Beat Kitchen

Overview

What do you get when you cross two chefs with extensive travel experience and an ex-library bus from Japan? Beat Kitchen. Nestled behind Recycle Boutique on Dunlop Terrace, Beat Kitchen is a hopping food truck bringing Wellingtonians great gourmet street food from the four corners of the globe. Serving up delicious and adventurous culinary delights, Beat Kitchen can't be beat.

Taking a turn up Dunlop Terrace, I was guided to Beat Kitchen by a flashing '60s-style neon sign. I knew I had arrived when I saw the bright red food truck, heard the groovy tunes of Moby and smelt the wafting scents of freshly prepared deliciousness. Taking a seat along the bench, the wall art behind me and the drum kit-turned-light fixtures created a laid-back and quirky vibe that personified our cool little capital perfectly. I found myself gawking at the chalkboard menu which spoiled me for choice. For my main, I opted for the pulled beef cheek on flatbread with bacon jam aioli. Need I say more? Tender, rich beef that had been braised for 12 hours with creamy bacon aioli, all atop a fresh, handmade flatbread. Absolutely marvellous. What's best is that this was relatively easy on the wallet at $13 and the portions are generous. Of course, what's a meal without dessert? I had a gooey caramel date and coconut slice ($3) served with a dollop of thick crème fraiche which certainly satisfied my sweet tooth.

The menu is a taste of adventure, not only because the dishes found inspiration from the highlands of Scotland (black pudding on flat bread) or the sands of the Middle East (beetroot hummus with crispy chickpeas and flat bread), but because the menu changes daily. That's right, Beat Kitchen's menu is just as diverse as the world that inspires it.

What I loved the most about Beat Kitchen was the love, care, and passion put into the dishes. Every item on the menu, from the flat bread to the desserts, is made from scratch on a daily basis. What's more, there are vegetarian and gluten-free options available and all of the meats used are free-range.

Open "most days" from 12-6.30pm, be sure to pop in for something delectably different. Test your wild side and go in blind (or you can check their daily menu on their Facebook page), and get lost in Beat Kitchen's world of discovery.