Tag : 52 Restaurants in 52 Weeks

Table 7 is hidden above George St in the middle of town – a great place to go for cocktails or a beautiful fine dining meal in the city. It’s been one of my favorites for a long time, so I was looking forward to our night out!

Stu and I were wined and dined by lovely Steve, the owner, and had such a great time we didn’t end up leaving til 11pm! I left full and happy after a beautiful meal, and will most definitely be back very soon!

Speight’s is a Dunedin Icon, and being a fan of the beer (I LOVE a good beer) I was keen to check out the food too.

Speights Ale House is full of good old Kiwi Favourites, such as Lamb Shanks & Blue Cod, and can be relied upon for a hearty meal.

Top this off with a beer tasting palette and you’re in for a good evening!

Nova Cafe is of course, one of Dunedin’s icons. With it’s prime real estate in the heart of the Octagon (next door to the Art Gallery), Nova caters for everything from breakfast, to drinks, to Dinner.

Nova prides itself on it’s fresh modern food, great coffee, and buzzing atmosphere – a great place to go whether it’s for a bite before the movies, or a romantic date! Yum.

Delicacy is a nice little place at the top of the hill, a hub in the heart of Maori Hill. With beautiful light decor and an outdoor area which gets the last of the summer sun, it’s the perfect place to go for a yummy lunch or mid afternoon wine.

Secret tip: Delicacy also has some of the best coffee in town! Just look for the purple building at the round about!

 

I’ve got to say I’m a huge fan of seafood. Prawns are my favourite food. I could literally live off them forever.

So when I heard The Reef was on the list I was rather excited. I arrived with my mouth watering and found it hard to shoot lobster that was being cooked for other people. Hard work. Garlic Prawns were mentioned and I’m pretty sure I embarrassed myself with my over-excited blonde reaction.

Thanks The Reef. I left a very happy girl.

 

The Craic was another one of our early shoots, a cold winter’s day when we were both in a good mood for a pie and Guinness!

The atmosphere at the Craic is always so warm and cosy. Can’t wait to go back this winter and sit by the fire with a beer and good mates. And maybe another Pie.

Wow this feels like a very long time ago!

The Palms Restaurant was the very first of the 52 project that Stu and I shot. Since then, we’ve shot approximately 42 Restaurants…. 10 more to go before the big 52! I can now say that it’s been an incredible experience, something that I’m very lucky to have had the opportunity to do.

I get asked a lot of questions about the project, ranging from ‘Which is your favourite?’ (of which there are several, if you ask nicely) to ‘Do you get sick of eating out all the time?’. If you’d asked me the latter in the first 6 months, I would not have hesitated in saying ‘NEVER’. Now….. I’m all about the steamed rice and broccoli. Give me a piece of marmite toast and I’m a happy camper.

In saying that, there are still a lot of amazing meals I remember. And I’m pretty sure I’ll always remember the happiness I felt in starting my first proper food photography contract at The Palms, and the delicious smoked salmon with horseradish cream that was served to us on that cold winter’s night.

 

Andale is a new Mexican restaurant out at Green Island – they do amaaaaazing true Mexican food, topped off with excellent & friendly service. Well worth the drive, although it might be worth booking first – went we went they were absolutely packed on a Wednesday night! Delicious.

 

 

Another day, another restaurant! More yummy food….what a hard life!

This time it was a trip to Luna – great food, great atmosphere, and a gorgeous view!

Another jam – packed week. 5 restaurants, 2 families and another wedding, this time in the Catlins! Can’t wait for the amazing photo opportunities there…. I’m imagining a very romantic outlook…windswept trees…beaches…long grass…

In the meantime I just have to stop browsing fashion online and edit the past 4 shoots….. ah well!

On a dark and stormy night last year, Stu and I headed down to Customhouse for the 52 project. It was so warm and inviting that I completely forgot about the awful weather outside, especially once the delicious food started appearing! My favourite was the antipasto platter – so much on there and great for a night out with the girls. I liked it so much I ended up going back for my birthday a couple of months later! Can’t wait to shoot a client’s wedding there in May, with it’s lovely big windows and sea view!

I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve traveled out to Mosgiel! So strange that a place that is only 10 minutes from Dunedin City can seem so far away…. it’s such a lovely quiet place to go if you’re keen to get away from the hustle and bustle in town. A few weeks ago Stu and I headed out to shoot Aurora Cafe on the main rd. Aurora is a lovely wee place, where you can find all your kiwi faves – lamingtons, cheese rolls, milkshakes, pies – needless to say, kiwi bloke Stu was in heaven! And I was very content with a good cup of coffee after a late night out!

Phew! What a week! I’ve been madly running around the countryside shooting dinner parties, departments, and orientations….and on top of this, trying to set up my beautiful new computer, learning new software, editing, finishing my website, planning my best friend’s Hen’s Night & trying to spend time with my ever tolerant partner!

Not a great time to lock your keys in the car in the middle of nowhere….but of course I did, and thank god I’d already taken my camera gear out of the boot or I would have ruined an entire 5hr trip and shoot! Think it’s time for another break….

The above images are this week’s feature in the 52 Restaurants in 52 weeks series – this time we went to The Rainforest Malaysian Cuisine. The Rainforest has to be one of the most amazing restaurants I’ve shot so far. Behind the scenes there is so much going on – fire, bread throwing, and tea pouring – all amazing things to watch, let alone shoot! The Rainforest prides itself on serving traditional Malaysian food and I can assure you it was delicious! Definitely going back…. maybe next time I won’t eat so much though…..maybe…..

As for the state of the website – it’s coming along nicely and hopefully I’ll be able to fit in time this week between the madness to finally finish it! Cross fingers!

Stu and I went for a lovely Sunday drive last year to the wonderful Carey’s Bay Hotel. All their delicious seafood is locally caught and even comes in right off the boats in front of the restaurant! Such a great place to go for a day out, – and their Seafood Platter is to die for! Thanks Jo & co for a lovely afternoon.

Bit late on this one, what with the business of Christmas and all!

Hope you all had a lovely break away, and that  you got one at all!

I’m feeling slightly more refreshed after an amazing trip to Central Otago, so nice to be able to swim every day, and the weather was just perfect! Topped off by a few trips to some wineries and a fun trip up the Dart River with Dart River Safaris – which I can totally recommend! We live in such a gorgeous country.

I’m busy updating all my pricelists for 2012, and designing a new website – nice to finally have a bit of time to sort these things out before Polytech and Tourism Dunedin start up again for the year…..and the madness continues!

If you’d like to see my Portrait and Wedding Pricelists for 2012, head to the ‘About’ tab above and send me an email – I’ll get one to you quicksmart.

Other than that, Happy New Year and hope all your resolutions come true!

x Bella

First stop on our journey around Dunedin’s restaurants was Madly British.

I ate so much here I could hardly move….portion sizes are very generous and it was too yummy not to eat!

For Stu Todd’s story on Madly British – Head to Dunedin NZ, or check this week’s D-Scene!