Gumdiggers, Birkenhead

By ELEANOR BLACK

In the late 80s and early 90s Gumdiggers, a Birkenhead institution housed in an old draper's shop, was one of those restaurants that were so hard to get into they developed a sort of legendary quality. People waited up to a month for a table — one woman I know well remembers the frisson associated with securing a date and telling her friends to mark it in their diaries.

These days getting into Gumdiggers is a cinch. Even so, the place was full when we arrived, a birthday party in one corner, a smoochy couple in another, a girls' night out revving up near the door, a family bonding near the cash register. Another family by the toilets. You see, Gumdiggers is pocket-sized, one reason perhaps for that historic waiting list, although I hear the food was superb, even when you had to sit by the toilets.

These days things are different, although I suspect the net curtains in the windows — which make it impossible to see what you're getting into from the street — are much the same as they've ever been.

The menu is 80s-luxe, the restaurant itself a kind of time capsule, but the food is, sadly, not something you'd be prepared to wait a month for. We skipped straight to mains, the entree menu failing to spark much interest, although if you really, really like oysters on the half shell (and at $12.95 a dozen they're really, really reasonable) you're set.

My scallops mornay ($22.95) was a major disappointment, I'm afraid, as much as I wanted to like it. I have never, under any circumstances, left a scallop on my plate. They are one of my favourite things, up there with mohair blankets and Gisborne chardonnay, but this night I left three of them behind. They looked lovely — sitting in two big shells, covered in a coating of bubbly cheese — but on tasting were a bit cold and fishy.

I can't complain about the glass of Mahurangi Estate sauvignon blanc ($4.95) I had with my main, or Tim's Okahu Estate Shipwreck Bay malbec/chambourcin/pinotage ($6.95), which was also excellent.

His roast rack of lamb, coated in a mustard and herb crust ($20.95) was bland without being unpleasant, but the retro lineup of vegetables which came with our mains — deep fried cauliflower, cheesy broccoli and whipped potato served in swirls — was good, bringing back memories of going round to the neighbour's for dinner in the days when the microwave was still a novelty and cheesy veges were the dernier cri in suburban chic.

Dessert looked more promising, although my profiteroles ($8.95) were overly chewy, but did come with a gorgeously creamy vanilla icecream and plenty of chocolate sauce. The special coffee with Tia Maria ($4.95) I ordered with dessert was okay.

Tim's lemon meringue pie ($8.95) was enormous, a jelly-ish yellow base topped with a mound of whipped egg-white, but again failed the taste test. His dessert wine — Corbans Private Bin Noble Riesling, $3.95 a glass — was much better.

Okay, so the food is not rave-worthy, but Gumdiggers has two major strengths. The wine list is long, diverse and cheap. Hurrah. The waitresses are genuinely sweet, and keep an eagle eye on their customers. Good reasons, perhaps, why diners keep the place pumping on a Friday night.

Where: Gumdiggers, 128-130 Hinemoa St, Birkenhead, ph (09) 480 5445.

Ambience: Pioneer decor, 80s food, new-millennium families.

Cost: $82.60 for two mains, two desserts, two glasses of wine, one dessert wine and one special coffee.