Restaurant review: Ika, Mt Eden

Ika's Mozambican fish stew, served with rice. Photo / Nick Reed

Address: 3 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden
Phone: (09) 309 3740
Rating out of 10: Food: 8, Service: 7, Value: 8, Ambience: 8

Auckland already has a restaurant called Fish, now there is one named Ika. It would be very fine if they were followed by Pesce, Poisson, Yu and many more, such is the excellence and variety of our seafood.

That quality and choice is handsomely on display on ice when you walk through the door at Ika, a presentational style that I first encountered many years ago in an Italian seafood restaurant in Brighton, leaving an impression that has never faded. This display is not entirely a mixed blessing as we enthused over some gleaming john dory only to discover that other diners had had a similar response and ordered it all first.

But our disappointment didn't last too long and the flounder suggested as an alternative is, as we and the proprietor agreed, a much under-rated fish when skilfully cooked, as it was here. When ordered as a main dish the fish comes charcoal-grilled whole and can be shared and there is a choice of styles: cajun with tzatziki, chermoula, Malay sambal, tandoori and garlic lemon and herb butter. We chose the lemon and herb butter, which set off the delicate flavour of the flounder beautifully.

I had tested the Malay sambal with my small plate starter, one of a good list that could assemble into a satisfying meal if you prefer not to go the whole fish route. The sambal sauce, spicy without being overwhelming, set off the meaty texture of the fish with aplomb. Our other first course was a herring, simply presented and with appetising smoky overtones from the grill, if lacking that rich flavour found in the Northern Hemisphere cold water species.

Although the whole fish option is intended for sharing, I was unable to resist the Mozambican fish stew, a dish not for the faint-hearted or if you prefer your fish as a boneless white fillet. A melange of prawns, clams, calamari, leatherjacket, ray and, no doubt, other bits and pieces in a rich coconut-based sauce, this dish provided a flavour-rich contrast to the simplicity of the flounder.

The main courses come complete with a choice of accompaniments and the herbed potatoes that we chose with the flounder were terrific, crunchy and tasty. The healthy spin came with green beans and bok choy. My stew came with a generous portion of fragrant rice. These inclusions and the general pricing policy make Ika something of an exception to the general rule that seafood restaurants leave a large hole in the bank balance and I was pleasantly surprised by our final bill for a sound and enjoyable meal.

You can eat here without going for seafood, with traditional steak options, but it would have seemed a bit perverse not to stick to the marine. We did venture into their dessert menu by sharing a chocolate semifreddo with salted caramel pistachio. It was more freddo than semi but pretty good, especially at the price.

Ika occupies the premises formerly the home of O'Sarracino and the atmosphere retains much of that comfortable, family-run feel. There's no artificial gloss about the service but led, on our visit, by Laila Harre, who is behind the venture, it really engages with the customers. Perhaps it is to be expected, given the ownership, that Ika will also host table talk evenings, with guests such as the Human Rights Commissioner and trade union general secretaries, and a salon where the listed attraction when we visited was an exposition on "pop music as queer revolution".

But even if you don't wish to be politically aware, Ika is well worth a visit for good-value decent food in a welcoming, relaxed setting.

Our meal: $149 for two starters, two mains and one dessert and four glasses of wine.

Wine list: A small list, featuring Waiheke Island products with some modest overseas entries. We enjoyed a Mt Olympus riesling, a Waiheke Road sauvignon blanc and the same vineyard's chardonnay and a Kumeu Village pinot gris.

Verdict: A warm and lively atmosphere appropriate for the food and deserving of the success that marked its predecessor.

- Canvas