Address: 134b Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby
Rating:
First drinks are a rum-infused mulled wine, delicious and worth the 10-minute wait for the brew to warm up. There are Hallertau beers on tap and the extensive cocktail list by Margarita Vovna is worth dipping into.
The vibe is artsy and dark indoors, kind of like you're hanging out in an eclectic home - red velvet curtains, exposed brick walls and flickering candlelight. Outside there's more room to move, with larger tables, some sheltered, and room for smokers to mooch about.
The toilets are a couple of unisex cubicles, plastered with posters, hidden behind the bar, out the back. They're surprisingly efficient considering how packed this place can get on a Saturday night. Maybe, my manfriend informs me, that's thanks to a separate trough for the gents elsewhere that I didn't know about.
On the stereo is 70s soul during our pre-dinner mid-week visit, but Golden Dawn is a popular live music venue - check out their website for full the full line-up.
