1 The owner drops what she’s doing and comes to the door to welcome us. Even if we only go there once a year and drink wine by the glass.
2 She’ll say “We’ve got Bluff oysters, but they’re being ordered quickly, so I’ve held some back for you until you’ve decided”
3 The food is simply (as in “uncomplicated”) exquisite.
4 The waiter “gets it” when I ask if the steak frites come with fries
But the killer argument is this:
You wave from the door when you’re leaving and she runs after you and across the road to give you “some of the heritage grapes from our place”….
Wish it wasn’t 24 hours worth of flying distant…

The Engine Room
115 Queen St
Northcote
Auckland