Mystery bar number 26

File under: drink, nightlife, Wellington

After plenty of prompting, Jo was the one who finally identified mystery bar number 25. It's Medina, a tiny Moroccan restaurant and bar in Cambridge Terrace, where Da Piero used to be. Despite its theme, it's always been a bit confused in terms of decor, featuring brass rubbings, Lautrec posters and a wooden patu as well as more typical Maghrebian items. Until recently, the confusion extended to the menu, with a seemingly random collection of dated dishes from around the world, and the only Moroccan dishes were on the specials board. They've now moved to a fully Moroccan menu, with couscous and tagine galore, and together with the provision of complimentary tapas with drinks this makes it well worth a visit.

Today's mystery bar should be much easier to identify. It's been around for a while and is very visible from the street, though it's not on everyone's mental map of Wellington bars. It's moderately upmarket, though not exclusive, and its crisp modern lines aren't quite as cutting edge as were when it opened. It offers cocktails, but though I've yet to test their cocktail making skills, I get the feeling that most of their patrons are just after a quick glass of wine or beer, or even just a coffee. It probably does most of its trade during the day, when it certainly appears to be more of a café than a bar.

This place's main point of difference is its terrace, which offers plenty of sun if you catch it at the right time of day. While it doesn't quite go to the same extremes as some bars, the terrace can be screened to offer quite a bit of shelter from the elements, thus making it popular with smokers. It's close enough to the street to feel part of the city bustle, yet far enough from the traffic to allow for civilised conversation. There's also a surprising amount of greenery for a part of town that's not noted for its natural charms, and all in all it makes for a very pleasant drinking environment. If you can get a seat, that is.