49 Victoria Road,
Devonport
Auckland,


(09) 445 7732

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3 out of 5

Manuka Restaurant sits on a busy corner of the Devonport shopping precinct and, for a late weekend lunch, the restaurant and its pavement seating were nearly full.

There is plenty of variety here: in the music, the patrons and the food.

From the edgy house beats that greeted us upon arrival, to the softer jazz that was playing as we left, the older diners mixing in with young couples and party groups—Manuka Restaurant appeals to all sorts.

This theme extends to the menu, which has a range most budgets could cope with. Pasta dishes sit at around the $14 mark and don’t go much higher; pizzas are a little more expensive at around $22; and mains range from $25 to $28.

The first dish we sampled was the vegetarian ravioli: stuffed with ricotta and mushroom, in a creamy tomato sauce so tasty we requested bread to mop it up. The serving was generous, but unfortunately arrived lukewarm in some parts.

Our second was the Mediterranean chicken, stuffed with olives and sundried tomatoes on a brown rice risotto. The chicken was juicy (a rarity, I find) and the sides—risotto and a huge pile of crispy kumara chips—were delicious, although the man at the next table was driven to whisper that the kumara pile-up looked “like a dangerous trap”.

We were disappointed by the need to wave dramatically in order to secure our waitress’ attention, but to be fair, she did let us know it was her first shift. There are a few areas that need fine-tuning, but overall, Manuka Restaurant is getting it right.