Herald rating: ****
Address: 7376 K Rd, Auckland
Phone: (09) 300 7582
There's nothing I like more than finding a newly established restaurant and getting a posse together to check it out. It's the newness, the hopefulness, the possibility that it could become a favourite. So I organise for three film industry friends to join me and we meet at five-week old Coco's Cantina on K Rd.
I am smitten as soon as we arrive. The word "cantina" conjures up rustic charm, well-worn wooden tables and food that has stood the test of time, in some far-flung part of Italy. Walking into Coco's it certainly looks the part. The interior is casual and homely and feels like it's been there forever. There's a well stocked bar with a friendly barman and a couple of different dining areas to choose from.
The walls are adorned with the personal effects and memorabilia collected by the two sisters who have set up Coco's and all of this adds personality and charm. Okay, so the ambience has our approval but what's the food like?
The blackboard menu behind the bar isn't extensive but it hits all the right notes for us. We dive straight in and order starters of calamari with spicy vinaigrette, bruschetta peperonata and arancini bolognese to share.
The calamari arrives as a magnificent pile of tentacles (a welcome relief from rings) and served with a wonderful spicy vinaigrette (a nice change from aioli). The aracini - risotto balls - have been coated in panko crumbs, for that extra dry and crispy finish, and the filling is a rich and tasty tomato and meat sauce. It's a tough choice but we all agree the bruschetta is the hero of the starters. The bread is char-grilled, imbuing a distinctly smoky flavour and the warm peperonata topping is a beautiful example of this traditional Italian pepper stew - softened peppers, tender and moreish, and packed full of flavour with olives (Coco's does its own), capers, onions and of course olive oil.
For our mains I can't go past the veal marsala which comes as two fillets of veal, wrapped in pancetta and served with the traditional marsala wine sauce on a soft pillow of polenta. This dish is not for the fainthearted as it is extremely rich and hearty, but I'm in raptures.
The director orders well with fish of the day - tarakihi fillets, skin on, panfried and piled up on a fresh, flavourful salad of cherry tomatoes, garlic, parsley and citrus flavours. The fillets are fresh and beautifully cooked. It's easy to overcook fish and many chefs do. Rick Stein once said delicate fish fillets need only be warmed, not cooked, and for terakihi this is good advice.
Well done Coco's chef.
The cameraman chooses chook (pollo alla griglia) and is impressed when a half chicken arrives, smoking from the grill, balanced on a generous serving of the Italian bread salad, panzanella. This peasant salad makes good use of stale bread and Coco's version is authentic with a pungent red wine vinegar dressing and plenty of torn basil, ripe tomatoes and a splash of top olive oil.
The linguine is the only disappointing dish of the night. It sounds so promising - linguine with chilli and crab - but the orderer of this dish reports that a lack of crab and chilli prevent it from being a true standout.
We all rejoice that at Coco's they use the word "puddings" on the blackboard menu, instead of the more commonly used, but far from evocative, "desserts". Not only that, the selection has all our Italian favourites - affogato, tiramisu, gelato in a cone, dark chocolate tart. Easy ordering - we'll take one of each.
We aren't disappointed. The best ingredients have been used in all of them and it shows; from the dark bitter cocoa dusting on the tiramisu to the strong espresso, set hard and cracking on the vanilla bean ice-cream of the affogato, to the handmade pastry of the chocolate tart. We are very happy indeed.
The casualness of Coco's Cantina belies the quality of the food and service they are providing. It may be new and this may the owners' first foray into their own establishment, but Coco's Cantina is doing a fantastic job on K Rd, the likes of which I haven't seen since Guadalupe in the early 90s.
Molto bene!
Cuisine: Italian
From the menu: Calamari $13, Bruschetta $13, Arancini $8, Linguine with chilli and crab $26, Chicken alla griglia $27, Fish of the day $30, Veal marsala $30, affogato $10, chocolate tart $10, Tiramisu $10, ice-cream $8.
Drinks: Fully licensed, good selection of beers, jugs of Sangria $35
