Long Room, Ponsonby

I grabbed one of the vouchers from "I love deals", how could I refuse a $100 voucher for $49!  Fantastic. 
We came on a Friday night, the seating is either down the back which transforms into the dance floor later or by the sliding doors and outside in the courtyard.  We got a table outside by one of the many heaters strategically placed around the courtyard, it wasn't a warm night so the heating was perfect.  I didn't want to eat inside, the tables just look like they are dumped there and uncomfortable and out of place on the dance floor.
We ordered one of the long plates, we had the seafood longplate, tuna tar tare, cured salmon, chili squid, char grilled prawns.  The chili squid was like crispy chips of squid, they were JC's favourite.  The tuna tar tare was my favourite, lightly marinated with lemon, olive oil and a hint of soy and it melted in your mouth, I could have just had a large plate of this for my entree. 
The menu is well rounded and enticing, it makes you want to come back and try more.  For our mains I ordered the duck, cashew, mandarin with hoisin & green nam jihm vinaigrette, and JC ordered the  handmade tortellini, with creamed wild mushrooms.  My salad was a bed of salad greens with a touch of watercress mixed with a great amount of duck marinated in the hoisn and vinaigrette and sprinkled with cashew nuts. The salad was served on a long rectangle plate and the presentation was great.  The taste was amazing!  The duck was lightly fried in the sauces and full of flavour, there was a hint of coriander but it wasn't overpowering, and it could have been, it was a taste sensation.
JC's main was subtle, not too creamy and the right hint of mushroom, the only problem we both had was the tortellini was a day past its used by date, it was hard, not soft.  The wild mushroom filling complimented the creamy sauce and sauteed mushrooms but we both couldnt get past the pasta being hard.
We didn't have dessert but we did have a lovely pinot gris, I think Nautilus, with dinner and it complimented the meals well.
Our waitress was amazing, she was very attentive and friendly, she never hovered, not that you could at this busy establishment, but in saying that we only had to pour our wine ourselves once. There was never a wait for our meals and she complimented our choices like she meant it.  
The Long Room is great for dinner, great people watching, great food and of course being a bar as well, great wine and cocktails!  It was a pleasant surprise to see they can serve great food in one of the most popular bars in Auckland. Their menu definitely sets them apart from their competitors, its not pretentious and works well.


Rating:

Food: 3.5
Service: 5
Ambiance: 3.5 (the only problem with eating outside and it being a popular bar is you have to sit next to smokers)
Wine: (instead of coffee, cant drink coffee on a Fri night!) 4 great wine list.