Review: Andiamo, Herne Bay

Pappardelle with beef cheek and tomato ragu and the confit duck leg at Andiamo. Photo / Dean Purcell

Address: 194 Jervois Road, Herne Bay
Phone: (09) 378 7319
Rating out of 10: Food: 7, Service: 7, Value: 8, Ambience: 8

The maxim states that familiarity breeds contempt. But encountering something tried and tested may also be very welcome. When you want to slip into something comfortable, well-worn shoes are traditionally a better bet than a new pair.

There will be very few customers at Andiamo who are not familiar with the main elements of their established menu. Sure, some of the trimmings have an element of novelty but the backbone of the offerings is the standard Italian restaurant fare. There's your pasta and risotto, the antipasto platter, the osso bucco, the tiramisu and there's nothing wrong with any of that, provided it's done well. As the packed nature of the place demonstrates, the customers here believe it is.

It is a fairly big restaurant but the service is efficient and engaging and the atmosphere lively, possibly fuelled by selections from one of the best drinks and wine lists around.

My usual inclination is to leave fairly soon after the end of a meal but, here, it was so mellow that we lingered for a good while before venturing back into the reality of the outside world.

We had been well fed. There wasn't much of a test for the kitchen in our first choice but the excellence of the Mahurangi oysters testified that Andiamo uses good suppliers.

The calamari with prosciutto and pickled jalapeno was standard but the chicken liver pate was really punchy and set off by the sweet blandness of the pickled beetroot. The seared tuna was good, served with a tuna mayonnaise and a little fig and olive salad.

The mains list featured that well-known Italian speciality, a Thai chicken curry, but we passed in favour of more customary dishes.

The pappardelle, with a beef cheek and tomato ragu, served in generous quantity pleased its receiver and would, I think, have satisfied most Italians. The fish of the day, hapuku with scallops, was excellent. This fish can be tricky and sometime arrives with an unpleasant underdone texture but, here, it was moist, firm and appetising.

The confit duck leg was similarly well done with butter beans and tortellini and was declared a success. My chargrilled eye fillet was delivered on the rare side of medium, exactly as requested, and the accompaniment of red cabbage and beef cheek cannoli was well-judged.

We had ordered a couple of sides and one, the mushrooms roasted with anchovy and pinot grigio, took the title of the evening's best dish, not over-oily but rich and full of flavour. The insalata tiepida di piselli was dominated by peas with the chilli, mozzarella and mint only hinting at their presence.

By this time I thought I had run out of dessert room but then I noticed the gorgonzola, which I rarely resist. It was a good example, well kept and deliciously creamy. The tiramisu was acceptable without being outstanding and outshone by the intensity of the chocolate torte, which received an enthusiastic response.

As another old maxim goes, there's nothing here to frighten the horses. But, if you are looking for a welcoming, professionally accomplished experience, you are likely to go away happy.

Our meal: $353 for four first courses, four mains and two side dishes, two desserts and one cheese. Plus one bottle of wine.

Wine list: A full list that ranges widely in geography and variety and is rather too much of a temptation. We particularly enjoyed a Matua 2013 Hawkes Bay Albarino, a rarely encountered and refreshing varietal.

Verdict: Relaxed, comfortable, though with enough atmosphere from the Herne Bay faithful to keep it lively. Sound food, professionally delivered.