Munch - City bowl

A feed for fuck-all

Welcome back folks! It’s been a little while since we were last here, since I’ve had to sit down to a meal not for enjoyment or pleasure, but for work. Woe is me. For those like me who have no clue what happened last trimester, or for those new students who’ve stepped in mid-year, here’s a ranking of the places I covered in my last twelve eleven columns. This tier-list is reasonably subjective, but know that value reigns supreme. After the cost-per-bite factor, places are also ranked on flavour, comfort, and a rough idea of nutrition. At the very least, the meals that make you feel good. 

Everybody Eats - A safe and socially-conscious place to turn, early in the week. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

KC Cafe - One of Wellington’s best, even for those on a budget. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Little Penang - My one true love, my ride or die. The place to go for a hug on a plate. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Kera-la-carte - Can a curry be profound? Take a friend and find out. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Earl’s - They forgot to convert their prices when this New York deli moved to Pōneke. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Ramsey House - A homemade lunch in the living room, just down from your lecture hall. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

*Subway - The packhorse of campus sandwiches, a sub is undeniable value. 

⭐⭐⭐

Lemongrass Kitchen - Nothing mindblowing, but wins by the size and value of their menu. 

⭐⭐⭐

Beyond Bites - Tuck yourself away in here for an easy and comforting plate. 

⭐⭐⭐

FJ Noodles and Dumplings - It’s definitely got heft, but hard to enjoy. 

⭐⭐

Little Astoria - A decent portion of sub-par food, if you happen to be around on a Monday. 

⭐

*Where’s Charlie? (Kelburn campus) - A golden -brown shell hiding limp lies and dissatisfaction. 

⭐

* = Lunch-only

City bowl

What: Noodle and salad bowls

Price: $10.00 - $13.00

When: 9:00am - 5:00pm, Monday - Friday

Fast, fresh and no-frills, just flavour. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Of course, I’m not just going to give you a nostalgia tour of the last half-year. I’m starting this trimester off with a place I’m very glad to have discovered: City Bowl. Walking in, it feels like an outlet store of a restaurant. There’s a stack of cardboard boxes next to the counter and a handful of tables and chairs by the entrance; this isn’t a place where many people sit and enjoy the atmosphere. However, the place isn’t dreary at all: the staff, in bright green uniforms, greet everyone with enthusiasm while putting together salad bowls faster than any Subway counter. My meal was ready in the time it took me to pick two sauces and pay the $11.00 for a Classic Noodle Bowl. 

The Classic consists of finely sliced and grated vegetables mixed together with sauce, thick udon noodles and slices of your meat-of-choice. In my case, the beef, cooked medium and generously cut. All three of the meat options—chicken, beef, and char siu barbeque pork—looked dusty and dry under the cabinet strip-lights, but revived like appetising tardigrades under the steaming noodles and ladles of sauce. It’s hard to go wrong with these—there’s a range of sweet, herby mixes and citrus chilli numbers on soy-sauce bases that uplift the whole bowl. The Ginger Spring Onion is a personal favourite, bright-green and sharp from the blended scallions. 

For a quickly-hustled mix in a paper bowl, this salad was pretty good: bright and fresh and satisfying. The meat and noodles had plenty of textural bite to them, cut through by the crunch of the crisp cabbage and grated carrot. You’re getting your five-a-day here, with lettuce, bean sprouts, and edamame, too, and it’s very easy to wolf down a whole serving. Or two. Admittedly, they’re not the most dense meal and I was hankering for a bao or some spring rolls after. 

However, there aren’t many places left whose entire menus are under $15. That the portions are light is a small trade-off for a place that is this transparent, efficient, affordable, and tasty. From the noodles pulled fresh from the pot to the salad vegetables in big Sistema containers, City Bowl doesn’t mess around with pomp or flash. Just good food dished out rapid-fire for the white-collar offices up and down The Terrace. Go join the queue.  

Am I talking shit? Do you wildly disagree, or want to feed my ego by telling me I’m so right? Or have I overlooked a place so far that readers really need to know about? Send me something to chew on at: guy@salient.org.nz.