What’s proving to be a hit of late are eateries that aren’t trying too hard. After all, when it comes to dining out on the regular, one desires little more than the recipe of deliciously simple food and lovely service. Keeping as much in mind, it was just last week that we happened upon Ponsonby’s newest culinary resident, a quaint yet stylish little all-day eatery by the name of AdamArnold.

Located in the spot that was vacated by the former Lulu’s cafe (a stone’s throw from the top of Franklin Road), the address has been completely transformed by the duo behind the inviting new venture, Tobias (Adam) Ward and Brad (Arnold) Roebuck. Painted a bright white and refurbished with a new open kitchen, the inspiration behind the menu is the possibility of eating dinner out every night of the week. A hospo man through and through himself, the lovely Ward explains his and his partners own dining tendencies going something like habitually sharing dishes over a glass or two of wine.

Open all day, there’s both a breakfast menu and a kitchen menu, the former seeing you through the first half of the day while the latter presents helpings of green lipped mussels with creamy garlic and white wine, pork loin with lemongrass glaze, potato skins with pancetta and ricotta and an uplifting pea and mint smash, all reasonably priced and just begging to be enjoyed with a glass of wine to match.

The positivity of entering the crisp new space is second only to being greeted by the friendly waitstaff here. With pleasingly modern finishes that include the plant-laden baskets suspended from the ceiling, a smattering of indoor and outdoor tables, and a deep blue velvet booth that faces out to the kitchen, we may well have found our new favourite local.