Coming Soon: A Neighbourhood Pizza Joint From the Pici Team

Since it opened in late 2020, cosy K’ Road pasta restaurant Pici has been hugely popular for its simple but superb Italian fare. It’s the type of place where you could dine at least once a week – and now, the team is hoping to deliver a similar culinary experience with Ooh-Fa, a new pizza and wine bar on Dominion Road.

Opening at the start of August, Ooh-Fa will be in good company – right next to another highly regarded Auckland restaurant, yakitori and natural wine spot Omni.

Pici founders Gemma Hareb, Jono Thevenard and Kazuya Suzuki have joined forces with chef Fraser Childs for the project. Originally from Christchurch, Childs has been making pizza for over 15 years, including at The Mediterranean Food Co’s pizzeria and store. He’s been working at Pici for the last year and “it was obvious we had shared vision”, says Thevenard.

“We started Pici with the idea of a simplified, tasty offering – essentially, food to share and a vibe,” says Hareb. “The same ethos will very much apply to Ooh-Fa – except with pizza. We all really want to create an inviting neighbourhood spot. It feels like a very natural transition.”

The restaurant will be a cosy 22-seater venue with a “small, snacky sharing menu, including lots of seasonal vegetables”. Interior-wise, subtle nostalgic and retro details will nod to traditional pizza joints. The pizzas will have naturally fermented sourdough bases cooked in a hybrid gas-woodfire Italian oven, and sides will include dishes like whipped ricotta, roasted grapes and thyme.

There will, of course, be desserts – including in-house gelato – and the chefs are also looking to cure their own meats further down the track. In keeping with Pici’s approach, the wine list will span a mix of New Zealand and Italian options, with a focus on small producers with organic, biodynamic and sustainable growing practices.

And the name? Taken from an Italian expression, Ooh-Fa’s founders want guests to work out what it means to them when they visit. We can’t wait to find out.

Ooh-Fa will open early August at 357 Dominion Road, Mount Eden, Auckland.

@ooh-fa__

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