Best deep-fried calamari in the country? Gina's Italian Kitchen delivers an oldie but a goodie. Photo / Michael Craig
Best deep-fried calamari in the country? Gina's Italian Kitchen delivers an oldie but a goodie. Photo / Michael Craig
The raucous Italian stalwart has shifted to Mt Eden. Restaurant reviewer Kim Knight relives her 30s at Gina's.
In their own words: "We serve fabulous Italian food with exuberant service in the genuine style that is generous Italian hospitality. You want quiet, darling? Then you'll have to go elsewhere."
Firstimpressions: Is it a bar? Is it a restaurant? Is it a garlic-scented Tardis? The further you venture into the new Mt Eden Gina's, the more space there is to sit. A narrow bar opens into a bigger dining room that opens into a heated, covered outdoor area, which opens into even more garden seating. Beyond that? The possibilities appear, literally, endless (or Epsom).
On the floor: Circa 2005 and I am a shy South Islander trying to impress my Auckland colleagues. They take me to Gina's on Symonds St, where I can't hear a word over the flirting. The waiters (they are all men) bellow "Ciao, Bella" and my workmates show a dangerously impressive capacity for wine. Later, I'm told the attractively wanton waitstaff are not even Italian. According to my informant, they're all from Brazil. I feel duped. Was this just a vicious Auckland suburban legend promulgated by a rival restaurateur? The only thing I know for sure is that, in my hungover 30s, there really was no place like Gina's. A decade-and-a-half later, and it is 6.15pm on a Wednesday. The waitstaff (as many women as men) are friendly and efficient and they all wear shirts. They are very happy to turn on an extra heater for the old lady at the corner table for two. Tap water is fine, thanks.
The menu: I suspect the legendary Gina's raucousness is just one $50-a-head set menu and a pre-booked shirt-free entertainer away but, if you're a midweek diner with a hankering for a pasta dinner, go straight to the small print. A $20 "classic" bowl (penne arrabiata, spaghetti bolognese, etc) is a lovely way to feed the segue from work to home.
Calamari that's worth a closer look, on the menu at Gina's Italian Kitchen which has recently moved to Auckland's Mt Eden. Photo / Michael Craig
Best bite #1: When the photographer went to shoot Gina's, the manager was aghast at our request for the deep-fried squid. "Everyone gets the calamari!" he said before presenting a dish that was a little more "plated" than the one I had. He might be right about its ubiquitousness, but I doubt there's a better example of this classic in the country. Light crispy batter, perfectly cooked calamari and a subtle lemon pepper seasoning plus (on the night I ordered) a bowl of aioli and a pile of balsamic-glazed rocket. It tasted like the clocks had stopped and my entire delicious life was once more ahead of me.
Best bite #2: Gina's is not high-end or zeitgeisty. It's solidly good food, some of which you could probably replicate at home. Did I have the energy to prep capsicum, eggplant, zucchini, garlic, capers and tomato sauce? Did I just want a great big vege-packed bowl of carb-comfort served with a complete absence of related kitchen chores? I ordered the pasta ortolana and I was not disappointed.
The jury's still out: Chicken, prawns, mushroom, marsala wine, cream and truffle oil is a mouthful. I sneered, but a little research revealed "mare e monti" is also a bona fide sea-and-mountains, surf-and-turf Italian speciality. James loved it. He's a complicated kind of guy.
On the side: Arancini are, too often, a disappointment. Not at Gina's Italian Kitchen! The rice was moist, the mozzarella oozed and the deep-fried balls were the size of a baby's fist.
Dessert: Tiramisu was a given and it delivered a great coffee-cocoa kick.
Perfect for: All comers. Gina's shift from Symonds St back to the Mt Eden suburb where it all began appears to have been fully embraced by the pasta-pizza-parmigiana brigade. The tables were as stuffed as the ravioli - single diners, families, couples and groups of friends. In 1973, when Gina Maio opened her first Auckland restaurant, she famously had to source olive oil from a pharmacy. Half a century later, the only thing that hasn't changed is the apparent universal appeal of the restaurant that still carries her name.
How much: We spent $187 for two.
Gina's Italian Kitchen, 440 Mount Eden Rd, Mt Eden, Auckland. Ph (09) 302 2061.
Sip the List
by Yvonne Lorkin
While much of Gina's Italian Kitchen menu still harks back to its 1980s origins, there's nothing resembling a spiral perm or a shoulder pad, a skinny tie, a Fido Dido T-shirt or stonewash bubblegum jeans on the wine list, no sir-ee. While you could kick off with something traditionally Italian like a bellini, a mimosa or an Aperol Spritz, why not change things up with a new-fangled negroni sbagliato (Campari, prosecco and gin). Gina's has a simple, compact drinks list that'll tick all your boxes where food pairing is concerned. You want something local? Then Rebecca Salmond's Odyssey brand will fill your pinot noir, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay boots, while your bubbles could come from Piccini Memoro or a prosecco. A dry white? Try the Antica pinot grigio or the Castello del Poggio Moscato for a sweeter option. A smorgasbord of sippability awaits in the reds with Sensi Chianti, Antica Valpolicella, San Marzano primitivo or a rich, rumpty, Amarone from Antica. Yum. I've got bolognese on the brain just thinking about that one. And of course you can round your gustatory gloriousness out by treating yourself to a cocktail. Tiramisu Martini anyone? More please
