Review: Ortolana, or 26 words you never knew

Ortolana means "market gardener" in Italian, which is apt as this restaurant in Britomart always offers a good selection of vegetables from their own farm. It has an inclusive menu in that they cater effortlessly for vegetarians, but can also be daunting in that you might need to ask the staff to actually explain the words on the page.

Beautiful decor and high ceilings at Ortolana.

I thought I was a bit of a sophisticated foodie already. I've eaten cavalo nero and quinoa (though I have a complex about pricing native peoples out of their own grains). I knew the meaning of aioli years ago, before BurgerFuel started serving it with their chips. I've tried making my own paneer and labneh is on my to-do list. But every time I go to eat at Ortolana, I have to check on the meanings of a more than a couple of words.

Open kitchen area.

How many of the following terms do you know? If you eat out at high-end restaurants a lot, you may be acquainted with some of them already, but I'd be surprised if you understood them all. I mean, really, nduja? I had no idea that Italians even made that sound combination. And painisess, which was on the menu in April, was not a word that Google knew about at all!

1. bagna cauda
2. bistecca
3. burrata
4. chitarra pasta
5. choggia
6. cotoletta
7. crema fritta
8. crudo
9. fazzoletti
10. gnocchetti
11. gnudi
12. kieffer
13. lardo
14. lasagnotte
15. nduja
16. pangritata
17. piadina
18. pillus pasta
19. polpette
20. nooch
21. remoulade
22. rillette
23. salsiccia
24. spatchcock
25. stracciatella (in this case not a type of ice cream)
26. strangozzi pasta

How many of those did you get? I would have guessed that lasagnotte is similar to lasagne, but it is actually a narrower ribbon pasta that is ruffled on one edge. I've eaten burrata enough times now to be familiar with this creamy fresh cheese, but did I really equate it with mozzarella stuffed with stracciatella? I correctly supposed that crema fritta meant "fried cream", but what came out wasn't how I expected it at all!

We keep returning to Ortolana, not for the linguistic challenge, but because it has lots of things going for it: a central location close to the Britomart train station, a pleasant atmosphere with polished service, and above all, delicious food at reasonable prices. The portions are on the smaller side, so you have an excuse for some excellent dessert. Oh, and there's unlimited free sparkling water—bonus!

As if you might forget the meaning of the restaurant name, practically every dish is strewn with micro-greens. Not that I am complaining—I always like to have some vegies with my food.

Kingfish carpaccio and chicken cotoletta with plenty of greens.

The piadina is a constant fixture on the menu, and can be eaten for lunch or dinner with a variety of fillings. This thin Italian flatbread is a great option for a light meal.

Mushroom and mozzarella piadina.

As the menu changes depending on what is in season, not everything is guaranteed to be available. A few weeks ago, we were told that the chestnuts in a dish would be replaced by walnuts, and the jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut soup that I enjoyed last year is not offered at all right now.

Jerusalem artichoke and hazelnut soup, back from April last year.

It's not all about vegies at Ortolana. Their cheeses are beautiful, whether you order a fresh cheese as a main or entree, or savour a washed rind one with honey as part of your dessert.

Mozzarella fior di latte, olio nuovo, apple, sorrel.

The pastas are skilfully cooked, and come in a variety of different shapes, as you can tell from the list of foreign words above.

Rigatoni, nduja, sorrel.

You can choose from a range of great meat dishes too, from fish to chicken to red meat. Most recently, they had the very gourmet-sounding "spatchcock" on the menu, served with quinoa, pear, rewarewa and walnuts, though no one at my table ordered it.

Rib eye bistecca, fried green tomatoes, oregano relish.

Pretty much everything we have ordered has been spot-on (though we didn't care for the kale crisps with nutritional yeast), but don't forget to save room for dessert as these are amazing too. A few months ago, they let people order anything from dessert-only restaurant Milse next door (yet another inspiring eatery from The Hip Group). That proved to be problematic, however, so you only get to pick from a cut-down list of choices again. You can, of course, add yourself to the queue at Milse if you want the full experience.

Panda Recommends

The menu changes regularly, so make sure you talk to the staff to find out what the specials are, and to get a better idea of how things are served.

Drinks: There is an unusually large selection of non-alcoholic drinks. Their hot spiced apple drink ($5) was particularly apt for a cold winter's day, and we have enjoyed their refreshing sodas and other drinks too.

Vegie Pandas
You generally have a couple of entrees ($18-$19) and pastas ($20-$23) to choose from, and if you are not very hungry, the piadinas ($15) are great too. The potatoes are cooked with lardo and therefore not vegetarian, but the cheese options will be quite filling.

Lunch menu - July 2014

Dinner menu - July 2014

Dessert and drinks menu - July 2014

Note

This restaurant does not take bookings. Turn up early and leave your name and number, until a table is free.

Restaurant Details

Ortolana
31 Tyler Street, Britomart, Auckland Central
(09) 368 9487

Opening hours:
Mondays to Sundays 7am - 11pm

Modern bistro in Britomart.

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Review: Baduzzi

Baduzzi is the Sicilian word for meatballs, but this Italian restaurant is not the loud and raucous family affair the name may conjure up. There is no grandmotherly figure filling your plate with huge and hearty portions of food. Rather, it is an elegant and sophisticated place with a relaxed atmosphere, where you can savour your meal rather than shovelling it down.

Front door to this classy yet inviting restaurant.

The service is excellent. When we turned up one night, and the only table free was outside, right by the wind tunnel of Fish Lane, the owner brought over a woollen blanket to keep us warm. When someone dropped a fork, a new one magically appeared. If you have four people at your table, and order meatballs which normally comes as a set of 3, the wait staff always check whether you want to add an extra portion.

Plenty of drinks to choose from too.

The menu is divided into a number of sections, with only one featuring meatballs. All are delicious, and I like the fact that nothing is so huge that you cannot eat anything else.

Piccolo (Small Dishes)

You could treat the small dishes as entrees, or you could get a bunch of them to eat as tapas. As with everything else at Baduzzi, they are flavourful, well-presented, and simply a pleasure to eat.

Half of a dish of flame grilled sardines.

Breaded courgette flowers, with additional portion.

Polpette (Meatballs)

The crayfish meatballs are apparently the restaurant's signature dish. We tried these only once, at the Taste of Auckland festival, where I was amused they painted on a swoosh of spring carrot puree, even though they were using paper bowls. This dish at the event was about $4 cheaper than dining in, but was not as amazing as we had expected for a price tag of nearly $5 per ball (after paying the entrance fee), especially when you are using plastic cutlery, perched at makeshift tables. Perhaps the surrounding atmosphere interfered with our taste buds.

Crayfish meatballs with braised chickpeas.

The wagyu meatballs we ate at the restaurant, however, were juicy and delicious, worthy of the restaurant's name.

Wild deer meatballs, portabello mushroom, cauliflower crema.

We had expected the meatballs to come with pasta or other form of carbohydrates, but what you see is what you get. These dishes therefore do not make a balanced lunch, but would be a great starter to share.

Primi (First Course) / Vegetarian

The first course section comprises mainly of pastas, and overlaps significantly with the vegetarian menu. There is absolutely no need to eat meatballs to enjoy a great meal at Baduzzi!

Eggplant parmigiana.

Risotto with asparagus, broad bean and mint.

I was surprised by the naming of the dishes. I don't speak Italian, but I thought "gnocchi" were little potato dumplings. What came out looked more like what I would call "tortellini". (I was also surprised that the sauce was a bit sweet, but I guess burnt butter is already heading towards the direction of caramel.)

Saffron gnocchi w goat curd, burnt butter, almonds and herbs.

Likewise, the wild rabbit ravioli were more like meatballs in disguise, with plenty of filling in a tall lump, with a token pasta wrapping.

Wild rabbit ravioli, turnip puree, barolo reduction.

Close-up of an opened rabbit ravioli.

Secondi (Second Course)

The items in the second course section focus on meat, and despite the price, are not necessarily much larger in size than the previous dishes.

Pulled milk fed goat with grilled lettuce, polenta and rosemary.

Pheasant "en brodo" with fregola, young celery & new season potato.

Desserts

I am thankful for the relatively small portion sizes, because the desserts at Baduzzi really stand out. They are presented in a fun and artistic manner, and taste as good as they look.

Tiramisu with Bailey's & amaretto ladyfingers, chocolate cream.

Cannoli w ricotta, citrus confit & chocolate chips.

Chocolate torta caprese with vanilla ice cream & amaretti.

There are many mediocre restaurants on North Wharf, but fortunately Baduzzi is not one of them!

Panda Recommends

This restaurant may be named after meatballs, but the other sections of the menu are just as enticing. Make sure you save room for dessert!

Menu.

Restaurant Details

Baduzzi
Corner of Jellicoe Street and Fish Lane, North Wharf, Auckland Central
(09) 309 9339

Opening hours:
Mondays to Sundays 11:30am till late

Baduzzi is one of a row of restaurants at the bottom of the ASB Building at North Wharf.

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Review: O'Sarracino *CLOSED*

[Added 28 January 2015: O'Sarracino has announced that it is turning into IKA Seafood Bar and Grill.]

My favourite Italian restaurant in Auckland doesn't serve pizza. And although I consider it fine dining, it doesn't have the restrained formal atmosphere you associate with many restaurants; it is a place for loud and raucous eating, to share with friends.  Even before it was named the winner of Cuisine magazine's Best Specialist Restaurant award in 2010, we knew it was special.

The first few times we ate at O'Sarracino, we were given samples at the slightest suggestion of interest: two types of cheeses one time, and a digestif similar to limoncello another time.  The restaurant was beautiful, with polished wooden floors and stained glass windows left over from the days when the building was, ahem, a funeral parlour.  The reason we kept coming back, though, was for the food, which was unlike anything we had eaten before in other Italian restaurants.

You simply cannot go to O'Sarracino without trying the antipasti platters.  We have never ordered dishes one by one, instead asking the waiter to bring out a selection of the specialties, which are always just right in terms of size and taste.  Where else would you go for something like casatiello, hand made bread with salami, pancetta and cheese rolled inside?

Antipasti: cured meats and bread, casatiello with crumbed eggplant, insalata caprese, vegetables Naples style, bruschetta, and insalata di mare

The pasta dishes are fantastic as well, fresh and tasty, and probably the best you can get in Auckland, with the pasta made daily by an Argentinian man who ran the Pasta La Vista shop that used to be next door (unfortunately the store closed in August 2009, but I was told that manufacturing would continue in the outskirts of Auckland).

A selection of pasta, meat and seafood mains selected by our waiter

If you still have room, you will want to try the desserts as well, which is a changing menu.  One friend was very disappointed when tiramisu was not available when we went, but when I last dined at O'Sarracino, I managed to try it, a big blob of creamy goodness on a plate.  On that occasion though, my favourite was the panettone, a dryish fruit loaf with a delicate citrus flavour that went perfectly with icecream.

Desserts of the day: chocolate pot, tiramisu, panettone with icecream, and panna cotta

It won't be a cheap dinner, but all in all, O'Sarracino is a great choice for a special birthday (let the waiter know so they can dim the lights and sing you a birthday song), or for catching up with friends.  Buon appetito!

Panda Recommends

Antipasti platters, pastas, basically anything the waiters recommend!  Allow at least $60 per person.

Vegie Pandas
Ask and you shall receive.

Food menu

Note

Bookings required.  Going with a larger group will let you try more dishes.

Restaurant Details

O'Sarracino
3-5 Mount Eden Road, Eden Terrace, Auckland
(09) 309 3740

Opening hours:
Tuesdays to Saturdays 6:30pm till late.

O'Sarracino is on Mount Eden Road, close to the intersection with Symonds Street

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