Orphans Kitchen

Effortlessly cool and utterly lacking in pretension, Orphans Kitchen is one of the greatest contributions to the Ponsonby Road renaissance. Housed in an historic wooden building, this is the kind of place you covet – you wish your home was as beautiful and that you could produce food as good as theirs.

The menu is ever evolving and seasonal, and features meals designed to share – small plates and larger ones with a couple of sides. The food is some of the most imaginative and exciting you’ll find, with a distinctly New Zealand influence. A spring menu featured smoked blue mackerel, line caught porae (all seafood is sustainable), lamb neck, wagyu brisket and kawakawa marshmallow. The Rye Gnocchi is something of genius, and the dark Valrhona chocolate dessert is other-worldly. Tina’s Wedge Salad has earned a cult like following too, and rightly so. And if you’ve heard murmurings about how good the bread and butter is, they’re true. Go for that alone if you must.

To the delight of Orphans’ strong cohort of fans, its open for weekend brunch too. Sunday afternoons feature vinyl, and the Bloody Mary’s are banging

The homemade crumpets with honey from the restaurant’s rooftop will change the way you look at store-bought crumpets forever. It’s truly magnificent. And a fine, fine example of how casual neighbourhood dining should be done.