Belén Plant Bakery — Restaurant in Wellington

Some friends recommended this place, and to show them my appreciation of sharing it with me, I wrote them this short story. I hope you enjoy and that it convinces you to eat at Belén. There was a part 1, but it unfortunately took the character count over the limit.

Later that day I exit the library, and this time I know where I’m going. So many questions of what I want are still unanswered, but I’ve worked up the confidence this time around to make a decision when the time comes. Sugary sweet scents waft in the air as I pass The Cookie Store and Dough Bakery, trying to trick my stomach into accepting inferiority. I know better than this, but the growl in my stomach makes me quicken my step. I round the corner, enter the bakery, and she recognizes me: the cashier from before. Oh, how it makes me feel at home to be seen, to be known. There are less options this time and I am thankful that the choice has been made easier for me. I still take a few moments to ponder and I discard the notion of the “right choice”, knowing that amidst such beauty there could be no choosing wrong. “Gingerbread spiced mocha donut, please” I blurt out, anxious to make a choice, any choice. Seconds later, wrapped in a paper bag, the donut is sitting in my hands and the cashier is giving me a knowing smile - aware that I was about to be met with a pleasure I hadn’t yet come to know. I exit the bakery in search of a patch of green to sit and revel peacefully in my pastry. Each step I take is an act of defiance against the voice in my head saying, “NOW! You must eat now!” I know it will be worth the wait. I arrive, shoes off, plop down. One more thing - I take my headphones out of my bag, put them in, and navigate to my Instrumental Piano Mix on Spotify, more specifically the track entitled “What Falling in Love Feels Like”. I’ve set myself up to fully embrace the poetic moment I’m about to experience and only now do I allow myself to open the bag and rest my hungry gaze upon the chocolatey, soft delicacy. Teasing myself, I take a quick swipe of the mocha cream and bring it to my tongue. Yes, at last. To pinch? To use utensils? No, no - something of such tenderness must be held, cradled. As the donut nears my mouth, I prepare for the knowledge of a better life to take hold in my mind. In taking my first bite, I come to know a new delight, a novel wonder. An involuntary smile spreads across my lips, accentuating the fullness of my cheeks. What joy! What love! What delectability! After another bite or two, the sun comes out from behind a cloud and illuminates everything around me, as if a donut, THIS donut, was bringing more light into the world. I take time to hold appreciation for the not too sweet donut itself, the thick chocolate glaze, the fluffy mocha cream, the gingerbread crumble, the sugary drizzle. Warmth seeps from my mouth, into my stomach, and into the very pit of my soul. No amount of savoring can make this last forever, I know that, and before long, all that’s left is a sticky residue on the tips of my fingers. I lick away those last traces until the only remainder is the memory, a beautiful memory that I will hold close. There could be no sadness because now I understand the joy that could be, the joy that will always be waiting for me, through the...

Had an A+ experience here today. Would happily go again. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Wellington now has a vegan bakery (finally!) - and a good one at that.

Pros: Delicious tomato, onion and vegan cheese roll/stack. It was a good size and surprisingly flavorful. Customer service was great. There was a mix-up with my order so they kindly gifted me a free coffee (cappucino) which was very nicely made. Huge variety of savoury and sweet foods e.g. hot pies, sausage rolls, scones, almond croissant, pizza slices, croissant sandwiches, and filled donuts. I was told they change the cabinet food every few weeks. Staff are kind, helpful and friendly. They greeted everyone with a chirpy "kia ora" which was really refreshing (I'm a kiwi who has been living overseas for the past few years). It was nice to see that they had a steady flow of foot traffic during the 1hr I was there (always a good sign).

Cons: None really. Racking my brain it would be nice if they had more seating (only around 6 seats in total) but considering the size of the space I'm not sure there's much they can do about that, save moving to a new...

Really great bakery. And great for vegans! Best vegan donut I’ve tried! I got the boysenberry cheesecake, was really surprised by the “cheesecake” part of this donut or the cream cheese like section, it was so creamy. Often I see places use coconut cream for vegan alternatives which I dislike. But this was definitely not coconut, so delicious. I also got their Korean chicken sandwich and their mince and cheese pie. The Korean chicken sandwich as so good! Again don’t know what made the “chicken” because it was so good, and very chicken like. The mince and cheese pie wasn’t amazing like the other too but still pretty good, wouldn’t call it mince and cheese though as it didn’t have a gravy like sauce. But then again I was never expecting meat alternatives, I don’t think vegan food has to have meat or dairy alternatives all the time, but rather embrace all the plant based options and creating new dishes is always fun. Anyways was a great experience will go here again as I LOVED the donut, better than so many non vegan donuts I’ve...