Romance on the menu as Scarlett and Josh drop in to NZ

Startled restaurant staff could not believe their luck when Hollywood stars and secret lovers Scarlett Johansson and Josh Hartnett turned up for takeaways at Sawadee Thai Cuisine in Ponsonby Rd on Tuesday.

The beautiful Johansson and heart-throb Hartnett walked in off the street about 8pm. The young actress, who starred alongside Bill Murray in Lost in Translation, ordered a vegetarian meal. Hartnett had massaman chicken.

Hartnett is believed to be in Auckland to play a role in 30 Days of Night, a horror movie being shot by Lucy Lawless's husband, Rob Tapert, in Henderson.

It is unclear when Johansson arrived in the country but she was also seen at a top end Ponsonby boutique, Scotties, on Wednesday.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported this week that the couple had taken their romance to the next level after buying a $9.5 million loft home in New York, asking for the bedrooms to be soundproofed.

Sawadee staff were startled after recognising the movie stars.

Duty manager Pam Wongsrichai said Johansson was "very tiny, skinny, like a doll".

Waitress Wachirada Sumdang could not believe her luck at seeing the tall, dark Hartnett, her favourite actor, who features in a poster from the movie Pearl Harbor on her wall.

"He was friendly and very normal. He didn't want to show he was a superstar," she said.

Ms Wachirada said the couple sat on a Thai couch at the entrance to the restaurant and called each other "honey" while they waited for takeaways.

They were "nice and friendly" and posed separately with Ms Wachirada for cellphone photographs.

They did not want to be photographed together.

Josh Hartnett signed an autograph for Pam Wongsrichai, "To Pam, Good Luck".

A Scotties staff member said Johansson walked into the Blake St shop with a man who appeared to be a minder. She did not buy anything.