Cambridge and Kent Terraces (A Local's Guide to Wellington)

Running from Basin Reserve to Courtenay Place, Cambridge and Kent Terraces are parallel streets that mainly feature car lots and takeaways. I don't visit for those, but some rather more special things. 

Embassy Cinema

A huge cinema with quality surround sound, Embassy is great for watching epic films. They also play many movies from film festivals, so whenever the French or Italian film festival is on I visit Embassy a couple of times. The interior is grandiose with enormous mirrors, sweeping staircases and plush couches in the bathrooms. 

Capitol

Downstairs from Embassy is Capitol, a restaurant that serves food with a bit of a twist.

The French toast was savoury with melted cheese and brought back memories of mum making grilled cheese sandwiches, though Capitol's included prosciutto and a herb and onion salad (clearly more refined than your standard 'girl cheese' as I used to call it).

The soup of the day was pumpkin and had a Middle Eastern flair to the seasoning. Accompanied by croutons and capers, and ciabatta on the side. As a late weekend lunch, it more than met my expectations. 

The Tripod

Dominating the courtyard on the corner of Courtenay and Cambridge Terrace, the Tripod is a celebration of the New Zealand film industry made by Weta Workshop. I don't know any more than that, I just like to look at it.

Strawberry Fare

A dessert restaurant on Kent, Strawberry Fare gives you a big portion (nearly double what I expected). That coupled with the richness of the desserts meant that we could not finish our plates. Even though we hadn't eaten dinner beforehand (who doesn't love dessert for dinner?) this was how much we managed to get through. There aren't many gluten free or dairy free options on offer apart from sorbet, but they do have a lot to choose from if your stomach is accustomed to plenty of sugar, cream and chocolate. 

After leaving, I was pretty sweetened out, and wasn't sure when I'd next be able to look at chocolate with anything resembling desire. Luckily it was the next day.

Queen Victoria Statue

Regal Queen Victoria reigns over the grassy area between the two terraces. Victoria University of Wellington is named after her (it was established on the 60th anniversary of her coronation), and this is how I remember which terrace is which: Cambridge Terrace is the one on the side of the CBD and of Vic Uni. Cambridge and Victoria are both universities. Kent Terrace is on the side of Mount Victoria and the sea, which has nothing to do with anything Kent-related, but once I make the university connection that's all I need. Life pro-tip for you right there.