Ivy Restaurant & Bar, Kingsland

Ivy (and I'm resisting the temptation to call it 'The Ivy') has been tempting me for months. Adding an extra dimension of well-heeled class to Kingsland's laid-back charm, it sits on its corner radiating confident cool, looking for all the world like a dispensary for the best martinis for miles around.

Decor-wise, it's a nicely-executed take on modern lifestyle mag chic by numbers, with black playing a predominant part alongside quirky Victoriana prints and the like, and very nicely it works too. That's the thing about places like this - there's undoubtedly a stereotype being adhered to here and there's no surprises, and that it's a commonly done look is because it fundamentally works.

On the food front, the menu is functional, with a pared-down selection that speaks of a few things done well rather than every base covered poorly. That was the hope, at least. A starting platter of cold meats was promising, with sliced pork belly, chorizo, smoked chicken and the like flavoursome, tender and satisfying. At least, they would have been had they not been served straight from the fridge and thus turned out leaden and mute.

The main courses in many ways reflected the interior design - on the pleasant side of mediocre. My roast chicken was a tad overdone, as usual, with the accompanying bits nicely treated and whilst the flavours didn't exactly sing, they were definitely there. The fish and chips ordered by the missus were pronounced 'fine'.

All of this 'ok-ness' was delivered to our table with a weird mix of teutonic frostiness and wild over-enthusiasm, a combination that was as odd as it sounds. If you fancy a bit of comedy next time you dine here, ask to have the wine list left on your table after you've ordered. You may have to prise it back out of their hands.

As for that wine list, well, it shows what Ivy really does well. This, after all, is a Bar. A Bar That Sells Drinks, and occasionally food, and that needs to be understood up front. As well chosen a list as I've seen in Auckland bars features a nice spread across provenance, grape variety and price, and the ranks of spirits behind the bar promise a great cocktail evening, should you be in the mood. Round the back, there's a separate room with a slightly more bordello-esque feel (marred only slightly by the constant stream of punters wandering through to the toilets, but perhaps that's part of the intentional seediness, I'm too old to know for sure), which gives a slightly more intimate feel than the front room.

Regular readers will know that I've got a bit of a thing against places that pretend to be what they're not, or try to be too many things at once. For this reason I quite like Ivy: it's a great-looking bar, with some great stuff to drink, and if you feel a little peckish it'll do some above-average food at a decent price, and it doesn't ever try to be any more than that.


Ivy Restaurant & Bar
463 New North Road,
Kingsland
Auckland

+64 (0) 9 815 1535