O'Connell St Bistro, Auckland

The Crystal Bay prawns - unfortunately without a finger bowl. Picture / Martin Sykes

Herald rating: * * * *

White walls, white tablecloths, the high stone walls that shield you from the gaze of passers-by — there's something alluringly chic yet intimate about O'Connell St Bistro.

I'm ashamed to say I indulged in that ridiculous cultural cringe thing we all slip into and made the comment that you could be sitting in a restaurant in Melbourne, or New York. Why shouldn't you feel like that in Auckland?

Helen was in the bar and had already begun with a glass of Bilancia Pinot Grigio when I arrived. I happily joined her in what was an excellent tipple.

A Saturday, it was certainly one of the restaurant's busy nights, and the service was clearly designed to ensure we were out in time for a second sitting: but I'm not complaining. The buzz and the attentive service was welcome.

I began with the crispy fried squid with wild rocket and roast garlic aioli. You have to be careful with garlic and seafood and the aioli was a little overpowering but the squid was perfectly tender. Helen enjoyed her Crystal Bay prawns, but lamented the absence of a finger bowl.

Staying with seafood, I went on to the hapuku with crab gnocchi and roast pepper and macadamia nut salad — a sublime combination of flavours and textures. Helen ordered the chargrilled beef sirloin (rare, she insisted to the delighted waiter) served on a caramelised onion and goats' cheese mash. She, too, enthused over the flavour combinations. From their extensive wine list we accompanied our mains with a glass of the Ata Rangi Petrie chardonnay for me and the same winery's Celebre Cabernet/Merlot/Syrah for her.

By now we were ready to discuss the baby. It was laying on its mother's lap at the next table, so deeply asleep it was astounding. It didn't twitch, it didn't gurgle, it thankfully didn't scream. I wondered what the parents and the restaurant would have done if it had? I imagine everyone was relieved not to have to confront such a potentially delicate situation.

There are times when dessert is a chore; this was not one of them.

We were advised that another magazine had rated their panna cotta the best in Auckland, so Helen leapt at the opportunity to put that judgement to the test, although I suspect she was more attracted by the accompanying roasted tamarillo and verjuice sorbet. That left me free to indulge my particular passion — creme brulee. This one flavoured with orange curd and served with coconut crisps. Deciding we would still be within the legal limit we accepted their choice of dessert wine matches, the Perrin and Fils Muscat Beaumes de Venise for me and the Lake Chalice Botyrised Riesling for her.

It was, I have to say, a memorable finish.

Individually, the prices on the menu did not look all that scary — the entrees ranged from $15 to $22.50 (OK that's a little excessive, but they were prawns) and only two of the mains are priced over $30. But thanks to all our little extras we had no trouble tipping over the $200 barrier for two.

Still, it was worth it. And judging from the number of adoring couples in that night staring deeply into one another's eyes, it's a special place for that special someone.

WHERE: O'Connell St Bistro, 3 O'Connell St, City (09) 377 1884
OUR MEAL: $222 for three courses each and three glasses of wine each, plus one coffee.
OUR WINES: By the glass, $12-$16 each.