this was our first visit to queenstown and we happened to notice this restaurant while we were on our late evening stroll walking downhill from the heritage hotel to the city center. i have always found italian cuisine to be my favourite comfort food, one of the primary reasons being they offer far more options for vegetarians than many others. since it was our last day, we did not want to leave this beautiful hilly town in new zealand before experimenting the best of pizzas that this city had to offer. for those who might need a little help in locating this place, it is strategically located to the real journeys office ad very close to the lake wakatipu. the front entrance had some construction work going on, so the best way to get in would be through the back door right opposite the ice bar. they offer both an indoor and an al fresco dining experience while we chose the former. i was reading up a bit and found that a trattoria means an italian styled eating place which are not as formal as a ristorante but not too casual either. the decor with hues of white and red reminded me of the picture postcards that i had seen of some of the restaurants in the land of pizzas.
as we were ushered in, the enthusiastic stewards escorted us to our table with lots of enthusiasm and with lot of grace. we were offered a table close to the bar and was quite a perfect setting for an early lunch. i had informed them about my particular food preference being vegetarian food and with no mushrooms. although i don't particularly remember the lady who served us, she was a smart looking lady with a bob cut. she offered us exemplary and possibly exceptional service that possibly i have never come across in any restaurant thus far. with that said, our orders for the day included italian marinated tomato bruschetta and minestrone soup with a pesto topped garlic bread as side as out antipasti (appetizers) while we ordered a half & half pizza including crispy potato, onion jam, pesto and wild rocket and napoli sauce.
the first to arrive was the bruschetta. they are commonly eaten in italy as an antipasti consisting of grilled bread drizzled with garlic butter while topped with generous portions of olive oil and tomatoes. there are however other variants to include more vegetables. it comes from the ancient roman dialect of bruscare meaning roast over coal. history tells us that during the roman period, local olive growers used to bring their olives to the local olive press to sample their freshly pressed oil with toasted slices of garlic bread to accompany it with. the bruschetta served here was extremely flavorful with the right amount of seasoning including fresh basil. the next to arrive was the minestrone soup served with pesto infused garlic bread.
it is a thick soup or broth of italian origin made with lots of vegetables including tomatoes, onions including a generous helping of pasta. according to marcus apicius's cookbook de re coquinnaria described polus as a thick soup made with chickpeas, farro, onions, tomatoes, greens, garlic and was eaten as early as 30 ad which many believe as the earlier version of this fantastic soup. the introduction of potatoes and tomatoes from the americas in the mid sixteenth century made these vegetables as staples in today's times. for those who might want to know more, this style of cooking with rustic ingredients including local produce belonged to the style of cooking called cucina povera when translated meant poor man's kitchen. there are three forms of broth served in italy including zuppa, minestra and minestrone. the zuppa generally referred to tomato soups while minestra referred top more substantially heavy soups similar to a vegetable soup while the latter referred to a thicker and heavier broth similar to a stew which also included pasta or rice.
the soup served was almost a meal by itself with lots of seasonal vegetables including pasta. the vegetables for the day included carrots, onions, garlic, celery along with vegetable stock.the broth was heavy wit lots of pureed tomatoes and possibly the best minestrone soup i have had ever. the pesto infused garlic bread to accompany it with reminded me of the genovese traditions with the extensive use of pesto. our last order for the day included the half & half pizza. there were only two vegetarian options and the steward suggested that we try the best of worlds. modern pizzas had their origins from the town of naples in the 8th century while ancient history suggests that the greeks were eating similar flatbread with oils, herbs and cheese as old as the 6th century bc.
i ave never tried onion jams before an as a pizza topping was quite an enriching experience. i was told they use generous portions of red wine, honey, lemon juice and zest to caramelize the onions and they turn into a beautiful marmalade. they also added lots of rocket leaves which are called in different names in different parts of the world including arugula, rucola or roquette. while this portion of the pizza was an eclectic mix of sweet and sour flavors while the other half included the more traditional napoli sauce with fresh basil similar in taste to the margherita. it was a beautiful amalgamation of flavors and certainly a marriage made in heaven. prices are fairly high but definitely not as expensive as many of the other restaurants in this part of the world. a meal for two would cost around 60 odd dollars. overall, fantastic service, great tasting food and possibly one of the finest restaurants that i have visited which prides itself in traditional meeting nouvelle italian cuisine. definitely worth the experience.