A handsome glass fronted unit, just off the busy Oxford Road main drag.  Tall ceilings and lots of bench seating in various configs.  Those with a baking interest can enjoy the kitchen window, where the guys are slinging dough all day long.  Smart, welcoming, and comfortable for the duration of my hour long stay.

It feels like a café/coffee shop/bakery in vibe.  Im not sure that it’s the kind of place that I’d go for dinner based on that though, as much as Im sure the evening food stands up.

£17.50 for a main course of this standard and a drink. It’s decent in the current financial climate really, in such a polished place, plus my server more than deserved her tip.

Service charge, 7%, was added to the £17.50.  I topped up to £20 anyway.  Meh.

We kept it simple on this visit, ordering just a lone Kiwi Burger with Kumara fries (£14) and can of the iconic NZ pop; L&P.  Or Lemon and Paeroa in its full title.  It’s basically lemonade, but don’t dare call it that within earshot of a Kiwi

The burger was sturdy, well put together and generally super enjoyable.  It was also baked about 15 metres from where it was eaten, which helps the praise.  The beef patty was good quality, well-seasoned, ground to a nice coarseness, and cooked properly as you can see from the reveal shot.  The fried egg was oozy as it should be, with that NZ-favourite beetroot finishing off the burger.  Tasty, slightly dirty, yet still clearly put together with consideration.  Kumara fries (Kiwi sweet potato) were again well cooked, seasoned properly, and had backnotes of nostalgia for me, as much as I’ve eaten tons of sweet potatoes fries.

The wine list, as much as I didn’t explore it due to afternoon meetings, was heavily NZ based, showcasing some amazing yards, including my NZ favourite; Ata Rangi.  I’ll be back.

The admirable bun was too thick however, and hence started to dominate the flavour profile, so I left the last bit.  It would have been ideal with a bowl of soup though.

I was greeted quickly, with a big smile, by a lovely lady from Melbourne.  I felt smug about instantly clocking that she wasn’t a Kiwi and was sat down quickly without any fuss.  From that point on everything was done as you’d expect in a casual spot. Friendly, prompt, and genuine.  No fake smiles or scripted niceness here.  I left feeling valued, well looked after, and with a sense that I'd return. Job done in terms of service.

No check back during my food, but all was in order anyway.

As touched on above; it’s been a while since I’ve eaten anything ‘Kiwi’, despite having travelled across and then lived in New Zealand many moons ago.  I remember coming home and bemoaning the fact that a ‘flat white’ didn’t exist anywhere apart from at Kiwi-heavy areas in London, where it’s a cinch to find anything from New Zealand largely because more Kiwis live in London than in New Zealand.  I’ve not seen the word ‘kumara’ for a very long time, despite it being on every single menu from Auckland to Invercargill.  So, the food and drink still holds masses of personal affection, along with great memories.  So, my trip to Tahi was long overdue in that respect.

The flavours of the burger took me back a few years for sure. Beetroot and fried egg together are about as Kiwi as a Haka. You just don’t really see it anywhere else that much, but it works.

It’s perhaps unfair to write a full review based on a just single dish and a drink which consisted of a can of pop. But still, a trained eye speaks volumes and you can tell that good things are happening here as you look around, seeing other people’s dishes, gazing over what sat on the pass and what was happening in the bakery. And a rather fine bakery is it too.

I need to go back and try more stuff very soon, and I will.

Not much, just the overly substantial yet well-made burger bun.  This place does what it tries to do very well indeed.