Taste of Home

There’s space for five at the bench seats in Taste of Home, so if you’re wanting to eat in here (and trust us, you really are), you’ll need to be on your A-game. The kind of place that has a cult following simply due to word of mouth is proof that the flavours here are something Wellingtonians just can’t get enough of.

Yo Po Mian (or hot oil noodles) are a Taste of Home special, and chef/owners Tina Hu and Steve D'Souza reckon they’re the only ones like this in the capital - have them with your choice of pork belly, crispy squid, wontons, spiced egg, fried tofu or chicken. If you hear some clapping and slapping coming from the small kitchen, don’t be alarmed, that’s just your house-made noodles being stretched into shape - this is Chinese street-food made with a whole lot of love and effort. Classic Sichuan dish, Dan Dan Noodle, is another popular choice, or otherwise there’s rice dishes and a ‘munchies’ menu to choose from (it’s hard to go past loaded fries let us tell you). Sweet tooth you say? Try fried mini buns or taro and kumara balls with condensed milk for your midday dessert.

Photos taped to the wall give you a glimpse of what to expect, although the way this pint-sized steamy little space fills up with hungry customers every lunchtime should be motivation enough to join the queue.