Ada

Since my first visit to Hugo’s Bistro all those years ago, I’ve been chasing chef Alfie Ingham’s tail all over town, so to speak, waiting to taste what he cooks next. After Hugo’s he had a stint at XO Mangal with Sammy Akuthota, a super fun and spicy pop-up on K’Rd. He had a residency at Rose’s Dining Room before his newest tenure as the head chef at Ada. 

Ada is housed in a beautifully restored abbey that is both boutique hotel as well as a restaurant and I dined there when it first opened several years ago. Back then it had a decidedly Italian streak, having been opened by the Cotto kids but I always felt it was the weaker of its siblings. Ingham has put his own stamp on the place and taken it in a broader, more European bistro direction with delightful consequences. 

Ada’s dining room is always a bit of a showstopper, with rustic cream stucco walls meeting black-trimmed, plate-glass ceilings to close off what was the outdoor space between two buildings. An iron-wrought chandelier hints at its theological origins and indoor foliage creates a lush feel. The service was impossible to fault: friendly, attentive, and with a bit of X-factor. We two diners were both alcohol averse (me forever, her because of her temporary passenger) and were well watered with the complimentary sparkling water and their non-alcoholic cocktails, an Italian spritz and the Harmonia, a botanical mix of elderflower, lime, blueberries and soda. I’d almost liken the latter to Welch’s grape, on steroids. 

Everything is designed to share here (the only kind of menu I care for), from wee bites of gildas to plates heaped with beefy heirloom tomatoes. We started with focaccia and the intriguingly named parmesan fritters. The focaccia was excellent, a crispy top with a spongey bottom, drizzled with a verdant garden pesto. I appreciated the restraint exercised with regards to the volume of olive oil used to make it; as of late I sometimes struggle to tell if I’ve ordered bread or a deep-fried fritter. Speaking of fritters, the parmesan ones were a surprise and delight. I had imagined them to be tuiles of crispy fried cheese. Instead a well portioned bowl of golden nuggets not dissimilar to beignets arrived, expertly frittered so that they were hot and fluffy in the middle, but with a crispy exterior that was dry as a bone and showered in a cloud of parmesan. All of this doesn’t sound like something light on paper but it was in reality. 

We next took full advantage of summer by ordering the heirloom tomatoes with peach and buffalo curd; the ricotta agnolotti with sweetcorn and brown butter; and the red deer with endive, cherries and smoked bone marrow. And my, my did we order well. As I mentioned earlier, a veritable pile of roughly hewn heirloom tomatoes were nestled with white and golden peaches on a bed of creamy buffalo curd with  basil oil forming a vibrantly green moat around said mound. The produce was wonderful, the tomatoes meaty. This is the first time I’ve come across buffalo curd and I’m all for it. It created a creamy and velvety sauce less rich than a cheese and without the acidity of a yoghurt. 

The agnolotti was a rather perfect plate of pasta, wee parcels of ricotta which had a beautiful bite and an almost popping sensation in the mouth. It perfectly seasoned and on a swirl of smooth corn puree with cobbles of fresh sweetcorn. The brown butter created a subtle, caramelly flavour without the grease and gall many lesser dishes deliver, it was all well-balanced perfection. 

The red deer was another faultless dish, divinely executed medium rare with a smokiness throughout  lent by the smoked bone marrow (which also made an appearance as jovial, yellow cubes of cinder). They said there’d be smoked bone marrow in this dish and they delivered on it. The wedge of endive had been charred, turning it from crispy to al dente, its bitterness pleasantly mild and intermingling beautifully with the rich jus and fresh and pickled cherries. This dish, like all the others, is designed to share but I can see myself coming back and having one all to myself. 

The dessert line up is also a stellar one and we hummed and hawed at length before deciding on the vanilla rice pudding with strawberries. The ice cream based dishes (yes, there is more than one!) were the other hot, or should I say cold contenders and the waitstaff, empathising with our plight, kindly gave us a sample of the fig leaf ice cream to try all well. The rice pudding was something I can imagine Nigella Lawson enjoying, simplistic but excellent. The rice pudding base was almost custard like in texture and not too rich, intermittently punctuated by pearls of barely there rice and matched by slightly tart, lightly stewed strawberries which, I believe, may have had a hint of white balsamic. EVOO and ice cream, it is a thing, and paired with the almost herbal flavour of the fig leaf, made this a very grown-up little sundae with crunches of almost bitter honey comb and pops of fresh raspberry. 

I liked Hugo’s Bistro, a lot, but I love Ada with Ingham at its helm even more. I’m already thinking about which friend (or husband), to lure into coming to dinner with me again. Some of the dishes I’ve yet to try will have a fleeting season (baked custard with blackberries and thyme; shishito peppers, ado blanco, grapes and almonds) so I must hurry. Do I have any takers?

Ada
454 Great North Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland 1021
Ph. +64 210 909 0101
@ada_akl