Ima (3)

57 Fort St, CBD. Ph 300-7252, imacuisine.co.nz.
Breakfast and lunch Monday-Friday; dinner Tuesday-Saturday.

It’s hard to think of anyone in Auckland more passionate about their restaurant and the food they cook in it than Yael Shochat, who runs Ima. The dishes are Israeli with liberal doses of other Middle Eastern and North African cuisines — in Shochat’s world, food is the essence of community, and she loves to share. She’s also a superb cook. Her brikk — a tuna dish featuring a soft egg wrapped in paper-thin warqa pastry she makes herself — offers one of the great eating experiences of Auckland, and her seven-hour lamb is perfect for those times when all you really want is an informal, relaxed and simply lovely dinner. Shochat is innovative with her meals, too, offering family-style dinners where the food is not plated but served to the table in bowls. She also does special set-menu dinners and is happy to cater for vegans. $$$

3 Spoons

A favourite dish: Lamb kibbeh: spiced lamb and pinenut in a crispy shell of lamb and bulgur wheat, served with hummus.

Shared-plate options / Fixed-price meal options / Good for vegetarians / Free-range chicken and/or pork / Takes large groups / Good for kids