If you’ve been to Auckland, chances are you would also have been to Britomart. Britomart is home to restaurants, bars, shops and of course the train station. We’ve fallen in love with Ortolana and totally recommend that if you’re ever in Auckland you should check it out.
Always asking questions and wanting to know more, Kirsty from the EziBuy team questions Monique from Ortolana about the restaurant, and even gets a special recipe for Life & Style Your Way readers!
How did Ortolana come about?
Ortolana was born out of a desire to offer a true farm-to-table dining experience right in the heart of Auckland city. New Zealand has some of the best quality produce in the world, and we wanted to utilise this fresh, seasonal fare – some of it from our very own farm at Kumeu – to create a simple, european-inspired menu where the food speaks for itself.
Where does the name Ortolana come from?
It’s Italian for gardener or market garden. For us it symbolises that important relationship between our land and the food we consume.
You also have another restaurant, Milse. Tell us about this?
Milse is Auckland’s first dessert-only restaurant and patisserie. It serves exquisite gateaux, tarts, verrines and stick gelato. It’s pretty much a mecca for dessert devotees! Milse is nestled right beside us in the Britomart Pavilions, making it easy for our customers at Ortolana to enjoy a sweet ending to their dining experience.
What foods are you most excited to experiment with this winter?
The ingredients I’m looking forward to using this winter include persimmons, feijoas, brassicas and pears. They are super seasonal and full of beautiful flavours.
Millet and Nut Granola
[ingredients title=”Ingredients”]
- 400g Quick Cook Oats
- 100g Puffed Millet
- 100g Pumpkin Seeds
- 100g Sunflower Seeds
- 200g Macadamia Nuts
- 200g Almonds
- 100g Butter
- 160g Honey
[/ingredients][directions title=”Directions”]
- Melt and combine honey and butter over low heat.
- Mix all other ingredients together in a large bowl.
- When butter and honey have combined, pour over nuts and seeds and mix thoroughly (you might want to use gloves for this).
- Spread out on tray lined with baking paper. Cook at 150*C med fan.
- Every 12 mins take out of oven and mix/stir to break up the mix and cook evenly.
- Cook for 1 hour approximately until golden.
- Allow to cool, then rub the mix through your hands to separate.
[/directions]
Ortolana Restaurant
Have you already been to Britomart? What was your favourite meal you tried? Let us know in the comments below.
