William Chong

Ph: 5328161; 9 Cook St, Howick 2014; mains $15-27.

Rating: A

(A=return customer, AA=worth going weekly, AAA=so awesome so awesome so awesome)

During the middle of 2008, the owners of Café Hasan Baba in Howick had the bright idea of setting fire to their own restaurant. It’s not as if their food was bad, and they did feature a belly dancer on Friday nights (perhaps that’s why it was burnt down…). Fiery demise aside, the good news is that the phoenix rising from the ashes is undoubtedly Fig and Olive, Howick’s latest Mediterranean-style restaurant.

When we arrived at 6, we were offered an outside table by the helpful and attentive waitress. The restaurant was otherwise fully-booked – not bad for a normal Friday night. A couple of nice paintings, clear roadside signage and the warm sienna/tan-coloured interior must all play their part in pulling in the crowds.

We began with some garlic breads to whet our appetites and take in the view. Looking across the bustling road to the graveyard at All Saints’ Church brought a touch of evening tranquility to the occasion, as we reflected on how “life is but a breath“.

For our mains, C played it safe and ordered a mushroom fettucine, while I opted for the mussaka with rice and salad. The food arrived quick – definitely prepped beforehand, but the portions were very generous. Both our dishes were packed with flavour: a hint of aubergine among the seasoned mince and potato made it just right for me. The mussaka’s dressing – a mix of yoghurt and chili – was particularly nice, though the bottom was a bit burnt. A creamy tomato sauce gave an interesting twist to C’s fettuccine, while the mushrooms were cut in an array of interesting shapes (much to her delight). I have to say though that her carb-source turned out better than my rice, which was a bit dry and Uncle Ben’s-like.

We closed off the meal with a vanilla ice cream sundae with rose water flavouring. The turkish delight taste was great, and it’s probably a dessert flavour worth replicating at home in future. Their other dessert offerings included creme caramel and baklava, which would have tempted us on another day.

Service was appropriately attentive and not pushy, and the staff seemed to cover all the tables reasonably well that evening. Fig and Olive is definitely a keeper, and we’ll look forward to trying more on their menu.