The suburb of Newtown in Wellington has gone through an unbelievable transformation over the last 10+ years. It was once a working class suburb with not a lot going for. It had a bad reputation as a run-down, derelict and dangerous place.These days it’s a melting pot of “arty” people, professionals, sports people and many other walks of life with a real eclectic mix. Newtown was once a popular destination for emigrants from all parts of the globe. Their legacy is reflected in the multicultural feel of the place, with ethnic eateries lining the main streets.
With its close proximity to the Wellington CBD, real estate is highly sort after. With that come all the bars and restaurants.
The Mrs and I decided to the leave the pots and pans in the cupboards recently to check out what’s on offer in the rejuvenated Newtown. I’d recently heard of a new craft beer venue in Newtown called Bebemos (pronounced ‘bi-beer-mos’). Mrs kiwisinoz rolled her eyes, but when she checked out the Latin American inspired menu on the world wide web, she gave it the nod of approval and so we were off to Bebemos (The Portuguese word “bebemos” means “drink” in English).
It was lucky I hadn’t gone straight from the office to Bebemos. I would have stuck out like a beacon in corporate attire. The clientele, ambience and fit out of this place are the polar opposite of a corporate watering hole. The relaxed and eclectic feel of the place grabs you straight away. There was great mix of travellers, students, and locals.
Bebemos in Newtown
The décor had me guessing as it’s a mix of everything as the pics show.
The friendly staff
Anyway, I got the bartender to recommend a local beer for me. The first one was a Garage Project Pils n Thrils. Garage Project is a relatively new craft beer brewery in Wellington. The Pils n Thrills is a beautiful golden colour Pilsner. The extreme crisp taste and big strong bitter finish made this a ripper of a beer to have first up. I’ll definitely go and visit the Garage Project cellar door in the next couple of days.
Garage Project Pils n Thrills tap
Pils N Thrills
While I waited for my South American sizzling grill, I had to honour NZ’s latest singing sensation Lorde. This 17 year old kiwi girl’s first single, “Royals”, reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013, making her the first New Zealand solo artist to have a number one song in the United States. She not only performed at the recent Grammy’s, she collected a couple of gongs.
To honour Lorde I went for the “Oh Lordy” NZ Pale Ale. This drop is from Funk Estate which launched in May 2012. From their website, it looks like they’ve got this drop and one more. But after trying Oh Lordy, I’m sure there will be demand for new varieties (there is from me anyway!). Oh Lordy was easy to drink with a fruity taste combined with a lingering bitter finish.
Oh Lordy
When the sizzling grill plate came out, it was so good I was mesmerised, so much so I forgot to get a pic, I couldn’t resist, so just dived in – it was superb!
Sizzling plate – what’s left of it!
The taps at Bebemos
