Aquamatta, City

The bistecca fiorentina, a T-bone with beetroot and potatoes.

Herald rating: * * * *

A couple of weeks ago in this column, Jan Corbett reminded us that there is often an inverse relationship between a restaurant's beauty of setting and the quality of the food. At Aquamatta we were reminded that if the act is good enough it can triumph over unpromising surroundings.

Perched at the top of the steps at the back of the Chancery and with an odd external bridge accommodating what pass for al fresco tables, Aquamatta could hardly be more removed from the Tuscan scene from which it draws its influences. But on our visit the place was packed with cheery customers who had discovered its charms despite the fact it has almost no chance of picking up any passing trade.

This is not to suggest that the premises are dowdy. They use the oddly angled shape well and the decor is pleasing.

But the strength is in the food. When we play the after-dinner game of "if you could have only one cooking style for the rest of your life what would it be?" I usually settle on Italian. This is cheating. The regional variety of Italian food provides a pretty broad spectrum but eating here does support my bias with its characteristic blend of simplicity and subtlety.

Typical was our vegetarian's spaghetti pomodoro, extraordinarily simple but terrific with a rather more abandoned use of olive oil than the modern domestic cook has the nerve for. My carnivore's delight of bistecca fiorentina was just as basic. A T-bone with beetroot and potatoes. Doesn't sound much but when it's all perfectly cooked it's a joy.

I was resisting the temptation to place-drop but I'll succumb if only to point out that when I had this dish in Florence it was delicious but the beef is better here.

My body must have been warning me about the perils of anaemia because I had started with an all-meat dish, the charcuterie selection — odd choice of phrase for an Italian restaurant. Aquamatta also has a delicatessen and if the selection of meats here is any guide it must be good.

They also boast an unusual range of Italian cheeses and these starred in our other starters: a scamorzone in camicia of mature buffalo mozzarella, wrapped in Parma ham, roasted and served with cherry tomato and rocket, and a plainer mozzarella with an artichoke salad.

Our third main choice was a rack of lamb, presented quite differently from the New Zealand convention, with the meat less trimmed, sauteed in olive oil and wine with sun-dried black olives and artichokes, serving as the core of a sort of peasant stew. This rejoiced in the name of abbacchio alla scottadito e aglione con carciofi alla giudia — even the descriptions are delicious in Italian.

To finish, we couldn't get past the pannacotta erotica, the derivation of which was all too obvious when it breasted into sight with its quivering white mounds tipped with red berries.

My semi-freddo with prunes was delicious and the chocolate tortino earned another mumble of gratified content. Our wine choices, as recommended, were a Piocaia di San Fabiano, a Colle Capito, a Soave classico and a Resico bianco and they were all decent wines and a pleasing change from our normal regime of New Zealand styles. Whether they went with the food was impossible to judge, as the place was so busy they never actually arrived in concert with our meal but instead became between-course sustenance.

This was a shame because the staff were professional, welcoming and knowledgeable. There just weren't enough of them on a busy night. A bill error was gracefully and generously redressed.

The Florence restaurant I bragged about earlier was notable for its abundance of waiters but perhaps the Italians don't suffer from the Auckland skill shortage.

WHERE: Aquamatta, 2A/48 Courthouse Lane, City. (09) 302 0478
OUR MEAL: $253 for three courses for three people. One cocktail, five glasses of wine and three coffees.
OUR WINES: By the glass $8 to $14. Bottles from $42 to $995