 

ADDRESS

181 Cuba St
Wellington
Region: Wellington
Licence: Fully Licensed
Cuisine: French
Phone: 04-801 5486
Website: www.simplyparis.co.nz
Email: info@simplyparis.co.nz

Food anyone?

Since I have a strong passion in food and have probably eaten at almost every eatery in Wellington after 11 years of residing here, a lightbulb moment struck me today and here we go...blogging!

I thought this might be a fun and cool way to review and verbalise my opinions on places where I have been and share with others who might be interested or share the same views about the food, service, quality and lots more.

 So I hope that this idea will work.

Stay tuned and watch out for the first place that I will blog about soon!

Ciao!