It says it is situated "at the unholy crossroads of Ponsonby and Richmond Rd" and takes pains to distance itself from the Greek neo-Nazi party of the same name. This should give you some idea of what The Golden Dawn is all about - quirky, unconventional and a little bit mad.
Which also, handily enough, describes the decor that brilliantly manages to avoid being artfully "kooky". It's laid-back, a bit funky, a bit odd and entirely comfortable.
The service was good too, plenty of interest and quick to react, so I was beginning to think that there was a nasty surprise coming. I certainly got a shock when I checked out the drinks selection.
It is fantastic. The wine list alone deserves a few pages of description, from how it is divided into wine types - racy white, juicy white, rugged red and so on - to the wines on the list. Someone has put real thought into it and it deserves highlighting, because the number of bars who simply let their beer supplier select their wine list as well is disgraceful.
