5 July 2010

ORTEGA FISH SHACK

There’s lots to love about Ortega. The rooms are eclectically decorated with a diverse assortment of both collectable and forgettable art, the walls a calming shade of pale sea green, and there’s a vibrancy that could only be Wellington where casual youths in their sneakers and sweaters sit alongside the prescriptive suits of the capital. The youthful staff managed by the effervescent Anna Limacher and her partner Dave McDonald are enthusiastic and on the ball. The wine list with more than 80 choices ranges through everything you’d wish for and the kitchen, with veteran of the site Mark Limacher and his old head chef Peter Collins, from Bastille days (formerly at this address), managing to keep the fishy treats flowing with changes to the menu daily according to the market.

I have been twice and felt well fed and looked after on both occasions. We ate lovely sautéed squid with Lisbon pork sausage and sweet potato, although I felt the chipotle oil dominated a tad too much. Maybe squid does need spicing up? The hot and sour coconut broth hits all the right notes on a chilly Wellywood evening when the notorious Wellyweather is showing its bad side. I was looking for the sauté of scampi tails with celeriac and butter sauce I loved on my first visit, but it had changed into a goat cheese cannelloni with fennel and scampi tails with lemon oil on my second dinner which did not quite reach the same heights. The snapper with a dense ratatouille and crayfish oil was a triumph and so was pan roasted gurnard with beetroot and chickpea salad with green coconut chutney. The small tight dessert menu is completely outshone by a stunning properly ripened and cared for cheese selection to finish the dining experience well.

Subtle spices, intriguing combinations and a definite casualness in the food and presentation that I love. But I was left pondering afterwards that my personal expectations of a ‘fish shack’ were not quite met. I adore fresh shellfish and I had in my mind there would be an abundance of clams, tuatuas, pipis, paua etc but oysters and mussels were all that were offered. And no fish and chips! In deference to the clientele no doubt, favourites from Bastille have crept onto the menu. Duck Liver Pate and fillet steak with Café de Paris butter and chips. Vegetarian restaurants never offer meat to the carnivores so why does a fish restaurant have meat?

16 Marjoribanks St, Wellington ph 04 382 9559