Bella

By EWAN McDONALD

Vespa parked on the footpath outside. That's a good advertisement for an Italian restaurant. It shows the people inside share a nation's proper regard for design and style and proper disregard for regulations.

And Bella, just reopened under new management, carries the theme inside. There's Latin design in the attractive, wide room: white walls where once there were red; the familiar brown leather banquettes; good napery. And there's Latin style in the food which features true-to-Mamma's-recipe ingredients that many of our Italian restaurants don't bother to source.

So let's start with the food from the two executive chefs, Marcus Naismith and Christian Roberts. It's modern trattoria: old favourites, contemporary twist.

They've taken care with their antipasti but, though tempted, we moved right along to the pastas. Wild mushroom risotto with pecorino and extra-virgin olive oil not only passed the flavour test with flying palates, it rated satisfyingly high on the glug-o-meter, too; potato gnocchi with napoli sauce and bocconcini was one of those things that make you go "mmmmmm".

Unfortunately, we didn't twig (we should have done, from the $23.50 tag) that these were full servings, which took the edge off the appetite for the next course. The osso bucco, on a saffron risotto in the best tradition of Milan, was admirable; the crumbed veal loin filled with taleggio and prosciutto (see, those specific ingredients) came out a little on the oily side; in the dish of roast artichoke and potato with sage, the potatoes were a tad underdone.

It was now obvious that the whole menu was going to take a hammering and ... suffice to say that if you're in the neighbourhood and feel like marinated cherry zuccotto on cherry syrup ...

That food hints at Old World wines, and there's a satsifying range. We chose a sturdy Umbrian red from Montefalco.
Bella has one thing that most restaurants on the Chomps Elysees would poison their neighbours for: loyalty. Many places that had been closed for a longer-than-expected seven weeks would have dropped off the radar screen. But as soon as it reopened, Bella's thirtysomething professionals rushed to air their black leather coats and head for their other home, the one with a kitchen.

Slightly older diners should recognise that this means the bar side of the place is busy; smoke will get in your eyes as the evening wears on, and the music - not excessively loud or insistent - is contemporary lounge.

In tone and presentation, Bella seems to be looking for a niche slightly to the north of most Ponsonby Rd places, a tone that's struck at Rocco and Provence. Does it get there? Not yet.

There seems a lack of ambience, or the joie de vivre that hosts like Blair Russell and Mark Wallbank infuse through Rocco or Kal Bouhdoud paints in Red every night. Our young waiter, on his second night, tried hard to impress and hurried to find out what he didn't know, like where the ostriche (oh yes, the menu headings are in Italian) came from. It wasn't Bluff, it was the farm at Clevedon.

It's a worry, too, when you check your bill and when the credit card chit comes back to be signed, it reads 10 per cent more.

The Montefalco hadn't kicked in to the point where I didn't notice, and the embarrassed hostess quickly returned with the difference in cash.

Open: 7 days, noon-late

Food: Classic Italian

Owner: Bruce Brown

Executive chefs: Marcus Naismith, Christian Roberts

Smoking: Gets in your eyes as the evening progresses

Wine: Depth and length in this selection: 25 reds, nine by the glass, drawing heavily from Italy; 25 whites, 10 by the glass, mostly from our neck of the woods.

Noise: Hubbub'n'lounge

Cost (mains for two): $50-$ 55

Vegetarian: Pizza, pasta options

Bottom line: " Closed for renovation" signs have been torn down after seven weeks, new management and staff have been in place for two or three, and devotees are back at their favourite stools and banquettes. The food's good, the wine list piques the palate but they need to work on the ambiente.