Need to Know: The inside word on what's new in food this week

The Garden Shed outdoor courtyard in Mount Eden. Picture / Babiche Martens.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Lovers of Mt Eden eatery Circus Circus will want to explore The Garden Shed across the road. The new venture from owners Colin and Jonathan Rickard is open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, with the plant-filled courtyard an idyllic spot to while away the afternoon.

• 470 Mt Eden Rd, Mt Eden, ph (09) 630 3393.

SWEET TOOTH

Dessert maestro Brian Campbell is leaving Milse to launch event and consulting company Sweet Cuisine with wife Roselle (manager at Ima Deli). Their pop-up dining events, set to start this month, are already a hit, with the first two at Merediths selling out. Get in quick for the chocolate tasting menu at Sidart on February 23 and March 9 (visit sweetcuisine.net.nz to book). Or, on February 20 from 6.30pm, pop by Fred's on Franklin Rd for a Sundae Session (think gelato sundaes, ice cream sandwiches and homemade sodas).

POWER LUNCH

Catch an express lunch at indulgent inner-city restaurant Cassia - just $39 for three courses, including the famous fennel brioche slider. Available Wednesday to Friday
12-3pm, walk-in, or ph (09) 379 9702.

Bizarre High Tea.

Picture / Niki Hill.

It's high tea but not as you know it . . . Niki Hill's unsettling depictions combine animal skins and organs, fresh flowers and vegetables into eerily dainty tableaux. The series of photographs, entitled Bizarre High Tea, is on display from 5.30pm tomorrow until March 5, at the new off-site exhibition space of Parnell's Pierre Peeters Gallery, in the Vero centre, 48 Shortland St, City.

MENU PICKS
What we're loving around town right now...

• The Modern Greek flatbread from Kingsland's Grill and Shakes. Tender chargrilled lamb, delicious beetroot salsa and hearty chunks of feta.
Beth Walsh

• A grilled prawn noodle don from Misters on Wyndham St - "noodles" made from daikon, zucchini and carrot of course.
Fiona Ralph

• The lemongrass chicken with vermicelli and pickled carrot from Saigonz in Beach Rd. Simple but so tasty and fresh.
Lucy Casley

- VIVA