Bell House, 40 Camp Street, Trentham, Upper Hutt, Tel: (04) 527-8835
Recently I had the opportunity of
dining with a friend at Bell House, in Trentham. Bell House is run by Phil and Judy Bell, who
have been excellent operators in the hospitality scene in Wellington for over three decades. Many of you will remember some great dining to
be had at The Shamrock on Tinakori
Road, run by Phil.
Bell House is a characterful 13 bedroom house which has two immaculate
dining rooms, one seating up to 32 and a private salon for 8 people. Everything is done correctly and with
professionalism, but the extra step is taken in every way possible, from the
time you knock on the door and are greeted by Judy to the friendly, warm
farewell.
The actual dining experience is
fantastic. We were served an amuse
bouche of beef with pear relish in a wonton basket which we had with a glass of
Veuve de Vernay sparkling wine from France. My starter was goats cheese with fresh figs
and 25 year old balsamic. And the main I
thoroughly enjoyed was turbot with roasted vine tomatoes and pancetta. The Black Estate Waipara Chardonnay 2008 was
an excellent match with the fish. We
finished with cheese – Linkwater cheddar with quince and crackers.
Being in the wine trade, I could see
that a lot of thought and good choices have been made for the Bell House wine
list. There are some top labels there,
and the range is superb, and it allows getting the right wine for the food and
situation easy.
You don’t often think of going out
of the city for fine-dining, but it’s well-worth the effort to go to Bell
House. I think of it as the Boulcott
Street Bistro of Trentham.
- David Hughes