Gee Gee's, Epsom

The lamb shank with braised leeks and orange gremolata. Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

We never turn a customer away, even when we are full," says Anthony Rudez. That says a lot when this restaurant can handle between 160-170 diners on a busy night.

Anthony represents the second generation of this Croatian family business and proudly tells us that Gee Gee's is 13 years young and that they have never had to advertise. His father, Ivan, tells me that 80 per cent of their customers are regulars. I can now understand why.

After its first refurbishment the brasserie-style interior manages to merge a lobby bar and restaurant. Dark wood, banquettes and a back-lit feature wall depicting jockey and horse reflecting the nearby trotting connections. It's a barn of a place, but barn-like it's not. And we suspect when it is full, it rocks.

My brief was to find a good suburban restaurant that was family friendly and therefore have a menu that reflected a modern approach but lent itself to feeding everyone from young children to grandparents.

The wine menu is their own as Gee Gee's chooses to be dictated to not by the big wine companies but more by its patrons and with unique inclusions such as Boony Doon Big House Red '02 from the US. We were pleased with glasses of Barossa Pepperjack '02 and Church Road Merlot Cabernet '03.

There's an eclectic selection of entrees ranging from saffron seafood chowder to flash-seared ostrich medallion with manuka honey-whipped kumara, and ginger pickled chestnuts. David chose the spiced barbecue pork ribs with sesame seeds and sweet and sour plum sauce. The hillock of ribs were meaty, deliciously charred and finger-licking good. There was certainly plenty to share and there was none of this adornment with bits of salad with which some places fill the plate. When we want ribs, give them to us. It's not just a man thing.

Although Gee Gee's will oblige to vegetarian requests by adapting any dish from the menu, they do have a rather moreish Vego number under the entrees that would easily suffice as a main. Although I am a confirmed omnivore, I do love good vegetable dishes. The chevre and roasted vegetable napoleon with aged balsamic and avocado oil is a worthwhile bet. Cubed pumpkin, thick slices of silky and sensuous eggplant, julienned leek and melting chevre sandwiched between filo triangles. Possibly vegetarian heaven though a little heavy on the oil but nothing a morsel of bread wouldn't mop up, it's mono-unsaturated after all.

Another thing we liked, the plates were hot for the hot food. The service was attentive but not overbearing. David was provided with a finger bowl for the rib-eating operation and plenty of napkins. This man gets great pleasure with the caveman stuff.

Had we come in for just one course, the entrees would have been quite adequate with a bowl of salad and a glass of wine. One thing is for sure, the portions deliver bang for your buck.

There are lots of goodies on the menu, such as coconut-poached chicken with a warm salad of new spuds, fava beans, green papaya and rocket, the Big Bad Wolf pizza (smoked bacon, spicy chorizo, barbecued pork, caramelized onion, roast kumara and tomato chutney). We chose the lamb shank and pork mains. You can order one or two shanks which have been braised in herb brodo and served with whipped potato, braised leeks and orange gremolata. The man ordered only one, otherwise he would have exploded. I was interested in the Cajun spice-rubbed pork loin and pistachio couscous combo with spicy peach chutney. The decent nugget of pork was tender and the cross-cultural effort brave.

A warm coconut tart with mango mascarpone and vanilla bean ice cream completed the research.

Despite the fact that it was a quiet Sunday night, the staff were on to it and everything happened with a cheery efficiency that would leave many inner-city joints for dead.

Looking for a place to dine on a Sunday night? Head in the direction of the Alexandra Park trots and take a detour to Gee Gee's.

WHERE: Gee Gee's Bar and Brasserie, 373 Manukau Rd, Epsom. (09) 630 9685
OUR MEAL: $114.50 for 2; entrees $9.50-19.50; pasta $18-21.50; pizza $16-22.50; mains $19-29.50
OUR WINES: by the glass $5.50-11; by the bottle $25.50-69.50; bubbles $30-295.