Prego, Ponsonby

By EWAN McDONALD for viva

You know you're in Ponsonby when ...

The only petrol station closes down and another hairdressing chain moves in.

All the little Olivers and Charlottes drink fluffies and eat gourmet pizzas instead of Cokes and Macca's.

A restaurant owner buys a multimillion-dollar mansion that used to belong to one of his best, late and lamented, customers.

The whole suburb knows about any or all of the above and bothers to talk about it.

Yes, after adventures in Birkenhead and Wellington we are back in Ponsonby this week.

Those who hang out in this part of town know the rest of New Zealand thinks they live in an endless tape-loop of Friends. In reality, Ponsonby is a village, even if the corner store is sprawling Victoria Park New World.

Outsiders think the locals spend most of their day in cafes sipping latte. Yes, they do tend to meet in cafes. That's how villages work. In England they call them pubs, in France and Italy and Spain they call them cafes, on Seinfeld they call them delis or diners.

Ponsonby locals aren't fazed by seeing the stars of Shortland Street. They have to queue behind them at the checkout. If it's not Dr Warner, it's that nice lady from up the street who just won another Oscar.

Ponsonby has been growing this way for almost 20 years and throughout that time - since 1986, for those who want to be pedantic - Prego has been part of the landscape.

As much as the word has become a cliche, it is an icon. To put it into perspective, a study by the grandiosely named Foundation for Science, Research and Technology found that just 21 per cent of the licensed premises trading in an Auckland suburb in 1990 were still dishing out drinks and serving food in 2000. Add four years to either end of that, and you'd have halved it: one out of 10. If you don't have access to a research grant you can conduct the same survey by walking from one end of Ponsonby Rd to the other, and come up with a similar answer: Prego and the Star Horse.

Pressed to come up with a reason for its success, try one word: consistency.

Prego has changed ownership just once in the past 18 years.

So, if you have not got the point already, Prego is Ponsonby's kitchen. And it is one of the few restaurants that are world-famous outside New Zealand. Google "prego restaurant auckland" and you'll read:

"Consistently great food in stylish surroundings"

"Prego has style! It is undoubtedly one of the best quality venues in Ponsonby, both for the excellent food and friendly competent service. Elegant in design and style, it achieves a sophisticated but unpretentious air."

"Everyone's favourite for casual, friendly dining with great pasta, pizza and wood-fired roasts. Large, noisy and usually crowded, the restaurant has a no bookings policy that means that, as long as you are prepared to wait at the bar, you can usually score a table within 20 to 40 minutes. Don't miss the fresh-from-the-oven loaf to start."

Which pretty much covers it. That oven-baked loaf, which has been a Prego trademark from damn-near Day One, is the best way to start any visit, and still tastes better with butter than with oil and balsamic. Antipodes, a far more recent arrival, is rapidly becoming our water of choice, and makes an excellent damper, so to speak.

From here in, you're on your own. The pizzas are the best between Orewa and Drury, the grills - simply prepared chicken or beef or pork - have never let us down. The staff are among the slickest and best trained in town; they have to be, to keep the place and the pace up. Meals are not cheap but are generous.

The specials are not always earth-moving experiences. Last week I ordered Feaver-Gross' maiale and went on a wayward excursion into little slices of pork loin that had been stuffed with olive tapenade (is there any other kind?) and mozzarella and served on rather sloppy sliced, braised cabbage with a loose risotto. Ann was smart enough to choose and enjoy hapuka, simply baked with lemon and herbs on a better-bound risotto.

So, a bum note. One or two in 18 years ain't bad ... and the specials change this week.

Open: Seven days from noon

Owner: Kelvin Gibson

Manager: Krishna Botica

Head chef: Justin Feaver-Gross

Food: Italian

On the menu: Linguini Vegetariano (pasta, roast pinenuts, pumpkin, pesto, seasonal vegetables) $22; Insalata di Gamberetti (king tiger prawns pan-seared on rocket, mozzarella and red onion confit salad with smoked paprika oil $32

Vegetarian: All over the shop

Wine: 22 bianchi, 23 rossi, a middle-of-the-road selection at reasonable prices

Noise: No music but more buzz than a Kaingaroa chainsaw

Parking: Two dedicated carparks next door plus the Strip

Disabled access/toilets: Easy entry but toilets are upstairs

Bottom line: Prego is the place where everybody knows your name, or at least the CV of your last real estate sale or purchase. And it is one of the few restaurants world-famous outside New Zealand. Sophisticated but unpretentious food and wine, among the slickest and best-trained staff in town.

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