[Sybille]

We happened to go out for dinner last night in Hamilton to a place called Yako's. The experience was extremely nice. Just wanted to leave a comment saying that the food we had was excellent. My partner had a white veal marsala and I had a vegetarian moussaka. We had bread and dips to start with.
The hummus they served was at its perfect taste, smooth and with the right consistency (in lots of places it is too chunky and too garlicky) They had a mango chutney with a lightly sweet and spicy aftertaste that we liked a lot. They served the bread and dips with caramelised onions, cooked right, still crispy, not soggy which is was happens if you go too far.
The white veal Marsala was served with fresh steamed seasonal vegetables, steamed rice and a salad made out of tomato, cucumber and parsley with a touch of garlic. The meat was medium cooked and the sauce had a mild, smooth but spiced taste.
The vegetable moussaka was well adapted to New Zealand, made out of kumaras mixed with potatos, that gave it a twist in the flavour, the potatos were cooked to the point, soft but still crispy enough, the eggplant had previously been marinated, it had the right amount of cheese (if it has too much you don't get to taste any other ingredient) and rich tomato sauce. It was served with a lettuce salad, with roasted capsicum and a small side salad made out of tomato, cucumber, parsley and garlic.

I've travelled around, and I've got to try food in lots of different places. With natural homesickness and curiosity I've tried lots of mediterranean and spanish places in this country. I've been bitterly disappointed most of the times. Spanish means spicy hot, unbelievable and ridiculously expensive food here. Quite far from what it really is.
The food they have at Yako's is completely mediterranean. It is spiced but not spicy, it is tasteful, fresh and hearty. The food we had yesterday was excellent, well cooked, well presented and not expensive (80 NZ$ two people, with two glasses of wine).
People there were very nice and polite, food came at the right pace. The place was empty, while the nearest ones weren't, and we could not understand why. That place would be busy anywhere in Europe.
I really think it is a taste of the Med in the heart of Hamilton. Worth the try, worth the adventure of going were nobody else goes.