Wanted: Local. Good food. Nice surroundings. Sun. Beer. Eden Cloak Room is pretty close to home and work and I have heard good things about them. We drive or walk past here very often when doing other Mt Eden things and it looks like a great time. I’ve been wanting to come here for aaaages, but they are usually super busy and we don’t like crowded places with limited seating. An early weekday lunch was the perfect solution. We arrived just before noon and were the first to order lunch. I ordered the fish and chips and The Koala got the the lamb burger. Solid, kiwi fare. We both had Radlers to accompany our meals. A perfectly summery concoction. We had our pick our seats so we picked an outside table. The food arrived in good time and it was presented beautifully. I like how even though my fish and chips come on a plate, there is a sheet of newspaper for added presentation. Fish and chips and newspaper just looks right. The minted mashed peas …

Some of the most cherished meals are seasonal. There is something about eating a dish at the same time (and sometimes with the same folks) every year that makes it special. Perhaps it’s more delicious knowing that if you miss out this year, then you must wait a whole year for your next chance? What if you are in a different country during that special season? 13 years ago, we visited Hong Kong in Autumn and I still think of an amazing feast we had. Steamed (or was it boiled?) crabs and served at the family table over disposable tablecloths. A sweet, vinegar based dipping sauce on offer and it’s pretty much just a free for all. There are various spoons, scissors and implements and everyone has a great time working for their edible prize. In Western cuisine, crab is prized for it’s meat. The large grapple factor (big effort for minimal meat) deters many Westerners from eating crab. In Hong Kong, it’s not the meat that is prized, but the roe. Male crabs have more …

Best nachos I’ve ever had. It’s not your standard mince concoction, but pieces of slow cooked beef in a savoury sauce. The process disentegrates the beef into small melt-in-the-mouth pieces and that tasty, tasty sauce. Comes standard with all the trimmings – guac, salsa, sour cream and even pesto. Some places charge extra for those bits, but not here. I couldn’t finish my portion unfortunately. I desparately wanted to and I feel like I’ve failed. I hope the chef wasn’t offended by my leftovers. I can’t vouch for authenticity since I’ve never eaten in Mexico, but I can vouch for the fact that this food is freakin delicious. Other Mexican places I’ve been to pale in comparison. El Camino is small and popular so it is a good idea to book to avoid disappointment. They play good music here (well, the stuff I listen to at home) but it might be a touch loud for some people…say if you didn’t like that kind of music. Price for nachos was reasonable at $12.50 and is one of …

Sometimes all you want is tasty meat, noodles or rice and maybe some broth. No fuss, no show, no silly prices. The Pan Fried Chicken with Lemon grass at Hansan Vietnamese restaurant comes on its own ($9), or with rice, vermicelli, rice noodle soup or egg noodle soup. For $10.50 it’s a delicious bargain. All mains at Hansan are around $10. Also try their summer rolls ($5) and spring rolls ($4.50). Come here for a healthy, quick, cheap meal. Hansan Glenfield Vietnamese Restaurant Unit E, 31 Link Drive, Glenfield, North Shore Ph: 09 4433 836 Open 7days 11am til late Hansan Newmarket Vietnamese Restaurant 55 Nuffield St, Newmarket, Auckland Ph: 09 523 3988 Hansan Panmure 525-528 Ellerslie Panmure Highway Ph: 09 570 6338 Open 7 days & Nights 11am-late

One of my favourite sushi rolls is the Western Springs Road Roll at Taiko in Kingsland right by the train station. It is grilled teriyaki eel on cucumber avocado roll. It’s just a coincidence that we lived on Western Springs Road when we first tried this sushi dish. Taiko is one of my favourite Japanese restaurants because of its location, ambience and fantastic food at reasonable prices. Plenty of good sake and Japanese beers are available and Taiko also have wonderful banquet set meals for groups. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had the banquet but it’s been wonderful every time. Banquets are great as you just put your trust in the chefs and they bring out dish after dish of food throughout the night. They happily cater for vegetarians and pescatarians too. Best to order dishes tapas style to share or to dive into the banquet. Taiko Japanese Restaurant and Bar 460A New North Road Kingsland Auckland 1021 New Zealand Ph: (09) 815 0610 sake@taikokingsland.com http://www.taikokingsland.com Hours: Tues to Sun, 5pm to late

Deep Fried Oyster sushi from Bian Sushi. It’s divine. Bian Sushi is one of my favourite sushi places in Auckland. They play light jazz, have a great selection of sushi which gets eaten quickly due to demand. High turnover means fresh sushi. At lunchtime, the queue can snake from  along the sushi counter, through the shop and out the door. Thankfully the line is a fast moving one. You should avoid sushi places that don’t have any customers. An empty dining room might be a warning, but the sushi that you eat will probably have been sitting there since the morning. Bian also have a menu if you want to order hot food from the kitchen and these come in full and half sizes. Half size is perfect if you can’t decide between sushi or hot food. You can have both! Highlights: Free green tea and free tartar sauce, Deep Fried Oyster sushi, green beans sushi, unagi and their spicy chicken rice dish (karaage). Bian Sushi & Donburi 183 Symonds St Newton Auckland Ph: (09) …