Zamboni Is Bringing Northern Italian Cuisine, Negronis, And Niche Foccacia To Smales Farm

The genesis for Zamboni, Michael and Annette Dearth’s new restaurant that opens in Smales Farm on 1 November, started 12 years ago in northern Italy when Michael first ate Focaccia di Recco. An ultra-thin, crispy bread that is made without yeast, it’s topped with Scarmoza cheese and baked until it’s a bubbling, gluttonous pile of two of life’s greatest joys: carbs and cheese.

It may have taken over a decade, but he finally found a home for the dish: Zamboni. When they closed the doors to The Grove, the formative inner-city fine dining restaurant that, for more than 20 years, shaped what it meant to eat at a particular level in Auckland, Michael and Annette were content to simply focus on Baduzzi and take a bit of time to enjoy life. But the little nugget of that Focaccia di Recco kept turning, and a friendship with Greg and Felicity Smale turned into a decision to take on the sizeable space that used to be home to The Grange Bar & Bistro.

Trofie al pesto: Zamboni | Supplied

“We’ve known the Smales family for over 20 years,” Michael tells me. “Greg has dined at The Grove since the beginning, and we’ve kept in touch over the years. He comes into Baduzzi all the time, and we’d always talk about food. When we closed The Grove, we had a lot of phone calls from people asking us to get involved with projects.” Michael called Greg Smale to ask his advice on one of those potential projects. One thing led to another, and it became clear the perfect home for it was sitting in Smale’s own development on the North Shore. So they decided to go for it.

The name came to life naturally too. The zamboni—an enormous vehicle used to clean ice rinks—was invented by an Italian American, Frank J. Zamboni. So, there’s one obvious connection there. But there’s a personal note, too. Whenever they go out for dinner and order too much, Annette tells Michael it’s time to be a ‘human zamboni’ and finish the rest of the food. It felt like a slam dunk in terms of how they want the restaurant to be; a place that feeds you well, and speaks inherently to the duo’s Italian American heritage.

Campari-glazed ribs: Zamboni | Supplied

It’s hard to imagine, sitting under a terracotta-hued pergola in the corner of a courtyard filled with greenery, flowers, olive trees, herbs, and, curiously, three perfectly aged marble columns, that you’re in the heart of one of Auckland’s biggest transport hubs, in the middle of offices, commercial space, and hospital buildings. It’s a testament to designer Paul Izzard’s talent that he’s transformed a gargantuan restaurant and courtyard into a warm, engaging sun trap that has genuine personality. There’s an outdoor BBQ, which will host everything from long lunches, to snacks and bloody marys on market days, a private dining room that opens up to its own little section of the courtyard, and a series of sweeping banquettes occupying the centre of the dining rooms. There’s also a bar, fittingly lit by a sign that commands there is “no Negroni without Campari”, that’ll serve negronis, yes, but also two sip martinis, limoncello cocktails and, of course, spritzes galore.

Travel into the kitchen and you’ll see an enormous Josper grill. Michael lights up when I ask about it. “When you have a steak on that thing, oh my god,” he says. The idea is not that Zamboni is Baduzzi-on-the-Shore, nor is it trying to push towards The Grove’s standards. Instead, it’s more like a “cousin” to Baduzzi, but somewhere that really leans into the Italian-Americanness of it all, with a renewed focus on northern Italian cuisine. It helps that chef Federico Schincariol, who joins after five years at Baduzzi, comes from just outside of Venice, and has an intimate knowledge of the region’s food. “We say that Baduzzi is Rome to the south, with an Italian American expression” Michael tells me. “Whereas Zamboni is Rome to the north, which is cool because it’s on the North Shore.”

Chicken saltimbocca and lamb skewers: Zamboni | Supplied

In practice, that means a menu that features a number of niche regional dishes. Not just that pivotal Focaccia di Recco, but also bresaola with rocket and parmesan (the bresaola comes from Matangi in Havelock North), onion all Borretana with globe artichoke and balsamic, and classic Ligurian trofie al pesto with green beans and potato. On the American side of things, there’s oysters Rockefeller off the grill, Campari-glazed pork ribs, and New York cheesecake, plus, of course, spaghetti and Baduzzi meatballs. The antipasti section takes up an entire side of the menu, and includes mortadella, prosciutto, farinata, burrata, and more. On the other side of the restaurant, there’s the ‘dough room’ entirely dedicated to pasta (the team travelled to Italy to source what they call “the Ferrari of pasta machines”) and bread making.

Both Annette and Michael say that they’re not trying to reinvent the wheel in a city awash with great Italian restaurants, but more that they’re trying to create a destination in the pocket of the North Shore that hasn’t quite established itself as a restaurant hub. “It’s really about having a place to go to that they don’t have to cross the bridge for,” Annette explains. It’s hardly an unfamiliar concept either. When Baduzzi opened in Wynyard Quarter 14 years ago there was essentially just the fish market and nothing else. Now, the neighbourhood is a destination unto itself. “Build it and they will come,” Annette says. It couldn’t be more apt here.