Fiko (20 Te Mata Road, Havelock North)

Another cuisine to add to Havelock’s ever-growing culinary options, Fiko brings us a taste of the Mediterranean. It is very authentic feeling; the lighting is blue (note the tinting in the photos below) and the kitchen is quirky, open and colourful. It has a definite vibrant atmosphere, rather than an intimate one. The portion sizes are more than generous, everyone at our table either couldn’t finish their food or left absolutely stuffed.

In terms of entrees, the babaganoush and hummus were both absolutely outstanding. My Dad always orders the squid, and I had to admit I was impressed. It was incredibly tasty. For our mains, we saw a mixture of stews, moussaka and souvlaki and all were equally as impressive as the last. I am a die-hard moussaka fan, and although it was absolutely delicious, I would have loved to have seen some meat incorporated. In saying that though, the vegetarian options were great.

There was a great selection of authentic meals on the menu, as well as a lot that had a Western influence. Save some room for dessert- the baklava was superb.