Restaurant Review: Bluebiyou

On the menu: It's the only restaurant right on the beach on the Mount-Papamoa coastal strip, but Bluebiyou doesn't rest on its picturesque laurels. Open for brunch at weekends and lunch and dinner every day, the impressive menu has a seafood focus appropriate to its location.
Starters include oysters served with sherry vinaigrette and green-lipped mussels with coconut milk and lemongrass broth. There's plenty for those who prefer their mains carnivorous - try the free-range pork belly with an apple and watercress salad and crispy crackling ($29), or "ribs and bibs" night on Thursdays. The menu includes gluten-free meals.
Our pick from the dessert menu is the baked banana cheesecake with rum-caramelised bananas and vanilla ice cream ($12). The kids are well-catered for with their own menu - and we're sure they won't be able to resist "jelly pools with chocolate fish".
If you're here for brunch, a pancake stack topped with blueberry compote and smothered in maple syrup ($14) sounds like a divine treat.
I'll have: Sesame-crusted yellowfin tuna, served with avocado salad and lime dressing ($24). Although one of the menu's light mains, it was deliciously filling thanks to a generous portion of tuna.
He'll have: Chicken saltimbocca: chicken breast stuffed with sage and cheese wrapped in prosciutto, served on rosemary polenta ($29). A satisfying and original twist on the chicken breast, a restaurant staple.
We'll share: A selection of freshly baked bread with extra-virgin olive oil, pesto, hummus and dukkah.
For the adventurous: If the salty air leaves you with a hankering for kai moana, try the seafood platter ($60). It includes an array of steamed mussels, prawns, scallops, oysters, fishcakes with baby shrimp salad and a crispy soft-shelled crab.
Value for money: You can't go past the mushroom risotto ($20), served with rocket and parmesan salad and drizzled with balsamic reduction and truffle oil.
The coffee was: From Hawke's Bay-based Hawthorne Coffee.
To drink: An extensive wine list includes drops from Mills Reef, Waipara Valley and Rock Burn in Central Otago. Beer-lovers can choose between tap or premium beers.
The staff were: Friendly and knowledgeable.
The buzz: The sea view makes for a tranquil atmosphere to enjoy good food and wine.
The verdict: Great location and a menu to match - perfect for entertaining visitors to the Bay.
Bluebiyou
Where: 559 Papamoa Beach Rd
Hours: Monday to Friday noon-10pm, weekends 9.30am-11pm.
Price range: Breakfast from $14, lunch from $19, dinner $22-33.