08/09/2026
A recent review by Nick Iles for Urban List NZ āØš„
āI was ready to absolutely hate Bellbird. Or at the very least be indifferent to it. Cafes and restaurants attached to cultural centres are so very rarely excellent, because they simply do not need to be. Even when they are run by talented chefs, the requirement to be all things to all comers softens the edges into something quite vanilla. I thought the new restaurant attached to the Dowse Gallery, and helmed by the immensely talented Chef Pangam, would be no different. I was wrong.
Yes they have a range of eggs which I have heard are very good and all manner of fun-looking Kiwi brunch items, but I would not actually know about them. I was too distracted by the seam of exceptional Indian dishes running through the list. Keema pao, poori, lamb kulcha. Three dishes spanning very different styles of Indian cooking, all made in the here and now of Lower Hutt.
Poori here is filled with avocado and Ora King salmon and is crunchy, rich and decadent. Kulcha is fluffy and topped with fatty lamb and decorated with all manner of crispy little bits. This really could be one of the best brunch spots anywhere in the Wellington region.ā
