Vivace (Auckland CBD, New Zealand)

I never knew a place this big and spacious ever existed on High St as most of the establishments here are tiny, little that I realize there can be a second floor where they can occupy such a vast area (compared to NZ standards). Vivace located just beside the small establishments in High St is a Mediterranean Restaurant and Bar where they serve anything from tapas to pasta and that’s what we exactly tried when we dined in here.

Skipping the task of choosing what to eat we just head over and got the $45.00 set menu where it contains a tapas selection then a choice of mains (as shown on the menu).

The tapas selection was good and what was served first was the ciabatta with the Pate of Chicken liver, bacon and thyme; and Roast red pepper, artichoke, crème fraiche, sun flower seeds and paprika dip. I loved the pate and it was smooth and creamy, really nice on that crusty ciabatta.

Next served was the Spicy beef meatballs with a rich tomato ragout; Salt and pepper squid with salsa verde; Egyptian chicken tulips with cucumber and mint yoghurt; and Mushrooms in an herb and parmesan crumb with chilli. As expected everything in this plate was amazing, especially the mushrooms.

After some entrees we had some wine, I had some Fiorini Chianti Superiore Tuscany 2012, with pairs well with the meatballs, chicken and the pasta that we ordered. This wine is a deep ruby red with an intense fruity bouquet, well rounded but not that bold due to it’s fruity with violet notes. I loved it.

Then the mains came in starting with the Harissa lamb fillets salad with roasted kumara, pequillo peppers stuffed with feta, potato crisps on mixed greens with tsaziki and mint dressing. The lamb was cooked to perfection and the potato crisps was a nice addition to give a nice texture and flavour to the salad.

Then the next mains was the Chilli prawns spaghetti with lemon, capers, onion, garlic and more chillies, though chillies are mentioned twice it’s not that hot and just enough to tickle your senses. The amount of heat in this dish was well thought of which makes the pasta real delicious.

The food was great, the place was amazing definitely a good restaurant worth recommending.

Vivace Restaurant
Address: Level 1, 50 High St, Auckland 1010
Phone: +649 302 2303
Website: http://www.vivacerestaurant.co.nz/