Latest from Restaurants

<i>The Food Room</i>, Ponsonby

Cooking up a storm

If the young talent rising in the food ranks is anything to go by, our restaurant scene is about to get a whole lot more exciting. <i>Viva</i>'s restaurant reviewer talks to three chefs ready to shake things up.

Caffeine Hit: Twenty Three Cafe

Twenty Three Cafe, from the same people who introduced The Corner Store next door, found at 23 Mt Eden Rd is a nice, modern place with a hint of psychedelic thrown in.

<i>Turo-Turo Philippine Cafe</i>, Glen Innes

An authentic eatery in Glen Innes encourages adventurous dining.

<i>The Mulberry Bar and Restaurant</i>, Mt Eden

There's no beating round the bush, Mt Eden’s Mulberry has its recipe right.

<i>Arun's restaurant & bar</i>, Karangahape Rd

Heaven help us. Now it's Indian tapas. It doesn't say so on the menu, but Arun's website promises "a modern Indian experience ... ranging from flavoursome curries, succulent flavours of the tandoori and a mouth-watering tapas selection".

<i>Jambalaya Southern Kitchen</i>, Whangaparaoa

A US-style eatery in Manly delivers the flavours of the southern states, but needs work in other areas of the dining experience.

Restaurant review: Bracu

A meal at a restaurant on an olive estate offers a mixed bag of serving sizes and quality.

<i>The Refreshment Room</i>, Titirangi

Gorgeous views and simply delicious Italian fare are getting tongues wagging in the Waitakeres.

Restaurant manager in jail for theft of $140,000

A restaurant manager created an elaborate scheme so he could steal nearly $140,000 from his employer to feed his gambling addiction.

Top chef ticks Kiwi cuisine

NZ cuisine has well and truly shrugged off its meat-and-three-veg past: that's the verdict from Gordon Ramsay's right-hand man.

<i>Marvel Grill</i>, Takapuna

The choice of meal options is impressive, less so the service on a busy evening.

<i>Circus Circus</i>, Mt Eden

We came here because we had a couple of decades-worth of clowning around to catch up on.

<i>Wai Kitchen</i>, Waiheke Island

Not being a geologist, I cannot say exactly what kind of stones they were.

MasterChef NZ's judge dread

Sarah Lang finds out if Simon Gault's reputation as the show's scariest judge is deserved.

A bite of the best cafe culture

Libby Nicholson-Moon selects a few cafes worth seeking out among Auckland's many.

<i>Besos Latinos</i>, Auckland CBD

Exotic Latin flavours mingle with the sultry rhythms of fancy footwork.

SkyCity launches upgrade on 'uninviting' Federal St