Legendary Ponsonby restaurant S.P.Q.R has been a magnet for Auckland diners for more than 20 years. With its Italian-inspired menu, colourful atmosphere and sun-bathed pavement tables, there really is no other restaurant quite like it. The S.P.Q.R cookbook shares more than 85 dishes from the restaurant menu, all carefully translated and tested for the home cook. Recipes range from elegant entrees to casual platters, classic Italian pizzas, pastas and risottos, to simple salads, favourite seafood and meat dishes and stunning desserts. Photographer Tamara West captures S.P.Q.R's unique spirit and writer Simon Farrell-Green introduces the book, paying tribute to the contribution this unique eatery has made to Auckland's dining scene.