Deco Eatery

Beautiful views from the top of the hill at Titirangi; good food and THE best scones I have ever eaten.
Seriously. Porcini mushroom scones. THE best. And I’m British, my people live on scones («sk’owns») and cups of tea.

We live locally and have been a few times. The quality is very good, but we have noticed the portion sizes have reduced considerably in the last few months. They started off generous and are now a bit smallish in my opinion.
I still recommend it, but you need to order a couple of sides to make it a meal.
The calamari starter is superb.

Had a coffee here in the afternoon… They make great coffee. Wonderful atmosphere and very clever renovation. Had the falafel and humus. This was not ordinarily in any way and beautifully presented very fresh and the tomato salsa was a great touch … Wonderful mint flavours
Would recommend

always love going to this place! great authentic food and a great wine list. I only have one complaint which is when i went there last with a group of friends they had taken off the mezze platter which was a great dish to share with friends over a few wines! when i asked the waitress about this, she said they only served the platter in the morning, huh? wouldnt it make more sense to have a sharing platter on summer afternoons when everyone is relaxing with a wine… was just a bit annoying as we all had lunch before and were just looking for something to pick at.

We recently moved and have been hunting for a good local, somewhere to kick back and enjoy some good food and a few beers after a hard week at work — sadly I don’t think we have found it at Deco.
Physically the place delivers. Coffee is roasted on site, real thought has been put into the layout of the facilities and the fit-​out has been finished to a high standard. It is a restaurant/​café/​bar and manages to pull off the difficult task of being able to serve as all three at once. The drinks menu is varied and extensive, the atmosphere is buzzing and the bar staff attentively serve proper pints of delicious beer. So far so good.
Food-​wise we dabbled in the Mezze selection — not in the mood to dine but hankering after something to snack on while sinking a few cold hard-​earned beers. We ordered bruschetta and calamari. The food arrived promptly and was passable.
The bruschetta was served with a slice of delightfully tangy halloumi but there was no way to save the dish from the overwhelming sourness of the tomatoes. The salsa contained large chunks of carelessly chopped raw onion and there was too much of it on the bread. The calamari was cooked in a pan and came with a knockout aioli — wipe the plate good — but sadly the calamari tasted bitter. The oil it was cooked in either caught fire or was burnt somehow leaving a claggy taste in the mouth.
Later we were approached by a staff member who stood over us and told us we had to ‘finish your drinks in 30 seconds and leave’. The staff member then stood and waited as we hurriedly tried to drink up and leave. Other than being told upon service that our final beer was last drinks (by the incredibly efficient and charming bar man) we were not given any prompts that the bar was closing. I have worked in many bars and understand that people want the punters to go home when time is called. I have no problem with drinking up and going home, but giving a customer a few minutes to gather themselves is standard customer service. Standing over people demanding they leave with no real prior warning that the bar is closing is going too far. And assuming your customers are drunk and you can treat them any way you like just because they are in your bar at closing time is also a mistake.
The search for the local continues

Though I am a local, this was the first chance at trying Deco Eatery, the first real, ‘fine dining’ restaurant in the village. Though I had heard mixed reviews of the place I was excited to try this Turkish inspired eatery that has been established below the iconic Lopdell House.
First impression, the place was LOUD. It was busy and full of people and the acoustics did not do the restaurant any favors. We were at a large table, but it was difficult to even have a conversation with the person opposite us.
Secondly, I have to agree with previous reviewers that commented on the cheap looking menus. Certainly did not fit with the décor or the very well presented and rather pricey food.
However with the bad comes the good. Our server was friendly and helpful, the Turkish accents on water jugs, tea pots and cushions were tasteful and ecclectic (in a good way) and most importantly, the food was delicious. My party selected from a number of mains on the menu with the lamb salad and salmon were stand out favourites. I had the stuffed capsicum with lamb, and though I wasn’t sure about the rather strong cinnamon flavor as part of the seasoning, it grew me and I enjoyed it overall.
They also had a very good wine list and cocktail list to chose from, another bonus.
All in all, I can see why this latest Titirangi restaurant is always so busy during the weekend, and it is certainly somewhere I would consider coming back to. The noise was a bit of a problem, and so likely would not return with a large party again, but am interested to try more of the dishes on their menu, including the lamb rack and the beef cheeks.
Defiantly a must try.

Deco Eatery is Titirangi’s new addition. It’s in the historic Lopdell House right on the edge of the township. The interior has been designed beautifully — light and airy with lots of pale wooden furniture and beautiful patterned tiles (see picture and you’ll see what I mean).
Sadly though, it’s let down by the details. Plastic wrapping remains on pot plants and the menus are cheap paper numbers — mine had a big coffee stain in the middle. I reckon if you going to put that much effort into creating a beautiful (and no doubt expensive) space the least you can do is design menus to match.
However, none of this would have bothered me had the food been amazing, but alas my menemen lacked flavour and substance. The Turkish scrambled eggs arrived in a cast-​iron dish but were underwhelming. There was hardly any egg involved and the tomato sauce was thin and dull. Even the Turkish bread served to mop up the sauce was dry (and sans butter).
The service is also still finding it feet. We asked a staff member what tomino was and she went off to ask a colleague. «Cheese made w cows milk» she explained when she came back. «And how is it served?» we asked wanting to know if it was fried like haloumi, crumbled in a salad etc. Off she went again. «As a wedge on the plate.»
Totally understand that menus can be difficult to learn but when there’s only one ingredient that might stump a few people, you should probably find out what it is and how it’s served.
Still, it’s early days at Deco and I am happy to put our lackluster experience down to teething problems. They’ve really done such an incredible job with the space and I’d happily head back in a couple of months to try their dinner menu.