Three weeks in New Zealand - 4/12 - 5/4/2024

Day 9-Diner at Charley Noble, Wellington-4/19/2024

Today we are dining at Charley Noble & bar a renowned restaurant located in the heart of Wellington .

Established in 2013 by Paul Hoather, it occupies the historic Huddart Parker building and has become a staple of the city's dining scene. The restaurant is celebrated for its smart-casual atmosphere, open wood-fired cooking, and a strong focus on fresh, sustainable, and locally sourced ingredients .

The main dining room that is both spacious and inviting, seamlessly blending historical charm with modern design.  We arrived around 6:30Pm and we were lucky to get a table without a reservation.  I was told that tonight the restaurant is going to be very busy.

The restaurant features an open-plan layout that extends the entire depth of the building, accommodating up to 85 guests, with an additional 30 seats available at the bar .

The menu -small plates.

The second part of the menu are the main dishes.  Hoa saw the Kagoshim A5 Japanese Wagyu and was instantly drawn to it.

Starting the meal with an Old Fashioned cocktail for Hoa.

We ordered the Market Fish Ceviche with Tiger's milk, red Capsicums, cucumber, red onion, orange, red chili, coriander and topped crispy shallot

The fish was so fresh and the ceviche was spectacular.  We really enjoyed this dish.

A standout feature of the main dining room is the open-plan kitchen, which offers diners a ringside view of the culinary action. At the heart of the kitchen is the wood-fired chargrill and rotisserie, infusing the space with enticing aromas and providing a dynamic backdrop to the dining experience .

Chef grilling meat over a very hot charcoal

Cheers to great dining experience.

After Hoa ordered the biggest piece of Wagyu the restaurant had, our server brought the piece of Wagyu for Hoa to see before putting it on the grill.  He also brought out the meat certificate that it came from Japan. 

Grilled Kagoshima A5, cooked medium rate.  A5 is the highest grade given, which indicates excellent marbling, color, fat quality, and texture.  This is achieve by raising cattle in a stress free grazing environment and by preserving their Wagyu heritage.  This piece of meat is from the Japanese Black (Kuroge) cow and must be graded by the Japanese Meat Grading Association.

An excellent piece of meat that was grilled to perfection but Hoa could not finish it as it is too fat and you can only eat a small portion.

I selected the Lumina Lamb Blackstrap.

Lumina lamb has an exceptionally high level of intramuscular fats and fine marbling. It is renowned for its mild taste, which can be traced back to Lumina’s unique genetics and diet of chicory and clover. A gentle aroma as mild as its taste, a delicate and tender texture, and a juicy and succulent mouth feel.

My piece of Lamb was delicious and cooked medium rare just the way I like it.

On the right is the Wagyu certificate written in Japanese.

After Dinner Hoa ordered a plate of Cheese.

I ordered the Apple tartlet a la mode.

We really enjoyed our meal here.

By the time we left, the restaurant was full of people.

NEXT... A Stroll in Downtown Wellington and Breakfast