Miss Margherita was bland - it needed salt to counteract the sweetness of the base in which, incomprehensibly, manuka honey is used - while the other, with a topping of lamb shoulder, gorgonzola and dates, was way out of balance, with the dates and gorgonzola fighting it out. It was just wrong.
We were assured it was proving to be one of the most popular pizzas, which, frighteningly, I don't doubt is true. My conclusion is, there's better pizza than this in Auckland.
But unexceptional pizza was not enough to spoil our night. Though Blunderbuss bills itself as all about pizza and vino, its real strength lies squarely with the small plates. They're like a whole different restaurant and when you remember it's Honeyman - of The Commons in Takapuna - in charge of the menu, it makes perfect sense.
He has a way with flavour so there are interesting twists, like the miraculously light parmesan custard on the small, flavoursome meatballs, the mere hint of orange in the courgette and radicchio ribbon salad that brings it alive, and the dazzlingly fresh snapper with its aioli wonderfully heavy with anchovy.
A pumpkin and ricotta-stuffed pasta is heavenly, accompanied by an inventive chickpea and tomato relish and the portobello mushrooms that come with the fried haloumi, tasted nostalgically of having been cooked on a campfire. Polenta crisps were a delicious mix of crunch and creaminess but, like a few of the dishes we ate, were overly salty, a fact confirmed when I woke in the night, unreasonably parched.
Having our leftover pizza boxed up meant we had room for a dessert - a dense chocolate mousse with a macadamia crumb, a dab of dulce de leche and gelato; good enough to have qualified for any fine dining menu.
Blunderbuss is already doing a steady trade and my guess is it will stay that way, given the drift towards dining that doesn't require too much effort. For me, places like this make me appreciate even more those eateries, not all of them fine dining or even top of the line, where the experience expands and moves you, either through dishes of such delightful originality or food that comforts and transports me to the familiar. Had I gone to Blunderbuss for a slice of Italy, I'd have been disappointed. As it is, there's sufficient fun, intrigue and comfort for a casual night out.
From the menu: Pumpkin & ricotta lumaconi $10, Fried haloumi $12.50, Italian meatballs $9.50, Tempura market fish $12, Polenta crisps $6.50, Courgette Ribbons $11, Margherita pizza $15, Angello pizza $15.50, Chocolate mousse $10
Drinks: Sangria, cocktails, Italian beer on tap
