On the corner of Featherstone St and Grey St lies wellys little charm, ‘Two Grey’ - InterContinental’s latest addition, sprinkled with shiny black tiled walls, glass pendant lighting and oak textures. This new Brasserie & Bar is well worth a visit even on a grey day. 

Two Grey first hit the streets late April 2017 and has been booming ever since. The luxury Bar and Brasserie adds a European flair to Wellington’s CBD and is an ideal spot for brunch. The decor and coffee was enough to get me through the doors.  I’ve been a couple of times now and treated myself to dinner and brunch. Luckily it’s really close to my office so I managed to get some snaps of the food and drinks on my lunch break, highlights were; 

- Kumara Rosti (for brunch)

- Broad Bean Fritters (for brunch)

- Coconut milk, coffee

- The 45-day dry aged sirloin

- The roasted half cauliflower with, pomegranate, halloumi and hummus 

I’m yet to try the house made leavened waffles but I’ve heard great things, I’ll most likely be going back very soon. 

Back home I hate marmite, always have, always will. However, the MA-Mite in Waikanae is a pretty amazing here in NZ. I drove about an hr out of Wellington to find this gem full of Kiwiana, collectibles and retro goodies. I didn’t buy anything but I’ll defo be visiting again. 

About a 1hr drive away from Wellington is the Kapiti Coast pronounced a bit like “Cup-a-Tea”… well, that’s how I remember it anyway.  I stopped off at a place called Paekakariki and walked along the coast. It was roughly a 2hr return walk, this was my view along the way. Not my favorite walk in NZ but it is pretty good considering how close it is to Wellington.

So it’s been a while since I last updated my blog and a lot has happened A LOT…. New published editorials, clients, contacts, travel adventures, study and a place I now call home, New Zealand. I have managed to reveal highlights of the year that has passed on my Instagram page which can be found here www.instagram.com/hayleybenoit feel free to follow me @hayleybenoit. 

https://www.broadsheet.com.au/melbourne/food-and-drink/article/plug-nickel-opens-collingwood

Photography Hayley Benoit 

BY NICK CONNELLAN 07th June 2016

Can this cafe-saturated area handle another player?

Pretty soon, there won’t be any houses or apartments left in Collingwood. Just street after street of coffee shops. Tour the two blocks bound by Smith, Wellington, Stanley and Langridge Streets. You’ll find Proud Mary, Aunty Peg’s, Two Birds,South of Johnston, Mina-no-ie and Mr Peel Cafe.

You need a certain level of confidence to enter this crowded arena. The six partners at Plug Nickel have it. “We want to take things to the next level here,” says co-owner Pete Walsh. “We want a specialty coffee bar that sets a new standard for Melbourne.” That’s a tough ask in a city already seen as a world leader, in large part thanks to Small Batch, Seven Seeds and other world-class roasters.

Plug Nickel bypassed all of them and went to … Canberra. Our fine capital is home to Ona Coffee, a roasting company owned by Sasa Sestic, the 2015 World Barista Champion. Walsh grew up in Canberra and signed on as Sestic’s second-ever wholesale customer almost a decade ago. When he moved down to Melbourne and started Dr Morse, with Anth Daniel and Jon Costelloe (also co-owners at Plug Nickel), the relationship held. Dr Morse and Plug Nickel remain Ona’s sole accounts in Melbourne.

In line with doing things differently, Plug Nickel doesn’t use the ubiquitous La Marzocco brand espresso machine, or even the equally respected Slayer or Synesso. Sestic made sure it was the Sanremo Opera, a machine he and several other World Champion baristas helped design. It’s packed with technology, such as built-in scales for consistent extractions, and a bluetooth-enabled tablet for adjusting every conceivable parameter.

Behind the machine, co-owners and veteran baristas Chris Graham and Lucien Kolff blend seasonal beans with milk from cows, macadamias, cashews or almonds. There’s also batch brew, cold brew and frothy nitrogen-charged coffee on tap. Cascara is a cold tea made from coffee cherries – it’s also on tap. Most orders are passed out the window onto the street.

The menu, by sixth partner Tyler Preston (Dr Morse), is all about food you can fit in your hands: breakfast roti, noodle salads, house-made sausage rolls, daily soups and pies.

Inside there’s just a few stools and high benches. In the next room DJ Ginger Light is cutting and dyeing as Ginger Hair. Cycling-wares company Northside Wheelerswill soon move into the last room and use it as a shop. If it doesn’t get turned into another cafe first, that is.

Plug Nickel 
7 Peel Street, Collingwood 
(03) 8415 1425

Hours 
Mon to Fri 7am–4pm 
Sat 8am–4pm 
Sun 9am–4pm 

plugnickel.com.au