Sìso is a neighbourhood bar and eatery in the heart of Remuera, designed for people who want the polish of a restaurant without a formal mood. The room is warm and intimate, and the kitchen describes its food as contemporary Mediterranean cooking made with locally sourced ingredients. That description leaves space for both recognisable flavours and modern detours. Service begins later on Monday and Tuesday, then stretches from lunch into the evening for the rest of the week, so the venue can be a local drink, a long lunch or a complete dinner depending on when diners arrive.
The small plates show the kitchen at its most expressive. Stone-baked sourdough comes with chicken-fat butter, local oysters are served simply with lemon and shallot vinegar, and crisp Jerusalem artichoke skins carry whipped goat's cheese. Yellowfin tuna crudo adds rhubarb, chilli, citrus oil and mint, while chicken-liver parfait uses sour cherry and beef-dripping toast for richness. Dinner brings in beef tartare, truffle potato gnocchi, chilli-fried calamari and coastal lamb ribs with cucumber, tzatziki and za'atar. The variety encourages sharing, yet every plate has enough detail to stand on its own.
Main courses move confidently between seafood, pasta, poultry and meat. Market fish is paired with roasted-onion soubise and shrimp-butter sauce, while fresh linguine combines oyster mushrooms, truffle butter and cured egg yolk. Half a grilled chicken arrives with basil pesto and lemon, and slow-cooked lamb kleftiko brings preserved lemon, fried potatoes and labneh. Glazed beef cheek, a grass-fed cheeseburger and a changing selection of scotch, sirloin, ribeye and wagyu cover different appetites. Sides such as truffled shoestring fries, creamed spinach and beef-fat potatoes with pistachio dukkah make the larger plates easy to share.
The bar is treated with the same attention as the kitchen. Signature cocktails include the berry-and-basil Siso Sour, a peach-and-strawberry vodka drink and the Remuera Spritz with pink gin, elderflower and prosecco. Margaritas range from classic to pineapple-and-chilli or cucumber-and-elderflower variations, while the wine list travels widely through New Zealand and international regions. Beer, alcohol-free cider, mocktails, tea and soft drinks give non-wine drinkers substantial alternatives. With bar snacks, oysters and pizzette available alongside the full menu, Sìso works just as naturally for one carefully chosen drink as it does for a multi-course evening.
Address: 311 Remuera Road, Remuera, Auckland 1050, New Zealand
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