Herald Rating: ***
Address: 367-378 K Rd, Newton
Phone: 021 789 7225
Bottom line: A cosy addition to the neighbourhood that should get better with age
KEY POINTS:
We arrived at: 7pm on a Friday, and left about two hours later, just as the DJ was setting up.
Were served our first drinks: With gusto. The service here is excellent - friendly, prompt and attentive. Possibly a little too attentive - eyes were fixed on our table as though the staff couldn't wait to pounce on our empty glasses and plates.
The decor ... Is fitting for a new joint in the old red-light district in that the walls are blood red, like a less alternative Verona. It's a colour that will either put you in a warm mood (as it did me) or overwhelm (as it did my sister). Perhaps that's why I ordered a shiraz and she a Bloody Mary. But it's nicely offset by subtle green lighting and low-hanging lamps.
... and the ambience: Relaxed. The after-work crowds I often see here have dispersed and there's more of a restaurant feel than a bar buzz. That's possibly because it's the new kid on the block, and most people here at this time of night have come for a bite. We nibbled on a selection of simple yet slightly overpriced tapas ($8-15.50) and pizza (the Speciale was a bit small for $18).
The music is: Nathan Haines, which felt just right on the night.
The house chardonnay is: Kaimira Nelson Chardonnay (unoaked) 2005 at $8 a glass.
The toilets are: Red too.
Why you should go: Because unless you felt like Thai from Joy Bong, this part of K Rd had little in the way of upmarket flair - without getting too Ponsonby - until now.
