An Auckland waterfront restaurant gets things dramatically wrong.

Lindsay shouldn't have set the bar so high. He was the cook at the lodge on Kapiti Island where the Professor and I stayed overnight on Anzac Day.

Anything by John Irving is going to be memorable. And powerful. And provocative. So it is with his 13th novel, the story of five decades in the life of bisexual Billy.

Soto's food and decor will likely have you waxing lyrical.

The renovation of a famed Auckland seafood restaurant proves money well spent.

Opening too soon means a less-than-perfect dining experience at this new Mexican eatery.

The Japanese are trying to get a foothold in the wine industry.

Once as Irish as a sly dig at a family wedding and now part of the Nourish Group, O'Hagan's is one of the best-situated pubs in the city centre.

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.

The Professor reckons I make the best coffee in Auckland, but she should thank Otto. Otto's not a man, but a stovetop system that is as beautiful as it is functional.

A new owner is warming up to the task at a Mt Eden local.

The will of Mother Nature results in either celebration or despair come harvest time.

Chapel Bar & Bistro is the alter of cool.

A fine dining Herne Bay restaurant keeps it simple but with an abundance of finesse.

Word has it that the cellars at Buckingham Palace hold some of the world's greatest wines from sublime vintages.

Emily Perkins' sumptuous new book, The Forrests, is a novel to savour slowly: line by line, character by character, revelation by revelation.

Good restaurants in Sulphur City are hard to come by despite diligent searching says Peter Calder.

We came here because we had heard about this cafe in Newmarket that didn't price its meals but left it up to the customer to decide what they felt the meal was worth.

I have to confess a prejudice against novels where the characters are continually lighting cigarettes and lifting drinks, and where the author continually tells you they're doing so.

A new addition to the Auckland waterfront is a potential star.