Cube, Devonport

The skewered scallops wrapped in bacon. Picture / Fotopress

(Herald rating: * * * *)

My new editor was coming to dinner with me. "Take the 7pm Devonport ferry, and book for 7.20," she suggested. Enough time to blow out the cobwebs and leave the work stuff behind. It was 10 minutes across water and a brisk walk from the Esplanade to the Cube bar and cafe, opposite the now-closed picture theatre. It also moonlights as Pizza Nicolino, so our Greek host, Nicos, also does Italian. I can't help the feeling that this place is the Devonport version of Gina's on Symonds St: the boys can charm and are worth a second look.

It's a buzzy local and every second Thursday it throws a Greek night party and it pays to book. We arrived on a normal night but had it been a Greek night the menu would have taken the form of a meze platter, moussaka, eggplant and feta specialties, Greek wines and of course ouzo. We wonder if, once you've eaten, you can smash your plates.

Nicos has given us a table out the back, past the bar and the kitchen, in a simple vine covered courtyard, with whitewashed walls and a mural with trompe l'oeil azure window frames.

We order glasses of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc '03 and Villa Maria Pinot Gris '04 to accompany tender pan-fried calamari rings and sesame skewered scallops wrapped in bacon from the blackboard specials. Both come with a little hillock of grated carrot and cucumber with parsley garnish. My ed commented that the scallops were a good size — large, in fact — but wasn't too taken by the cubes of orange between two well-wrapped scallies on each skewer.

My calamari were declared Greek in style by our host and they were fine for the occasion: lightly battered and tender, but I had imagined they might have been dressed with a fruity olive oil and charred until smoky. Anyway, the balmy night, the wine, music and rustic outdoor tables, all completed a scene. Maybe here in Devonport, this is our Mediterranean oasis, albeit just a smidgen bigger than a postcard.

The ed's pan-fried terakihi came plated, to her dismay, on more sliced oranges. I secretly wanted them as I hate to see good fruit going to waste. The menu did say with oranges, sliced fennel and tzatziki — yoghurt and cucumber sauce.

White-spud mash, five juicy lamb cutlets and some raw spinach later, I was topped up with lean red quality protein for the week. What's more, main dishes come with fresh vegetables including potatoes or a simple salad. Nicos comes back and passes a tray of ouzo around the tables and stops to tell us what he dreams of doing to clone the Greek/Italian concept with more cafes more Thursday night plate smashing and more beautiful boys.

We order the peach and passionfruit cheesecake to share. It is not the baked variety and still a tad icy in the centre but a respectable-sized wedge for two. Some fresh fruit alongside would have been welcomed. We finish up with tea and coffee and the ed delivered me to the ferry terminal.

Would we return? Happily and with a crowd on a Greek night. Though the food is simple fare, it's nicely cooked and you come away feeling a little merrier than when you arrived.

So take a return ferry and enjoy the freshness of being on our harbour, sitting on deck and watching the city zoom away and back at you.

WHERE: Cube Bar & Cafe, 103 Victoria Rd, Devonport. (09)445 4444 Licensed and BYO
OUR MEAL: $120.30 for 2; entrees $12.95-16.95; mains $18.95-23.95; desserts $8.50.
OUR WINES: by the glass $7-9; by the bottle $30-41.