Restaurant Month 2: Ortolana

Follow the lights in Britomart and they will take you to Ortolana, a well-established eatery under the cascading fairy lights, nestled between Bobbi Brown, Juliette Hogan and the likes. The building itself is reminiscent of a barn; tall with a steep roof and trusses that hang in rows with the icicle lights.

I had always walked past the shrubbery and planting outside, caught a glimpse of the dining scene through the glinting glass walls and thought it would be a dreamy vibe. So when Restaurant Month came I leaped at the chance to try their 3 course menu for $40.

We were seated outside because the tables indoors were fully booked. Under the heaters and draped under a blankets, we sat cosily, watching the people pass and the tourists take photos next to the leaves and huge potted flowers.

My dining companion tonight was feihae, who also accompanied me to last year’s Restaurant Month at Odettes. She’s a great friend; always full of vibrant thoughts, wisdom and humor; animated but not overbearing. Her stories and insight makes people stick around for more.

And so we sat, from 5:30 til 9:30pm, one course after another. Ortolana provided a great ambience for that. The lights and leaves make you forget that you’re right in the bustle of the city centre. They’ve done an excellent job to Britomart. What used to recently be a sparse nondescript area at the bottom of Queen St has now turned into a hub of high fashion retail, big name businesses and the place to wine & dine. It’s the best example in Auckland of turning a place into a people-focused area. That’s what land use can do, but anyway this is not a post on urbanism (more on that in my other blogposts) so let’s get back to the food.

Entree; garlic, rosemary, mozzarella, rocket piadina. Drink; gin & tonic (grapefruit, mint, chia seed) $10

Fazzoletti with buttercup, sage, ricotta, pumpkin seeds, chili

I had the vegetarian option, a pasta dish that I assumed wouldn’t be spicy despite the word “chilli” in the menu. How spicy can European food be? My mistake.. but it was delicious all the same. The portion was on the small side, especially after a shared entrée (We ended up going to Better Burger across the road for fries and burger afterwards, although by that time, it had been four hours since we first sat to eat).

Beef short rib with mushroom and fava hummus

The short ribs was delightful. Tender, flavorsome and hearty. Feihae definitely got the better dish out of the two of us. Upon first bite there was a lot of mmmm and ahhhh.

Gelato on a stick; salted caramel (left) and vanilla brownie (right)

We finished off with a glorfied Magnum. One vanilla brownie and one salted caramel.

My thoughts; the food was nothing glorious, it didn't create an urge to return in a hurry. But Ortolana is in a fantastic location for a chats over a well-presented meal to pass the night away. Bring a friend you haven't seen in a while or get your group together and try it for yourself... the menu is here.

Signed,

Elisa