MariLuca Ristoro - Wellington

Giuseppe Malaponti has spent the past 16 years as a meeter and greeter at three high-profileWellington restaurants (Zino’s, Il Casinoand Hummingbird). It should come asno surprise then, that he has got thingsright with his own restaurant debut.

MariLuca is the former Maria Pia’sTrattoria, which grew into a Wellingtoninstitution during the 11 years of itsexistence. Like Maria Pia’s, MariLucahas a family focus: the name is acontraction of Giuseppe’s children’snames, Marina and Gianluca, whileon the wall a cluster of family photos includes a classic of his grandfather riding a donkey in the wilds of Sicily.

Grandpa’s oft-quoted maximsare also written on the wall in bold, scrolled lettering, such as, “Carni fa carni, pani fa panza, vino fa danza.” (Meat makes meat, bread makesa belly, wine makes dance.) You might well break out into song and dance at MariLuca, but in truth the place is a bit posh now.

No longer a bohemian trattoria, it’s now a fully fledged ristoro, as evidenced by the starched white tablecloths and the presence of sommeliers, who elucidate the arcane, but wonderful Italian and local wine list.

That makes sense, given this restaurant’s location in well-heeled Thorndon. Housed in a discreet old brick building over the road from Old St Paul’s, MariLuca is smack bang in the middle of the diplomatic missions and a mere stone’s throw from Parliament and the head offices of the civil service.

Against the snooty stereotype, all sommeliers here are friendly, helpful and not at all condescending.

Nonetheless, some customers have been intimidated into displaying their very best table manners, as in the couple seen laboriously eating their bruschetta with knives and forks.

Although there are one or two rather charming experimental dishes, such as individually sauteed whitebait with linguine, lemon and parsley, for the most part the menu is composed of Italian classics, both ancient and modern, but not necessarily well known.

From Naples there’s impepata di cozze (steamed mussels, white wine, black pepper, herbs and crostini); from Sicily, pesce al cartoccio (fish baked with bay leaf, olives and sliced lemon).

Pollastretta alla diavola – grilled spatchcock with chilli and herbs served with garlic spinach – is meltingly tender, being literally a baby chicken, while agnolotti alla Piemontese (braised beef parcels with butter and sage) are fashioned from the beautifully thin, firm sheets of pasta made by Roberto Giorgioni of Bongusto Pasta.

Potato gnocchi, one of those notoriously difficult dishes to get feather-light without actually breaking up, is consistently brilliant here, served Sicilian-style with parmesan, mascarpone and a goodly sprinklingof chopped pistachio.

Nor is the saltimbocca to be missed – creamy, milk-fed veal is cooked with Parma ham and fresh sage, which gently infuse their flavour into the veal and are not ruined by being overly crisp.

To finish, it’s hard to go past the torta di mandorle e arance – ground almond and orange cake – even more delicious with a scoop of caramel gelato.

So much of what passes for Italian cooking in Kiwi restaurants is a travesty, which makes the real Italian fare here all the more a treasure.

55-57 Mulgrave St, Thorndon, ph: 04-499 5590, mariluca.co.nz
Lunch Tues-Fri 11am-2pm, dinner Mon-Sat 5.30pm-9.30pm
Mains $29.50-$33.50