Over the weekend, two friends and I were invited to dine at Bodrum Market in Westfield Newmarket's…read morenew rooftop dining precinct. It was a fantastic lunch, thanks to the lovely food, cocktails, ambience and service. Bodrum Market is run by one of my favourite hospitality companies - Nazar Group. Founded by Alex Isik and Nigar Ivgen, they own restaurants all over Auckland, including Feriza's, Miss Istanbul, Ottoman Mezze Lounge, NOA Chargrill + Burger, Devon on the Wharf, Mozaik Caffe, Deco Eatery, Casablanca and Bodrum Kitchen. All of their restaurants bring a slice of the Mediterranean to the table - featuring Turkish, Greek, Moroccan and Middle Eastern dishes... so we were really excited to check it out! Walking in, we absolutely loved the interior of Bodrum Market, which is inspired by Istanbul's Grand Bazaar and the streets of Bodrum City. While I have not yet been to Istanbul (it is on the list!), I immediately felt transported to an exotic city! We were seated in one of their booths, which overlooks the dining area and bar. If you dine at Bodrum Market, you must order a cocktail! We tried three which were all refreshing and delicious. My top picks are the Bombay Masala Talkies - Gin infused with masala tea, butterfly pea flower syrup, lemon juice and Mediterranean tonic water; the Sultan Treat with Russian vodka, rose petal water, fresh pomegranate, lime juice and pomegranate molasses; and the Aam Pana Cooler with Tequila, orange liqueur, raw mango puree, roasted cumin powder, lemon juice and lemonade. (Seriously, typing this now makes my mouth water!!!) And now for the most important part, the food! Bodrum Market is offering diners an authentic experience by serving four different cuisines - Indian, Italian, Turkish and Latin American Asado, just like the traditional food markets of the Mediterranean. Their aim is to showcase unique flavours from each of their teams' homelands. We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak through their kitchen and admired their Wood-Fired Pizza Oven, Asado Grill and Doner Kebab machine. There are many options on the menu to suit a range of palates, and I recommend sharing if possible so you can try a few dishes. We trusted the team to bring us a few of their favourites from each of the four cuisines to try, including Olives and Feta with almonds and dates, Chicken Lollipops with chili sauce, Grilled Octopus with new potatoes, paprika butter, garlic aioli and parsley, Beef Short Ribs with Chimichurri sauce and Prosciutto Pizza with fresh rocket, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan. We loved that everything was super fresh, flavourful and tasty, plus every dish was full of colour. Our favourites were the Beef Short Rib - lathered in a beautiful Chimichurri sauce and the meat was melting off the bone! The Chicken Lollipops were also a highlight, and we surprisingly enjoyed the Grilled Octopus... must admit those tentacles freaked us out a bit! For dessert, we tried their Loukoumades - light and fluffy Greek honey puffs, drizzled in chocolate sauce and served with pink fairy floss, ice cream and pistachios. You will definitely want to save room for this dessert! For a further sweet treat, head outside to the entrance of Bodrum Market to admire the displays of Baklava, Chocolate Baklava and Turkish Delight - definitely recommend buying a few pieces for the ride home. Thank you Bodrum Market for a FAB dining experience - we cannot wait to come back! x

10's across the board. I finished my whole plate the chicken was grilled perfectly. The salad was…read morefresh. Even the French fries had the right amount of salt on them. This was a good meal after walking around City Centre..

I realize Kiwi's don't often use Yelp as much as compared to Google Maps, but Celine was a…read morefantastic find in the heart of Auckland. I stopped by to check out the menu and left. I wanted to see what else was around the vicinity. Ultimately, I came back to order. The owner recognized me immediately and thanked me for coming back! To much of my surprise, i felt very valued and honored. My wife and I ordered the kebab plate and shared it because we knew the portions were very generous. It was supremely delicious and I wish the USA places would take note of Celine's platters. Definitely would come back again.... only if I didn't live half way across the world!

The Ragu dish was delicious even if it didn't come with the spinach, and the sticky date pudding…read morewas enjoyable to finish off with. Great friendly waiter.

The Vic Road Kitchen is an attractive place. With good service. The yellow belly flounder [$27] was…read moreexcellent- fresh, very flavorful and a very good sized fish. It is served with charred broccolini and cockles that were also fine. It was the highlight of our meal. The bruschetta [$19] appetizer with smoked sardines, buffalo curd, radish and fennel on toast as also good. There are three of them in a serving. The green-lip mussel [$22] appetizer comes with crumbled house made chorizo, olives, tomato and capers. The chorizo and sauce were tasty but the mussels themselves were disappointing. Some of the least flavorful mussels I have ever had. We also had a side of charred Brussels sprouts [$12] in a date and chili purée. We liked the sprouts but found the sauce terribly sweet. For dessert we shared the dark chocolate and prune cake [$14]. It is served with a scoop of walnut ice cream and a bourbon syrup. The cake and ice cream were enjoyable but again the sauce was to our taste sickly sweet- very much detracting from instead of enhancing the dish.

Great italian eatery in Auckland CBD - amazing setting, great drinks and the bruschetta's are just…read moredelicious. Service is great and prices are more than reasonable. We will return soon!

I was in the city on a mission to have a lunch date with my partner, and we decided on the Italian…read moreflavour of Bruschetteria, which was nicely situated at the front of the Elliot stables. If you're after a slice of Italy, this is 100% the right place to be seated. They have a Fantastic menu with over 15 selections of Bruschette. My pick of the day was Dal Fiume- Marscopone Cheese, Herbs, Salmon, Capers, Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil. Was sensational, and a pleasure to eat- just delicious. I was served my Bruchette so fast, that I was sure, they had mixed up someone else's order, but no, it was a quiet day, and the staff were in top form, as I am sure they always are. Coffee was Italian roasted and just smooth and silky. Service was friendly and fast, and the setting sophisticated and stylish. I really enjoyed my lunch date and will return to sample the crostini and ensalada's.

Four of came in for a dinner on a Thursday night…read more I ordered the Moroccan Lamb, a slow roasted lamb shank, carrot, chickpeas, sultanas, couscous, yoghurt, mint gremolata. My spouse ordered the Citron Chicken Tagine, a Ras el hanout, preserved lemon, carrot, chickpeas, apricot, couscous, yoghurt, almonds. Both meals were very yummy. The servers were attentive and polite but the ambience was still to "mall" like for me,even though we were in a mall.

Wanting to continue enjoying the company after a movie, we headed here for some drinks, which…read moremainly consisted of chocolate oriented items. I ordered the calamari because I felt that's a pretty safe item and it can be compared across restaurants. It arrived and I was slightly surprised as it was spiced and lightly sauced, not tempura-ed or breaded or fried. Once I got over that, the taste was good; granted that this was most likely a sharable dish, I'd recommend getting something else to pair with it because eating the entire thing by yourself is not the way to go. Especially when everyone else is enjoying baby churros with shot glasses of melted chocolate. Also, make sure to make your order well known. A lady at our table ordered the same drink three times and hadn't received it until we were about to go. The manager came over and served her personally, explaining that they had some new staff and apologized for the confusion. By this point, she was already over not receiving the drink, but once she sipped it, she was wishing she had received it a lot earlier.

Genuinely, one of the greatest , and maybe most understated, gems in Newmarket. Be transported away…read morefrom the bustle of traffic and pedestrians, behind the fountains and summer cicadas and small knolls of Lumsden Green, and enjoy a sample of the Mediterranean under a flock of bright red parasols. Above the reasonable prices, the great food and the wine selection, the service is impeccable- testament to why Safran has been here for over 20 years. Staff comfortably approach you before you enter, without looking like the starving hyena that is often encountered walking past a restaurant. Even though I had only stopped in for a summery Pinot Gris this time around, I had a tall glass of ice water almost before I sat down with the wine, followed by a smile, not long after. A positively enjoyable restaurant for their lunch time specials, a hot date or a small group of friends for dinner.

When I worked in Newmarket we came to Safran at least every 2 weeks, there were many other…read morerestaurants/cafes in the area which we also tried, however we always preferred Safran. When we first started going they had a $10 menu, then it was $12 and now its $14, oh inflation and rising prices. Anyway the lunch meals were always good and tasty, I think over the time I tried every lunch meal and they were all good and they had around 12 or so lunch specials. Probably the most popular one would be the Safran sandwich which is like a gourmet sandwich and very good. The food has a Spanish/Mediterranean influence. The service was always very good, somehow much better than all the other nearby places.

Truffle Spaghetti was so delicious & the garlic pizza bread absolutely gorgeous…read more Used to eat here a lot, so glad I returned. Quick service time .

Good, quick and affordable Italian food…read more I had the chicken fettuccine and other than it being slightly overcooked it was quite good. The service is quick and the staff are friendly. All in all a pretty solid experience.

The food is okay but obviously the waitress didn't mention that I almost ordered the same salad as…read morethe side dish ... The creamy mussels are my favorite though.

Wonderful night at Nicolino in Devonport. Great food & service, with a warm, genuine atmosphere…read more The waitress was very helpful with offering menu suggestions and we were not disappointed. The beef moussaka accompanied by a Mythos beer were a delicious pairing. We'll definitely be back!

Great, GREAT place to have tapas Spanish cuisine! This restaurant is nice and quaint, very Spanish…read moreflavour with styling and great food! Our start to dinner was a bit bumpy with a dire alarm evacuating two buildings... but quickly resumed service upon coming back in (about 25 min outside waiting for fire dept to clear call)! We ordered several tapas to share for four of us, which was plenty! The ceviche taste very fresh and the mixture of all the juices and citrus explodes in your mouth! The calamari was freshly fried, not rubbery at all and was light to the taste. A perfect blend of fried, yet light and not oily. All of the food paired great with red wines we ordered. The chorizo taste amazing with the meat being juicy and seasoned just right! We were not disappointed with anything in the menu. Ambiance was great and service was great!

We were wondering up and down K rd. looking for something a bit different. Dropped into Carmen…read moreJones and were very pleasantly surprised. Happy hour had 500ml draughts at $10. We started off with the Chorizo and fried bread. A simple, but very tasty bit. Continued with more small plates. Had the Bombas- crunchy potato with meat and a great horseradish sauce. Had the hummus for Syria -a great blend of hummus, fried lamb and fresh salsa. The last item was a Spanish fried cheese on bruscheta. A fantastic place to eat al fresco right on the sidewalk!

Comforting food for a cold winter night. A small place but it was busy so you know it must be good…read moreand there were a few tables outside with heaters nearby that accommodated myself and my friends. We got garlic pizza bread to share and I then had the gnocchi alla gorgonzola - a creamy pasta dish with meatballs - loved that this place had a large range of Italian cuisine dishes to choose from

YUM! This quaint and rustic little Italian gem is just up Devonport's main street, boasting a…read morediverse menu of great value. I took my girlfriend there for a special occasion dinner, and we loved it. Their antipasto platter is fantastic, everything you'd want from cured meats and cheeses to olives and an amazing preserve. For mains we chose the canneloni [a bit dry in the meat, but still tastes delicious] and the breaded veal scallopini with baked mozzarella and eggplant. The veal was incredible. We also had the joy of BYOW, an Italian chianti from Wine Direct [check them out in Ponsonby/Parnell]. The wait staff was also very warm and friendly, I was eager to leave a tip. We'll be back!