Wine Chambers, CBD

Choosing a venue for a lunch meeting is fraught with difficulty, the more so when there's a reasonably sensitive conversation to be had. Once you've considered the likelihood of being overheard, the noise level, the proximity to the attendees' offices and so on, there's all the other implications: if it's super-high-end are you trying too hard? Is the cuisine overly challenging? Will it cater to a broad set of tastes?

Effectively a lunch meeting restaurant needs to be fairly low-key; to serve as a backdrop to a conversation and to subtly impress without overplaying it. The rules are wildly different from the evening meal - take your professional acquaintance to Clooney for an intimate tasting menu, and your intentions may be entirely misconstrued.

Wine Chambers, situated on the corner of O'Connell and Shortland Streets, is tailor-made for things like this. It's close enough to the insurance / banking / consultancy district to be walking distance for most attendees, and reassuringly upper-end price-wise. The service has the effortless professional grace of a restaurant that's been around for a while and knows its place. Inside, the old-world charm of the building is echoed with a faintly bistro-esque tile-and-wood feel, comfortable but smart.

The food is excellent. From the brief, focused menu I chose a tiger prawn entree, served on a broad bean risotto enlivened with a touch of lemon zest. Every piece of the dish was expertly treated, perfectly-cooked seafood complimenting the varied textures of the risotto. I may have ignored my dining partner somewhat during the time this dish was on the table.

Seared duck breast followed, served pink and thickly sliced on a mound of heavily truffled mash, unabashed luxury throughout and a terrific dish in its simplicity.

As for the wine, here's the surprise - for a restaurant called 'Wine Chambers' you'd expect the list to be fairly top-heavy, but as it is the lengthy document is reasonably even-handed, mostly under $100 and well-varied to boot. Happily, they do seem to be somewhat more restrained with their markup than some of their direct competitors.

So here's the verdict. For a working lunch in the middle of Auckland's CBD, where you can talk business alongside great food and excellent wine, where the service is attentive and friendly without imposing, and in an environment of relaxed, smart professionalism, Wine Chambers does it for me every time.

Wine Chambers
33 Shortland Street
Auckland CBD

09 309 8191
http://www.winechambers.co.nz