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

Restaurant Month: Vikki Lane

Vikki Lane is tucked down an alleyway on Victoria Street West, towards the Vic Park end. It goes by the name 'Vikki Lane Bar and Kitchen'. Upon entering the bright little alleyway, one would think it was the 'bar' alter-ego tonight, with the upbeat mood and the smoke smell dominating the covered space. Turns out the crowd this Thursday evening came for the free wine tasting event. For a girl who describes wine as either "too bitter" or "that's nice", I did not help myself to a glass by the door, instead we were seated in a cosy corner for Restaurant Month.

The covered alleyway in Vikki Lane

The menu was easy enough to choose from. Eliminate the seafood from the options (dining with a fussy eater) and we were left with deep fried camembert and garlic bread for our entrees, and ham steak and chicken kiev for our mains.

St Clair Vicar's Choice, Malborough

A glass of bubbles arrived! This was exciting since this was included in the $25 set menu. I'm not sure if many other Restaurant Month menus include a drink in their price. About 45 minutes into our dinner I remembered the other reason why I do not enjoy alcoholic drinks; it makes me sleepy. Regardless, this makes the dinner very much worthy of $25. 

Deep fried camembert with plum chutney

Deep fried cheese is great. The camembert came with plum chutney; tart and sweet enough to complement the savoury cheese, and a basic salad with marmalade. The serving came with three wedges, so it left the two of us fighting for the third slice. The kind of fight where you go back and forth "you have it/ no you have it" until we ended up making the effort to cut it 50/50. With a little more crispiness of the breadcrumb coating, I wouldn't have been so polite eating more than my share.

The presentation of the meals wasn't over the top; no sauce patterns, no flower toppings, no sculptures stuck in the potatoes. This is a bar and kitchen after all, and with that comes simplicity. But well executed, may I add.

Chicken kiev with waldorf salad

I'm not sure what a 'waldorf salad' is, but this breaded chicken was on top of a green salad that contained apples. Simple and tasty enough. My dining partner's plate however...

Ham steak with pineapple ring and potato croquettes

I wasn't polite this time. I had a taste of the ham and when the last piece was still on the plate after a long minute, I stabbed my fork into it. Fantastic, delicious.

The food at Vikki Lane left a good first impression, although I do note that these dishes are not part of their daily menu, so it's only available this August! If you're after an affordable dinner with bubbles to make things a bit fancy, I recommend this place.

The portion sizes won't make you undo your button, but with a comparably fair bill for inner city European dining, you can make allowance for dessert.

Vikki Lane Bar and Kitchen

151 Victoria Street West

Mon - Fri 7am - Late

Restaurant Menu diners to be seated by 6:30pm

Where to next?

https://www.heartofthecity.co.nz/restaurant-month

Signed,

Elisa

ps. I paid with a registered American Express and I got a $10 credit for spending over $20 at Restaurant Month, so this dinner only cost me $15

Restaurant Month 3: Gusto

Third and final Restaurant Month dinner. This time it's Italian; my favorite cuisine. Accompanied by my baker and chef friend, Miss Shell for dinner on a work night (read about our cafe crawl shenanigans here, a fried Chinese cake, or a spontaneous Whoopie Pie trip).

Gusto is inside the Skycity Grand Hotel on Federal Street. And by grand, I mean GRAND. Probably the fanciest restaurant I've been to in terms of decor and ambience (Odettes comes next). It was opened by chef Sean Connolly, who also opened The Grill right next door. Just incase we dismissed that name when we came in,  a bottle of olive oil on the tables with his name on reminded us that he's a prominent figure in the cuisine world.

$40 for 2 courses, which was actually 6 dishes for $40. Great value! All the photos were shared serving size between the two of us.

First course A (yes this was just one of 3 parts to the first course) Garlic, rosemary pizzetta with housemade ricotta, honey, pine nuts.

Loved it.
When the pizzetta arrived, it came in a little pizza box and I was confused; did we order to takeaway
And I wasn't expecting the ricotta to look like dessert; did we order a cake?
But the waiter made known to us the dishes as he placed it infront of us and then I could not wait to taste it.

The first bite of the pizzetta got us going "mmmm" "ahhhh" and "!!!!" very audibly.
Pictured above is the ricotta whose honey lent us its sweetness to contrast with the salty garlic pizzetta. I absolutely loved the crunch of the pine nuts along with the smooth cream-cheese-like texture of the ricotta.

It was a perfect balance of sweet and salty and smooth and crunchy. An absolute winner.
Unfortunately this was the only dish that was beyond amazing.

First course B Mozzarella, fennel, celery, walnuts
Excellent presentation. On the bottom of the stack is mozzarella followed by everything that tasted too sour, too much lemon.

First course C Rigatoni beef, lamb, tomato ragu, basil
A little while later came the final dish of the first course. Something more familiar, home-y and hearty.
For an Italian restaurant, it was surprising and disappointing to receive a pasta dish 1 minute premature of al-dente. Both Miss Shell and I cook pasta often, so it was the first thing we noticed when we took a bite.

Everything else was flavoursome though, just the slightly undercooked pasta that overshadowed it all.
After a carb-loaded first course, we felt quite full and there was hardly a break before the second course.

Second course Grilled snapper, pistachio, capers, preserved lemon, chilli. Beef brisket and salsa verde. Served with rocket, pear, parmesan salad.

After a delectable beef brisket at The Culpeper the previous week, I was excited when this arrived, looking tender and smoky. While it did have a great taste and texture, it was still nowhere near as good as The Culpeper's . Would it have been better with a pour-over sauce? We think so.
I also noticed this course is devoid of carbs, not that we minded, we were very full at this point.

Miss Shell did manage to eat the snapper before she retired from eating and found it fresh and not dry at all. I'm no seafood eater, so I take her word for it when she said a lot of places can tend to overcook snapper. She liked this one!

In the middle of it, she started telling me about the amazing dessert she had last time she came for a friend's birthday. I thought why not order dessert, it sounded exquisitely unique and because I won't return here anytime soon; the regular menu is beyond a regular girls' budget.

Gusto cappuccino, coffee custard, frangelico zabaglione $15
Don't judge this by its looks!

Get your spoon and dig in, crack the layer open to reveal the creme brulee that is underneath the cappuccino foam.

I've never seen, nor tasted, anything quite like it. The custard was cool but the milk foam on top was warm and my mouth was confused. But definitely order this if you're a coffee lover!

Bottom line: 

Fantastic value for money; 6 dishes for $40 at a very formal restaurant. Looking at their usual menu, the snapper and beef brisket priced in the high $30s.

Presentation was average (apart from the mozzarella and fennel dish; which was my expectation from a restaurant like this).

Glad I came, now I can say I've been to Gusto!

Can't wait for Restaurant Month 2017.

Signed,

Elisa

Restaurant Month 2: The Culpeper

Situated at the Viaduct on Princes Wharf, The Culpeper beckoned my friend and I for a work-night dinner. With the Viaduct location to boast, we headed there after parking nearby under the Lower Hobson St ramp, all dressed up, expecting to be impressed.

I thought 4 courses at Odettes for $40 was a good deal, but this!

The Culpeper offered 2 courses for $25 during August's Restaurant Month, and upon being seated, the waitress suggested that we share one Restaurant Month Menu with the addition of something else from their regular menu.

For $25, we enjoyed a starter and a main, which was one whole chicken between the two of us; hence the sharing. 

First course Beetroot hummus with lentil tabbouleh and flatbread
Although the flatbread was slightly on the chewy side than crisp, it brought a smoky flavor to this otherwise unimpressive dish. Nothing that made us go "wow".

Second Course ‘Aunties’ Jerk Rotisserie Chicken served with dirty rice and buttermilk ranch dressing.

This main came on a warm plate looking quite delectable and hearty.
I loved the 'dirty' rice (Cajun style rice traditionally cooked with chicken liver and herbs which gives it that 'dirty' look). It was flavorsome and complimented the spiciness of the chicken, which my friend noted a slight toughness to it. I thought the chicken was very tasty and loved the black beans with the rice.
Does anyone have a recipe for dirty rice?

Additional dish The Botanist winter leaves, radish, pickled vege, pumpkin seeds, mustard maple dressing.
Because we shared the 2 courses, we ordered a salad with beef brisket as an extra dish.
The brisket was the highlight of the night. It was smoky, tasty, tender and brought the whole dish together. The blackened edges added a slight crispiness and depth of flavor which contrasted perfectly with the tang of the dressing.
I was glad we added the brisket, otherwise it would've been a very plain salad, although it was $7 extra.
So the salad was $20... Why so expensive for a salad?

Looking at the rest of the menu, it certainly wouldn't be my go-to place because of the price. Granted, a lot of the dishes are for sharing, but based on what we had, it all seems very overpriced... Which echoes what another friend had said about the restaurant- "Good but... overpriced".
Not complaning though, since you could just share the Restaurant Month menu without ordering anything else. I ended up taking a couple pieces of chicken home and having it cold the next day with lettuce greens, which was delicious!

So $25 for two people, and if you pay with a registered & eligible American Express, you get $10 back... $15 for 2? Probably the cheapest date if you're looking to impress!

The drinks menu was extensive... Actually I wouldn't know since I'm not a wine drinker, but the wines and spirits were listed by categories. Are you a "pink & fruity", "round & full", or perhaps "sweet" kinda person?
Great for the wine illiterate.

Let's talk about the interior and decor... There's a fireplace which created a cosy little nook at the back. The raised area with half walls (pictured) made a suitable semi-private dining area.

Wall benches, tiled floors and photo frames created a 'diner' feel. Vintage decor and overhanging lamps reminded us of the movie The Help; '60s.

And palm trees everywhere. The furniture was light wood rattan and contributed to the fresh, tropical feel.

Nice place to dine with friends and have a tasty cocktail (they call it "herbal remedies" in the menu). Despite being situated at the Viaduct, very few tables offered a view. Although the view was only the adjacent wharf.

Bottom line: nothing extraordinary. The best time to go check out this high-end restaurant is this month. Otherwise you'll leave with an uneasy feeling after overspending.

Halfway through Restaurant Month, where to next and who's joining me?

Signed,

Elisa