Secret Thai Garden

Anna Burns Francis. It sounds like a stage direction from a Fringe Festival script, but it’s actually the name of a talented radio news journalist who emailed and put me onto Secret Thai Garden, an amazing little find and my new recommendation for a surprise Auckland date night.

Where to go next date night

Sidart is a newish restaurant in Ponsonby which even a lot of foodies don't yet know about. After my first visit in November I described it in the New Zealand Herald as possibly the greatest meal I've ever eaten. Unaccountably, this plug failed to fill the restaurant's reservations book as I had anticipated so here I am again, having just eaten my second meal there, pleading you to please visit immediately.