Sitting in Verona Café, it would seem the majority of people frequenting K Road these days are hookers, hipsters and those who are lost. It certainly hasn’t lost its appeal for people watching that’s for sure – and the little cafes dotted around all have great write ups.

Verona Café in particular is a goldmine – with some positively beaming reviews, @Nicigusa and I decided to give it a go (a working lunch of course) and so began a lovely couple of hours. I would recommend sitting up the front of the café – a prime people watching area, nice and light, with big comfy booth seating.

It was recommended (by the lovely charismatic waiter) that we get a few plates to share – which we did. The menu looked amazing – a full range from potato and bacon gratin, to duck and lentil soup to the simple homemade bread. We stuck with vegetarian options – Chinese Whispers (sesame seed coated kumera mash with a hint of haloumi and kaffir lime), Mushroom stroganoff on rice, kumera chips and a tomato based ratatouille with a breaded base. One word – amazeballs.

The food was carefully prepared and wonderfully presented – the Chinese whispers each came on a little sea shell and the kumera chips were perfect, lightly salted with great texture and flavour.

Nic and I opted for beer to accompany our lunch – from Lee Sawmill it hit the spot and with two sizes to choose from (330ml or 440ml) you can pick just how much you want to enjoy your lunch.

It would’ve been rude not to try some of the baking at the end of the meal so Nic and I dutifully trundled up to the sweet shelf and chose some desert: Chilli chocolate cheesecake and Citron Tart. The cheesecake was wonderfully dense and the tart was perfect, just enough of a kick to leave you wanting more. Washed down with a cup of coffee and green team infused with all sorts of amazing flavours – this was a perfect way to spend a Thursday lunch.

Overall rating: 9/10

• Location: 8
• Value: 8
• Service: 9
• Quality: 9
• Environment: 9
• X-Factor: 9

Verona, 169 K’ Road, Auckland