Wellington 'New Zealand's culinary capital'

Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, has secured its reputation as the country's gourmet capital by winning three awards, Tourism New Zealand claims.

At the 2007 Restaurant of the Year awards, organised by Cuisine magazine, Wellington received three of the seven accolades available.

The overall winner in the 'best fine dining' category was restaurant Martin Bosley's, with Cuisine editor Lauraine Jacobs reportedly describing the establishment as "a class act" that could compete with the world's top eateries.

Among the other winners from Wellington was the Pravda Cafe, which received the accolade for best casual dining in a metropolitan area.

Shed 5 Restaurant & Bar, Bistro Breton, Copita and Logan Brown were the city's other establishments that made it to the final stage of the awards.

Wellington is the world's most southern capital and with over 300 restaurants, cafes and bars, has more eateries per head than New York.

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