Latest from Life & Style Reviews

Wine: A question of good taste

Correctly matching wines to food is easy to get wrong.

Review: Antoine's, Parnell

Silver service? Who the hell does silver service these days? I doubt that one waitress in 100 would know what it is.

Places to fire up for winter

Joanna Mathers finds the cosiest spots to eat and drink.

Book Review: Americanah

Partly autobiographical novel is a potential winner of awards, predicts Nicky Pellegrino.

Pub spy: Doolan Brothers, Ellerslie

I may have mentioned before that I'm not a huge fan of so-called Irish pubs.

Review: St Heliers Bay Bistro, St Heliers

They may well have complained when this building on the corner of Tamaki Drive was built, but now it's here the citizens of St Heliers are flocking to their slick new eatery.

Wine: Syrah to desire

It doesn’t seem all that long ago that friends and Waiheke neighbours Chris Canning and Bryan Mogridge began their winegrowers’ dream to make the definitive wine.

Brunch: The Store, Britomart

Book Review: Blood & Beauty

Sarah Dunant's trio of novels set in Renaissance Italy cemented her reputation as one of the great writers of historical fiction.

Wine: Crafted with focus on detail

For almost two decades, Hans Herzog has been growing grapes, making wine and, in the process, carving out an enviable reputation for low-yielding, small-volume, high-quality handcrafted wines from Marlborough.

Review: Janken, Herne Bay

Here are a couple of experiences I never thought I’d embrace — a boeuf bourguignon served at a Japanese restaurant and a macrobiotic dessert. They were delivered at Janken and I enjoyed both.

Brunch: Vinyl Coffee Shop, Mt Eden

We came here because we'd been meaning to for ages, having noted its pretty steady popularity with the locals.

Listen to the silence

New Zealand’s Poet Laureate, Ian Wedde, has written two of my all-time favourite poetry collections: <i>The Commonplace Odes</i> and <i>Three Regrets And A Hymn To Beauty</i>.

Book Review: Two Girls In A Boat

Wellingtonian Emma Martin won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize with the title story of this first collection.

Book Review: Americanah

One of the more startling observations in a book filled with acute and startling observations is that Africans only really come to consider they are “black” when they go to the United States.

Wine: Blanc expression

Watch out, world, chenin blanc is poised to take its place in the spotlight.

Review: Blunderbuss, Kingsland

As one door closes, another opens. A truism for our dynamic dining scene, that's for sure.

Review: Prague Bar & Cafe, Sandringham

I have not been to Prague (the city). People who have tell me that it is fabulous. One woman I know who went years ago, long before it was fashionable, told me she could see half a dozen church clocks from her hotel window. I thought that was very cool.