A long weekend means extra time to indulge those taste buds. Whether you're looking for an excuse to dine out or you're keen to test some new recipes at home, we've got you sorted this
It's not all about hot cross buns and chocolate this Easter. Photo / Getty Images
The perfect pairing of seafood and wine
For many Kiwis making their way to the bach this weekend a meal of seafood and wine might be the perfect combination.
![Italian Prawn and Fennel Antipasto. Photo / Annabel Langbein Media](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/GE33ESOYK5OOWA7BJ5ZG27CKYQ.jpg?auth=e4f8561b7719598b847094bcfd60e5f0abb9134e79fd1a8bf2e2ea955b4d1fb8&width=16&height=9&quality=70&smart=true)
Grill, toss and serve
At this time of year you don't want to be spending too much time in the kitchen. Meals where you make a tasty dressing, cook a piece of protein and toss it all together with loads of fresh vegetables make holiday dining easy.
Annabel Langbein to the rescue again with these beef, squid and chicken salad recipes.
![Mediterranean Beef Salad. Photo / Annabel Langbein Media](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/VEJTSHGUSPVXJVV4X6DKCNENQ4.jpg?auth=d16eed6e870c78995c50dcecbfbb3df5e1d6e7d4ba1b8455fc510a9c86deb7f7&width=16&height=9&quality=70&smart=true)
The continuing comfort of Depot
If cooking isn't for you this weekend then fortunately there's some of the world's best chefs at hand to help.
There are a lot of shiny new restaurants in Auckland right now, but dinner at Depot is a lesson in not forgetting your past.
The smart-casual, retro-cool bandwagon remains the gold standard.
![The Oyster bar at Depot. Photo / Jason Oxenham](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/RGJWCP2NQTRM4EWJCPMU6CZUOY.jpg?auth=5d572b7dc59f8a36944cab4dd5862b26ef0729cac1fd87a8b0b45c658bf4fddd&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
Life changing noodles
Ockhee's website promotes a very cool vibe in which "Ockhee" is a 70's diva who puts the soul from Seoul into Ponsonby.
Not only does it deliver on that, it also delivers on the life changing glass noodle stir-fry known as japache. If that's not your vibe then the fried chicken is sure to hit the mark.
Kim Knight explains why Ockhee is Auckland's sexy restaurant of the moment.
![Plastic gloves are optional but the fried chicken should not be. From the menu at Ockhee, a Korean restaurant on Ponsonby Rd, Auckland. Photo / Dean Purcell](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/I3BBBNID3KFCGQ4FLLHTXCK7BA.jpg?auth=7ad6db83180565550ad2f4b1df7b3597316aceca9d49e3985d0e4acc1c7d1cf9&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
A pasta epiphany at a former convent
What could be a better time than Easter weekend to check out Ada, a relatively new addition to Grey Lynn's restaurant scene, housed in a former convent.
Ada sits inside The Convent Hotel, a gleaming-white Spanish Mission-style building, risen from grim headlines. Once occupied by nuns, more recently it was a privately owned boarding house. Twenty tenants lived in what was dubbed "a slum in the heart of the city". In 2018, it sold for a reported $4.1 million and, late last year, reopened as a boutique hotel.
The food is staggeringly good and everything on the menu is worth trying.
Here's why you should worship at the pasta altar of Ada.
![Ada's mushroom, mint and stracciatella small plate. Photo / Alex Burton](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/MCW7HUANI4CEZPMXDSHLPGAVJM.jpg?auth=83eeb3e0f3e5c47d5f4500e927eacceb1f4bf541b9faa7f62c149b44c12d1a83&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)