Corner Bar

Overview

I have this weird thing, I really like honey in my tea. An English Breakfast with trim milk and a honey to the side. It's delicious. More often than you'd expect, however, I've found this request met with a half-smile that actually means "you're annoying" - and a little plop on the side.

So when at Corner Bar the waitress bought over an actual shot glass filled to the brim with honey (which as it turns out, she had had to go upstairs to Hotel de Brett to retrieve) I decided that I would definitely come back for another cuppa. I'm not actually a princess, promise.

Corner Bar is one of those spots that seems to have been there forever. Situated on the corner of Shortland and High Street, it really has a prime position in the Auckland business, fashion and entertainment precinct. Recently refurbished to a bright, bold and very New Zealand theme, it's now not hard to miss.

A friend and I stopped in for some lunch (and a tea, obviously) and ended up getting comfortable for quite a few hours. The menu and pricing is pretty standard for an inner city lunchtime meal, perhaps erring a little on the side of a once-a-week-treat-yourself. However, I'm all about the package deal, the atmosphere, the staff and the suit watching definitely helps make Corner Bar a good pick and justify the $10 - $18 meals. Being pre-Christmas holiday, we both went for salads - soy honey chicken with rice noodles and shredded veges, and a grilled lamb koftas with cucumber, toms, olives, pine nuts and mint yoghurt. Each were tasty, well seasoned and perfectly portioned.

Perusing the tapas-meets-mains style dinner menu and cocktail list also had us marking a return dinner date with a bigger group.

As we left I ordered a trim cap to take away. Another apparently "annoying" request, 'cause I like it with extra cinnamon and chocolate sprinkles. But our friendly waiter didn't even a raise eyebrow. Corner Bar, I like you.