Southern Cross Bar & Restaurant

Southern Cross Bar & Restaurant, 35 Abel Smith Street, Wellington

The Southern Cross has been around for years I am told. We went there for a low-key dinner on our second evening in NZ. The place has a huge outdoor section which would be great in the hot weather - we sat out there to accommodate the two smokers amongst us but it wasn't too chilly.

The meat pie had been recommended to us, so three of us chose it. But they had sold out. The fish and chips was excellent - perfectly cooked fish and lots of it. Helen's vegie risotto was fabulous, so much so that Claire and I helped her finish it. Orlando's sausage and mash was pretty good - nice meaty sausages, tasty gravy and excellent creamy mash.

The bar staff were a bit vague - I was sent from one small outdoor bar to the indoor bar in search of Claire's pink bubbly, and then the guy still didn't know what I was asking for. He insisted they didn't serve it until I explained we had just had one glass already.

The wait for the food was a bit long too, although I believe after they took our orders they started to tell people of the long wait when they were ordering.

The atmosphere was a bit low-key as the place was less than half-full. I expect it's a lot more lively at other times. In fact I'm not sure how comfortable a place it would be to eat once the drinking crowd kick in. I suspect it turns into a bit of a meat market some nights.