The Dish: Ole, Mexican at last

You don't have to wait for the warm weather to enjoy some gelato. Picture / Babiche Martens

We've long wondered why, in our fast-growing city, there is no decent Mexican eatery and takeout.

You can find almost every other international cuisine, but stylish Mexican food-to-go has long been absent.

So welcome to Taqueria (pronounced taca-rea), which has opened at 166 Ponsonby Rd. The eatery serves healthy, gourmet Mexican food, ready in three minutes. The menu features traditional south-of-the-border fare - tacos and burritos - available with a range of fillings including grilled chicken breast, gurnard, braised beef or pork and vegetarian (black beans and guacamole).

The three partners behind the project have impressive credentials. Grier Govorko is the creative director for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and has his own clothing label. Michael Galzer and Chris Mitchell own Culinary Underground, a Los Angeles-based catering company with clients that include the Rolling Stones, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

Galzer says the idea came during their frequent visits home to New Zealand. "We've all lived in LA for years and have Mexican food a couple of times a week. It's a staple because it's cheap and it's fresh."

They had trouble finding such fare so decided to open their own eatery. Galzer says he would like to see more Taquerias open, but for the moment they're concentrating on Ponsonby.

Great any season

Sure, a gelato and sorbet shop is not the sort of place you'd usually frequent in winter. But it's worth being brave and heading to the Ferry Building in downtown, where you'll find Valentino's Gelato.

It's new and it's fantastic. Three hundred flavours of gelato and sorbet to choose from, so make sure you go with plenty of time to make up your mind. They're all made on the premises from ingredients sourced from Italy and New Zealand.

We're not the only ones who think the gelato is great. Last month Valentino's won a gold medal and two silvers at the NZ Icecream Awards. Their zabajone flavour (honey, wine and spices) won the supreme gelato/sorbet award.

Time to cheat

If you're running short on time and ideas for dinner, Naked Organics have the answer. They've just put out a range of soups that you could serve to dinner guests and pretend you just whipped them up yourself - yes, they're that good.

Our favourites among the six flavours are Thai coconut curry soup with crispy noodles and field mushrooms with sweet onion croutons. They cost $4.59 at leading supermarkets.