Restaurant Review: Amphora

On the menu: A mostly Mediterranean-inspired selection with several vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. Plenty of salads, seafood and pasta to choose from on top of the trusty steak and other meat dishes. No corkage fee for BYO wine.
I'll have: The chicken Marsala - chicken breast with mushrooms, flamed with Marsala and finished with cream. I'm told this is the restaurant's most popular dish - and it's easy to see why. The richness of the cream, beautifully cooked chicken and unusual flavours make for a sumptuous meal.
He'll have: The Angus eye fillet with mustard and mushroom. It can be hard to find a medium-rare steak cooked to perfection, but the chef here knows his stuff. The huge steak was complemented with a stand-out creamy mustard and mushroom sauce unlike any tasted before. Simply delicious.
For the adventurous: A special of scallops and rockmelon kebabs wrapped in streaky bacon and served with a Malibu coconut cream risotto with rocket and coriander. Scallops are also on the main menu, pan-fried and served in a white wine and blue cheese reduction for $27.50.
Value for money: The entrees start from $12 for a soup, cob loaf or mini mezze - the latter offered the best olives, feta and sundried tomatoes I've ever had on The Strand. Salad, vegetarian and pasta dishes sit around the $22 mark and most meat-based mains between $25-$30.
The coffee was: Quick, deceptively strong, hot and local. I'm told Amphora uses beans from local producer Beanzone.
To drink: The wine list offers a carefully selected menu to cater for most tastes from local sauvignon blanc favourite Lake Chalice to deep and beautiful reds from New Zealand and Australia.
The staff were: Thoughtful, friendly, relaxed and professional. Our water glasses were regularly topped up as we whiled away the night, not realising how much time had passed. People walking though the door were promptly greeted with a big smile and table of their choice.
The buzz: Warm, relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable. This is the perfect setting for a romantic date or fun dinner with mates. Behind me sat a family of five and on the other side were a couple who had just finished work at a local real estate branch - both parties were well served and left smiling.
The verdict: It's clear the staff at Amphora care about the quality of the food, drink and service they bring to their customers - and they do so with a relaxed and friendly attitude. I'd go back there in a heartbeat.
Amphora Cafe and Bar

Where: 43 The Strand, Tauranga
Hours: 5.30pm to late; seven days a week
Price range: From tasty light starters at $12 to a decadent Angus eye fillet at $35