Mahi Eats: Oohfa - The New Pizza Spot
BY MAHI K
I rate Oohfa on the three things I care about when I go out to eat - the Price, Quality and the Quantity.
5 October
Ya girl loves to try new restaurants, cafes and bars so here’s where I try the new spots and waste my money so you don’t have to!
Nestled in a corner on Dominion road, a pizza and wine bar from the creators of Auckland’s treasured Pici has recently opened. Whilst not quite a hole in the wall, Oohfa oozes with an intimate and homely vibe. With limited tables and seating, an open bar and an open kitchen with a wood fired pizza oven, it screams elegant and authentic yet unpretentious. The neutral colour palette of grey walls, low hanging dim lights and the dark green ceilings invoke feelings of a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Adding to being an authentic and unique dining experience, Oohfa also doesn’t do takeaways. You dine in and get the all-encompassing escapade, or nothing at all.
Oohfa has a wine list with a focus on New Zealand wines but also features imports from Italy. Conversely, a limited yet considered cocktail list comprises only 4 cocktails. To start, I had a gin and tonic (my go to drink of choice), and to pair with my meal, I had a glass of a Hawkes Bay Pinot Noir which was earthy and went with the flavours of the pizzas.
In my honest opinion, the food was nothing short of exquisite. To start, we ordered Woodfired carrots placed on a bed of whipped ricotta with pistachios to top ($16). As an entree this was absolutely delectable. The ricotta was so light and fluffy, and the carrots were soft and sweet.
The pizzas are an absolute show stopper here (I mean, it is a pizza bar…). The Tomato, Garlic, Oregano and Stracciatella pizza ($20) was basic, yet absolutely divine. With a chilli oil to pair (how’d they know that my Indian taste buds require chilli based condiments always), I couldn’t fault this pizza at all. Although it is merely a classic tomato and garlic pizza, the stracciatella was creamy and a little sour which made the pizza taste like something I’ve not quite had before. As they are wine bar pizzas, they aren’t necessarily big (would say 4 slices a pizza) so we were seriously considering a second order of this pizza.
The Mushroom, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano and Thyme pizza ($19) was also inexplicably tasty. For a girl that can’t stomach dairy, I sure love cheese. The funkier it smells, the more I like it. Gorgonzola is a blue cheese, so if you can’t hack stinky cheese, this may not be for you, but this pairing was *chef's kisses.* Whilst the mushrooms were soft and juicy with their slightly earthy flavour, gorgonzola (in a true full flavoured cheese fashion) was the predominant flavour adding a sharp, salty and nutty taste. I really wanted another one of this but had to force myself to dial it back.
To finish, we tried the Buffalo Milk Panna Cotta with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Sea Salt ($12). The flavours in this confused me. Whilst the panna cotta itself was creamy and sweet, it was doused in olive oil and sea salt which made each bite saltier than I’d anticipated and unfortunately it wasn’t a dessert I’d ever get again. It reminded me of the Pici cheesecake which is similarly topped with olive oil, sea salt and lemon zest, which I’m also not a huge fan of, but hey, clearly everyone else is.
Now, for the PQQ rating:
Price: 8.5/10. I think it’s well priced, especially as that first pizza without the stracciatella is only $15 (although the stracciatella makes it so I wouldn't recommend dropping it).
Quality:9.5/10 because I could not fault any of the flavours in the pizzas I tried. To say I thought they were delightful is an understatement. I’m only deducting 0.5 for the dessert, and that’s purely off personal preference too (my friend liked the dessert).
Quantity: 7.5/10. I understand the concept of a wine bar pizza and that they’re not meant to be huge, but we honestly could have done 4 pizzas between us 2. There was definitely room for more to be desired.
At an overall 8.5/10, I think this is a perfect spot for your next squad dinner. To get bang for your buck, a group is optimal so that you can try as many pizzas as possible. I absolutely loved Oohfa and am counting down the days till I can go back to try more of the pizzas.
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