Harbourside Seafood Bar And Grill, Auckland city

Harbourside's guest chef Rex Morgan applies the final touches to roast loin of lamb. Picture / Babiche Martens

Herald rating: * * * *

Have you heard the one about the vegetarian who walks into a seafood restaurant and asks for a three-course dinner? It may sound like the start of stand-up comic's routine but this vegetarian really did go to Harbourside - and wasn't sneered at by waiters or chefs.

Chefs and egos. You hear a lot about it. Gordon Ramsay famously laced a vegetarian's meal with meat and thought it a great joke.

Gun-shy from years of being treated contemptuously at fine dining establishments, the plan was to go undercover with three fish-eating colleagues and pretend I was on the lettuce-only diet.

The others were all so keen to try guest chef Rex Morgan's menu - available until May 21 - I didn't dare mention the great tofu at the Japanese place across the road from work. Morgan's Wellington place, Citron Restaurant is always mentioned as one of the places to eat, as is his Spire in Queenstown. But you may know his food from his work as senior consultant chef to Air New Zealand.

The fish tasters did their bit - one had the tuna tartar with wasabi gazpacho pulp and two went for the basil cream and egg dipped paua ravioli with Waikanae crab, green pea foam and prawn oil. "Delicious, the paua is buttery and rich but not overwhelming," declared the food editor, even though she's a bit over the whole foam phenomenon.

The menu seems to have more fish than the cast of Finding Nemo - a good thing if you're fond of eating the things.

In Harbourside's defence, there was a carrot soup and goat's cheese entree. However, owner Tony Adcock has always been happy to whip something up for special needs eaters.

They seemed so nice that we fessed up to having one of those annoying vegos in our party. The waitperson didn't falter and quickly suggested the kitchen could do risotto as a main. What's more, Morgan would be making it. Because he had to make it without cheese he substituted delicate cauliflower puree to give it interest and make it creamy.

The rest were busy tucking into roast lamb loin, porcini duxelle with tomato and zucchini flan and mint balsamic; roast monkfish with braised oxtail, carrot puree and tempura fennel; and pan fried hapuka with oyster stew and watercress jus.

Morgan is a master of degustation menus and knows exactly how many flavours to marry and the verdict was that it worked surprisingly well.

Lucky we saved room for dessert because the mandarin bombe with citrus brulee, stewed fruit and a sesame wafer won three of us over. Although she who had the rhubarb pudding with gingernut icecream and toasted sesame panna cotta was adamant she'd made the right choice.

Gazing at the ferry lights twinkling on the water I thought what luck it was to be a fish out of water as a vegetarian in such a pleasant seafood place.

Address: First floor, The Ferry Building, Quay St
Phone: (09) 307 0486
Open: 11.30am until late, seven days
Cuisine: Seafood
From the menu: Snapper tempura, deep fried with tartare sauce and fries, $31; lime and lemongrass brulee with crisp star anise crust and spiced biscotti, $13.80
Vegetarian: Yes. Hurrah
Wine: Full marks