Review: Boy & Bird, Ponsonby

The quarter box chicken with chunkies and slaw, Dutch beef krokets, green leaf mix and popcorn at Boy and Bird. Photo / Chris Gorman

Address: 222 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby
Phone: (09) 361 3222
Rating out of 10: Food: 8, Service: 8, Value: 8, Ambience: 7

It seems to be the trend to have restaurants with alliterative names. First we were at Scarlett Slimm's in Mt Eden: this week it's Boy & Bird on Ponsonby Rd. We'd heard differing reports about this venue - some favourable, one definitely not, so to be on the safe side we took along a friend with a proven palate to back up our own.

When you walk in, Boy & Bird is all noise and wonder. It's light, bright with wild pop art in candy colours over everything. The diners are young. It all adds up to a feeling of fun: a bit like an American diner but a couple of steps up.

A look at the menu indicates B&B has positioned itself at the lower end of the Ponsonby
Rd pricing scale. Starters range from $4-$11; rolls with chicken and gravy, beef or vegetarian $11-$12; main courses from $10 (for a quarter chicken), and up to $18 for short ribs, and desserts range from $7 for lemon cheesecake to $12 for the divine chocolate fondant. Wine prices are average at around $9-$12.

At front of house is the welcoming Marie Colosimo, who co-owns B&B with Mike Van de Elzen. He's the Boy, she's the Bird. They worked together at Molten and she's also helped Van de Elzen on The Food Truck, adding credibility to this, their latest venture. Colosimo made us feel like long-lost friends. Without being rushed, our every need was attended to. She even changed my wine for something I'd prefer (and, I noticed later, there was no charge for the second glass.)

I started with the chicken livers, which arrived in a bowl filled to the top with fat livers cooked just past pink to make them creamy, accented with sliced mushrooms. Tasty as they were, I had to leave about a third in the bowl to make way for my main course. The breaded chicken thighs were equally delicious and disappeared quickly, ditto the charred broccoli tart and beef krokets, which turned out to be traditional Dutch croquettes made of crumbed pulled beef.

By then we should have realised that B&B servings are large and rethought our main course selections. Instead, we grinned with joy at the bowls that arrived next. My short ribs were some of the best I've ever eaten. Cooked until the meat fell off the bone and covered in rich brown gravy (and probably a little too fatty for my own good), all our meat eaters agreed they were fabulous. The rest of our meals were good too. The special hapuku was perfectly cooked, the seeded pork interesting and the chicken - the plainest thing on the menu - was good too. Half a roasted chicken, surrounded by all these other incredible dishes and sauces, it hardly had the wow factor, but once we sliced into it we found Boy & Bird's salt-brining method made it exceptionally tender, moist and tasty. Indeed, our friend reported that the large chunk she took home was still delicious the next day.

Which brings me to our large sauteed kale salad, which was a dream. The kale was tender and tasty, but it was the fennel, quinoa, sliced apple, haloumi and the crisp smoked almonds, set off by a light and zingy dressing, that lifted it to the truly exceptional class - as was the absolutely fabulous chocolate fondant that was cooked to order and worth every cent, every calorie.

By then, we noted, the rest of Boy & Bird's clientele had changed. Gone were the tables of young women, replaced by men settling in for a serious feed. The important thing was most of these tables, with their beachy, starched, red and white-striped serviettes and semi-matching squabs, were full of happy, relaxed-looking diners. And so they should be. We'll certainly be back.

Our meal: $219 for four glasses of wine, four entrees and main courses plus three large sides and three desserts.

Wine list: Shortish but very good, with an interesting selection of beer.
Verdict: Light, bright and full of fun, Boy & Bird is exactly what Ponsonby Rd needs. The food is unpretentious and interesting, offering several culinary high points, the service is superb, the atmosphere energetic and prices are well down on the average. Servings are generous, as is the spirit of the place.