It's easy to overlook places that have been round a while in this city of ever-opening restaurants, but we'd been hearing good things about the Ponsonby Road Bistro.

Chapel Bar & Bistro is the alter of cool.

Ponsonby newcomer kicks off to a strong start.

An unusual combination of Italian and Iranian, in a Ponsonby eatery, gets the chilli just right.

The menu may be brief but still leaves something to be desired.

We came here because it is the new local of friends who live nearby and one of the newest additions to Ponsonby's cafe strip.

Taking Shanks’ pony to and from work is good exercise with interesting sights along the way but, discovers Alan Perrott, not without its dilemmas.

The Longroom has been a Ponsonby fixture for years and it's still a popular hangout.

There is something definitely odd about Ponsonby Rd that confuses me.

After de yoof of Britain decided to go, en masse, 100 per cent discount shopping in what many media commentators labelled "rioting", the question to be asked is: could what happened in Britain happen here?