Takahe, Titirangi

The emphasis is on casual at the Takahe bistro. Picture / Carolyn Robertson

Herald rating: * * *

About two years ago I'd sworn never again to darken the door of these premises. In the days when it was the Longdrop Bar and Bistro, Jane and I had popped in for coffee only to be grumpily rebuffed because it was coming up to their lunch session and we weren't planning on eating as well.

But with new owners, a new name - and hopefully a new attitude - were willing to give it another shot.

Cherie Nilsen and partner Taten Smelle, formerly of Pasha and Spy Bar respectively, took over last December. They're both locals who've spent most of their time working in the city but wanted to run their own business close to home.

The look of the place (smart bistro style, lots of wood) hasn't changed noticeably but there's a young crew on the floor. Their casual dress sets the tone for the place: a neighbourhood eaterie where Mum, Dad and the kids won't ever be intimidated by words such as confit or remoulade on the menu.

We started with the warm platter, which is a highlights package of some of the mains and entrees. On two crammed platters we had tempura vegetables, mussels in a laksa broth, baby tempura fish, roast vegetables, baby fish of the day, calamari on rocket with roast garlic, curly fries, and a piece of eye fillet. All credit to our waiter, who warned us not to take this and a main on in one night - but we were determined to traverse the menu.

We were on a tight schedule so it was straight to the mains - blackened chicken on a chilli tomato salsa with rosemary potatoes and (strangely) iceberg lettuce for me because Jane snaffled the eye fillet on bruschetta with portobello mushroom, and roast tomato in port wine jus.

Everything was perfectly cooked but there were no surprises. Well, apart from the fact that we weren't expecting Takahe to put on live theatre - Lynn of Titirangi (as opposed to Tawa) was doing a one-person show at the next table.

In a two-hour monologue (her friend hardly got a in word edgewise), we heard more about her life than we cared to, at increasing volume as the wine wore on.

Maybe that's why the wait staff deserted the vicinity once our mains hit the table. Because when we finished, our battle-scarred plates sat and sat.

We'd overdone it but if someone had asked us if we wanted dessert, we would have said yes. That invitation never came.

Jane summed up our experience succinctly: "It's not the sort of food that I would drive out of my way to eat but it's a great addition to the neighbourhood."

So, a friendly place to meet up with mates or your clan - but keep a sharp eye out for Lynn of Titirangi.

Address: 421 Titirangi Rd, Titirangi
Phone: (09) 817 5057
Open: Lunch Wednesday to Sunday, dinner Wednesday to Saturday
Cuisine: Family bistro
From the menu: Seafood pappardelle pasta with green-lipped mussels and fish in a seafood broth $16, vegetarian pasta penne with medley of tossed vegetables $16, tempura fish on a bed of curly fries $22
Vegetarian: A main and an entrée
Wine: Short, affordable list - all by the glass