Great place to hit if you’re in the Papamoa beach area. Even the inside dining has outdoor patio vibes. And you get a great view of the beach to boot. We tried the broccolini, pork belly, fish of the day, and the kid’s pizza. All were great. Hot tip: reservations here are good for getting good tables.

Sometimes it’s when a plan doesn’t come together that you win. As it was a Friday night, I stamped my feet and declared we were going out out. The Favourite Husband begrudgingly agreed providing it was one drink and an entree. Yawn. I suggested the Beach Bar. We found a park 3 miles away and trudged through the rain only to realise we were about 2 decades too old and significantly too hard of hearing to be comfortable in there. So we cheated and went next door to Bluebiyou. The last 18 months or so we have been here several times and I’ve got to say, it’s been consistently good. My mains favourite from previous visits has been the beef cheeks with an orange element; but I noticed that it’s sadly no longer on the menu. But we weren’t having mains, because the Favourite Husband was in charge, so I opted for the cocktail of the week; because I can. A frozen mango margarita. I’m not a mango fan but frankly nothing will come between me and a margarita. I have to say it was beautiful. Top marks. We shared the chicken liver parfait and the tempura oyster mushrooms. The chicken liver parfait was a good flavour but a bit stingy on the portion size. Pretty much every bar and restaurant in the Bay offers a version of this and I’ve had better. But it was ok. But smashing it out of the park were the tempura oyster mushrooms. To be fair you could deep fry a sandal and it would probably taste good, but the seasoning on these was outstanding. They were melt in the mouth morsels of paradise. I shall return and dine on margaritas and mushrooms and die happy. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is because the ambience is a bit beige and you feel the party is happening next door.