Back in Auckland with the proviso to be more cautious with the budget I sought out another couple of restaurants to tick off. I'd previously avoided visiting Soul Bar as 1. the name sounded naff and 2. the location on the viaduct reminded me way too much of Darling Harbour. Happily the restaurant was a pleasant surprise and the harbourside location breezy and full of life. An entree of buffalo mozzarella, various tomatoes and basil was summery, pretty and full of flavour - even if the giant croutons had to be violently crushed up to be comfortable chewable.
The recently rennovated and reopened, much beloved to Auckland restaurant Meredith's proved to include soils and the like, however in a fairly unpretentious manner. Unfortunately I was comatose on a handful of cold and flu tablets and had the impression of coasting through the dinner. Thank goodness for camera phones because I can safely then recommend the Rimu Grove Pinot Noir - don't ask the year because the quality of the photo is not that good... suffice to say it was a bit of a wild pinot with a little brett and a lotta character. What with the bottle of pinot and the handful of pills little else is particularly clear, except that I would not like to dine in Meredith's the middle of winter (as you need to dash outside to go to the loo) but other than that it's a restaurant I'd go back to. We also had the interesting experience of sitting next to a plastered couple who broke up and made up in the space of the evening - though according to staff they do that every weekend there.
