Rita
Where? Rita (Aro Valley, Wellington, New Zealand) Map Menu
When? Thursday January 19, 2023
Who? James, Navi, Rob, Jill, Jordan
Food Style? Contemporary New Zealand
I'm back in my home city, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, where I've been working from my Airbnb for the past two weeks with one of my colleagues. It's been four years since I was last here, and while the city doesn't appear to have changed much physically, many restaurants have been lost to the pandemic. In their place, though, new restaurants have opened up and have started to gain popularity as Wellingtonians flock back to the CBD. One of them is Rita, nestled between the Garage Project Taproom and Te Aro Fish Supplies on Aro Street, Aro Valley. The restaurant is small and narrow, and only sits a few tables, so bookings are essential. The owners are the same as Nikau Café's, a popular spot on the culinary scene in the capital, so I know the food here is going to be excellent.
Rita exemplifies everything I love about Wellington fine dining - heavy emphasis on celebrating local, seasonal produce, elevated food with interesting flavours, and beautiful, artistic presentation. At Rita, there is no menu for you to choose from. Instead, it's omakase style; the restaurant serves whatever they've decided for the day and you sit and enjoy with a drink in hand. Today, there's six of us, we've ordered a dinner each and will be sharing the sides.
Amuse Bouche
Proscuitto and nectarine
An interesting combination of salty and sweet to start the meal. It's simple, but it's nectarine season and they've purposefully chosen this as a reflection of their local, seasonal philosophy.
Sides #1
Zucchini fries and saffron aioli
Chopped into large sticks and fried with a tempura batter, these zucchini fries are beautifully seasoned and that distinctive saffron taste comes through nicely in the rich, creamy aioli.
Sides #2
Mozzarella, figs, basil and hazelnut
The mozzarella is home made, pairing nicely with the fragrant basil oil, the sweet fig and the earthy, nutty toasted hazelnuts.
Entree
Smoked trevally and pea sauce
It's been an excellent start so far. The fish is deliciously meaty, soft and juicy with a non-overpowering smokey essence. The pea sauce is fresh and tasty, and the dollop of mayonnaise on the side helped to bring both of the elements together.
Mains
Grilled lamb leg and white beans
The lamb is cooked perfectly, juicy with a slight pink center. The jus is incredibly appetising, but there were some slightly strange-tasting herbs with the white bean that reminded both me and Navi of toilet cleaner. Nevertheless, I was glad to have that slice of home-baked bread to mop up all that sauce.
Dessert
Angel Food Cake with Nectarine Sorbet
The cake was soft and fluffy, and served with a very subtle nectarine sorbet. Sprinkled with pistachio for that extra crunch and another nice summer throwback with some fresh raspberries on the side to add that tartness. This had a great summery feel and it was nice to circle back to the nectarine from the amuse bouche.
The whole meal took around 2.5 hours but I was reasonably full afterwards. It was a lovely night with excellent company and delicious food.
Posted by Jeremy at 2:50am on Sunday October 29, 2023 :: 0 comments :: 