Overview
Cheese is off the menu at Wellington's newest pizzeria. Well, the everyday dairy version, anyway. Nolita opens on Cuba Street as New Zealand's first plant-based pizza and pasta restaurant.
Capital city hospitality veterans Lydia Suggate, Maura Rigby and Maria Boyle had a vision to create plant-based food that is both delicious and better for you. At Nolita, their dough is freshly made each day using a rye sourdough starter. It's then fermented for 48 hours, which produces a tender and flavourful crust that is apparently easier to digest than other dough. The idea is that you wont feel bloated after eating a pizza here.
In the cheese department is cashew mozzarella which is made in-house and fermented using dairy-free culture. You can sample the above as well as plant-based smoked cheddar, parmesan and herbed cream cheese across nine pizzas.
There's your classic margherita with pomodoro sauce, fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil, another topped with creamy mushroom sauce, truffle oil and rocket, and a 'meaty' creation comprising lookalike versions of sausage, chorizo and pulled brisket.
Vegan pasta is another main event on the all-day menu. Spag bol lovers will be pleased to see a plant-based mince equivalent appear on the list with fresh tagliatelle — it can also be found on top of fries under the snacks section. The gnocchi is made with golden beetroot and then combined with sage butter, walnuts, parmesan and beetroot cream, while the orecchiette 'little ear' pasta comes with garlic, chilli, sun-dried tomato, Kalamata olives, broccoli and crispy capers.
It doesn't stop there; from early morning until after-dark you can order the likes of granola bowls, sourdough pancakes, scrambled tofu on toast, house-made polenta sticks and crumbed smoked cheese balls.
The drinks list has its roots in Italy, too, with wine, cocktails and one-litre carafes of spritzers all paying tribute to the motherland.
You can find Nolita at 203 Cuba Street, Te Aro. It's open seven days from 9am until late. For more information, visit nolita.co.nz.