Editorial: Top 10 treats for taste buds

Taste Cornucopia has humble little bundles of gold, writes Mark Story. Photo / Glenn Taylor

Hot on the heels of my Wednesday missive on dining peeves, I thought it only fair to cobble together, in no particular order, my top 10 local food likes.

'Tis the festive foodie season after all, where I think those in the industry who excel, deserve special mention.

Best meal: Years ago at Terrir - a whole poached flounder with herbs and baked potatoes. A reminder that simplicity often wins.

Most consistent: Bay Espresso. A winning formula. Regardless of which of the seven premises you grace, each is uniformly high. A standard bearer.

Best staple: Taste Cornucopia's sultana and honey scones. Humble little bundles of gold.

Best-dressed dish: Anything from Ten Twenty Four. Plates served with unparalleled flourish. Often I have no idea what I'm eating. I suspect it's the garnish. Novelty dining at its best.

Best producer: Hohepa's cheesery. Craft fromage courtesy of the most homely herd of short horns you've ever seen. Grab a ball of their mozarella and grill some on toast with sliced cherry tomatoes and basil.

Best all rounder: Milk & Honey. The complete package. Sharp product and sharper service in a sunny seaside amenity. Hard to beat.

Most indulgent: Mister D's doughnuts. The hypodermic needle to inject them with custard or chocolate adds an illicit element to an already sinful treat.

Best pizza: Pipi. Spartan yet moorish with a stellar base - the likes of which I can't replicate at home.

Best sausage: I'm partial to Hastings New World's boerewors. While it's also a contender for ugliest sausage in town it more than compensates with a muscular spice and texture. Grill it fast and serve atop a chunky kumara mash.

Best vibe: Paper Mulberry Cafe. Happy, folksy and wholesome. Like walking into Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's kitchen.

Here's hoping our visitors will have the good fortune to grace these fine places during summer.