Mikano, Mechanics Bay, Auckland Waterfront

Mikano's rapturous roasted medallion of venison. Picture / Carolyn Robertson

My mouth is dancing," said the Valley Girl, kicking back into the leather couch as we waited for a cab. She was well happy: scallops and venison and several other food groups had been conspicuous by their absence from her diet in recent weeks.

There's a lot to like about Mikano. Like that it's one of the few city restaurants that face the harbour, that it has a huge window area that looks out to the water. There it is on the far side of the container port and the helicopter drop-zone. Like that it's always full and busy and buzzy.

Think that the front-of-house crew are as polished and keen as any, more than many, around town. Respect that you've got to be a good act to be packed most nights since 1993.

Mostly because the food is pretty reliable. It might be on the harbour but Mikano doesn't pretend to take diners on a spinnaker-tearing voyage around the Pacific Rim ... but hold that thought.

Peter Gordon, one of our local restaurateurs, notes that in the past few years "some restaurants have served bad fusion food, which has given the term a bad reputation ... Unlike some of my contemporaries who might be more into creating the perfect modern version of a classic dish, my ideas are all ingredient-led."

Peter Knipp, who organises Singapore's World Gourmet Summit, is blunt: "People use [fusion] as an excuse to mix ridiculous ingredients, charge double the prices and upset a lot of people."

The Mikano people do not say that they serve fusion food. John Flack, who cooked under and took over from Judith Tabron, calls his seafood-strong menu "Modern New Zealand cuisine-style food using fresh regional products influenced by international flavours and interpretations".

Bollocks, or whatever fish have. Spice duck with Moroccan kumara, black olives, preserved lemon, pomegranate and orange sauce - do they grow kumara in Morocco? - and pork cutlet with honey and lime glaze, warm potato salad with harissa mayonnaise, pickled cucumber, tomato and fennel jus. That's fusion.

The Valley Girl adored her seared scallops on a hazelnut thingammyjig that the waitress promised would have the texture of hummus, and did. She went into raptures over her venison medallions, black pepper, sage, garlic mashed potato, roast beetroot and onions - and I applauded her good sense. There are times when a girl needs iron.

Ostrich is a worthy meat, dry but not too strong or gamey, and fillets seared and wrapped in prosciutto with shallot, fig and thyme tart, made for a knock-'em-down opening on my side. The main, however, was an object lesson in what can go wrong when a restaurant strays from what it does best.

Take an honest piece of lamb rump. So far, so good. Whack on a coriander crust. Drop it on to a sort of sausage roll of filo filled with pumpkin and aromatic spices, slap a Greco-Balkan salad and a splosh of dukkah yoghurt around the plate.

The Valley Girl reached over with her fork. "What's that doing there?" she asked, poking around my cucumber. And mint and watercress. Yes, the chef had a lot on my plate. And the lamb wasn't well cooked. Well, parts of it were. Other parts were rare.

Peter Gordon talked about creating modern versions of classic dishes, and this was a take on something from North Africa: like one of those nations splintering into half a dozen little states, each wanting independence.

I retreated to the safety of a modern New Zealand-oriented cheese platter and a decent port. When the world is going mad, one needs comfort food. And drink.

PHONE: 309 9514
WEB: www.mikano.co.nz
OPEN: Mon-Fri from 11.30am, Sat from 5.30pm, Sun brunch from 10am, dinner from 4pm
OWNERS: John Gosney, Ed Harman
CHEF: John Flack
FOOD: Modern New Zealand cuisine
FROM THE MENU: Chermoula roasted squid stuffed with couscous, preserved lemon, parsley and pistachios, grilled pepper and tomato salad, $17.50.
Turkey scaloppini with lemon, parsley and almond crumbs, buttered spinach, sour cream, sweet potato and cranberry dumplings, $31.50.
Pistachio and lemon baklava with pistachio icecream and citrus salad.
Vegetarian: Own menu
WINE: Strong on bubbles, NZ whites; weak on reds, glass options.
BOTTOM LINE: One of Auckland's longest-running, most reliable restaurants, but sometimes it loses the plot.