Inside Ooh-Fa, the petite pizza restaurant serving big flavours and natural wines, on Auckland's Dominion Rd. Photo / Babiche Martens
Inside Ooh-Fa, the petite pizza restaurant serving big flavours and natural wines, on Auckland's Dominion Rd. Photo / Babiche Martens
In their own words: “Pizza and wine.”
First impressions: The pizza oven is bigger than the tables. Perch on a stool, scooch on to a banquette and get your order in, stat. That wood fired golden orb takes up a bit of space, but it also turns out gold-standard pizzas.
In the kitchen: I recently interviewed a chef whose food I very much admire. He told me that on his first visit to Ooh-Fa he ordered all the pizzas. And then he ordered all the pizzas, all over again, because they were just that good. This may not surprise anyone who has eaten the pasta at sister restaurant, Pici. These guys are to flour as MoVida is to an anchovy.
On the floor: Wait staff have to work harder in a room where everyone is watching and at Ooh-Fa they’ve hired some real stars. Ninety-minute seatings are increasingly common, but only the best restaurants have perfected the pacing. We never felt rushed and we still managed to order dessert (and a dessert wine, thanks to a very genuine and charming upsell).
The neighbourhood: Ooh-Fa, Omni, OMG. How (and also Mr Hao) lucky is anybody who lives adjacent to this delicious block of Dominion Rd?
Best bite #1: Just when you thought you’d eaten every roasted carrot in the city, along comes this wood fired version. The magic is in the cubed carrots. More edges equal more caramelisation. A lemony ricotta base has been whipped to the consistency of a soft fudge, and there’s a decent sprinkle of crumbled pistachio. The overall effect is savoury carrot cake, which might be a bit much if it wasn’t for the minty earthiness of soft, whole oregano leaves that remind you this is a dish with its roots in the dirt. The humble carrot is rarely this inspiring.
Best bite #2: If I had to choose a favourite, I’d say all of them. Yep, the pizza was everything we’d been promised. A 72-hour sourdough base is bubbled and black in all the right places. Toppings are simple but, as per those carrots, treated so beautifully. We particularly loved an eggplant that had, I think, had some pre-treatment that meant it melted lusciously into the mozzarella. We had to poke around under the fresh basil and mint to find a few dots of the promised stracciatella, but these are petite pizza (a little smaller than a dinner plate) and anything more might have been overkill. Every mouthful was moreish and pizza begat pizza. If there was not a time limit on the table I would have still been there at breakfast.
Eggplant, soft herbs and stracciatella pizza from the menu at Ooh-Fa on Auckland's Dominion Rd. Photo / Kim Knight
The jury’s still out: Cavolo nero is indestructible. Many of the country’s green crops have succumbed to wind and rain, but this dark green dinosaur kale keeps on giving. Pizza is a good vehicle (the leaves are robust enough to withstand high heat) but in combination with Italian sausage and parmesan, wasn’t quite as exciting as everything else we ate at Ooh-Fa.
On the side: Refreshingly crunchy pickles and a pot of bagna cauda big enough to accommodate pizza crust? You’d be a fool not to.
Dessert: Sheep’s milk panna cotta with olive oil and sea salt is basically a creamier version of the famous Pici cheesecake. Paired with a very cold glass of Churton’s Natural State “field blend” (viognier, petit manseng and sauvignon blanc) it was the sublime taste of the summer we wish we’d had.
Perfect for: Intimate pizza dates and casual catch-ups with discerning, gluten-tolerant friends.
What it costs: Pizzas $15-$23, carrots $18, desserts $12, wine (125ml glass) $15-$26.
Address: Ooh-Fa, 357 Dominion Rd, Mount Eden, Auckland. Bookings (dinner, Tues-Sun, maximum of four people per table) at oohfa.co.nz
The drinks list is just like this restaurant’s name. Short and snappy. Just 18 wines are classified under “sparkling”, “white”, “orange”, “rosé”, “chilled red” and ”red” and they drive along the natural side of the street with nary a sauvignon blanc, chardonnay or mainstream merlot to be seen. The list offers lo-fi liquid refreshments from the likes of Marlborough’s A Thousand Gods, North Canterbury’s Bryterlater, albarino from Hawke’s Bay’s Three Fates and a blended “blanc” from Known Unknown. If you like your orange wine (white wine that’s been fermented and aged for days, weeks or sometimes months on its skins resulting in amber colours and chewy, funky flavours and textures) then the Halcyon Days from Hawke’s Bay, the Libiamo Amphora Chenin from Gisborne and an Occhipinti from Sicily will bring the grins. Sicilian rosé also features in Frank Cornelissen’s Susucaru, while Central Otago’s Alpine Wine Co weighs in with Head Over Heels, their pinot blanc/pinot noir blend. You could imagine we’re actually having a summer by sipping chilled reds like the Test Pots pinot noir from 15 Minute Bottles or Martinborough’s Cambridge Road Rosso. The other reds aren’t conventional but they’re definitely pizzational. Sip the River Flow merlot-cabernet franc by Kenzie, the Ficomontanino Bulgarelli sangiovese from Tuscany, or a cheeky little Langhe blend of nebbiolo, barbera and dolcetto by Punset Neh! Plus you could try another dozen or so tipples separated out into “vermouth”, “cocktails”, “beer”, “non-alcoholic” and “digestivo”. They don’t faff around with explaining things, so you may know your limoncello and your grappa, but Amaro Averna and Fernet Branca? You’re on your own.
