Mystery bar number 9

File under: drink, nightlife, Wellington

Mystery bar number 8 was far too easy: it was Neat, which I'm afraid has, after weeks of circling undecidedly around the shark, definitively jumped it. Now that Eddy's gone back to Hummingbird, and without the visual distractions of Ra, Dana, Nina et al, the days of Tiger Lilies and absinthe nights are gone for good. But rather than dwelling on the past, let's move on to the next mystery bar.

This place has a very cosy, European feel, with its dark wood and gleaming metal. Although better known for its coffee, it also boasts a small but cunning wine list that reaches beyond the usual suspects to include delights from Hungary and the Basque regions of Spain.

The evening menu is largely based on small tasting plates somewhere between tapas and antipasto, and while I haven't yet had the chance to give them a thorough taste test, they do sound delicious. I don't imagine this is a place that would ever get raucous and loud, but its size means that it could feel quite lively with only a small group. This could be a great stop on a tapeo evening, something that I've tried to get insituted as a Wellington tradition and should start again now that summer is tempting us with warm days and balmy evenings.