GET TO KNOW YOUR BYO with Kellie Larson

Alfredo’s Of Mairangi Bay

In the mood to dine in Mairangi Bay, this month a girlfriend and I decided to visit Alfredo’s Pizzeria Restaurant in The Mall at 404 Beach Road.
Alfredo’s is an institution in Mairangi Bay in the sense that it has been there for locals for over 15 years. And, as I used to live across the road and never frequented the restaurant, I thought it was time to give Alfredo’s a visit.
Walking into the restaurant, the charm of painted murals, wooden tables and a chalkboard pizza menu provided the ambience we were looking for from an Italian BYO. However, it was unfortunate that the atmosphere could not make-up for the incredibly frustrating service we received throughout our dining experience.
We waited 5-10 minutes to receive our menus, and when the owner finally dropped menus on our table, there was no hello or explanation of the specials that were written on the chalkboard menu. In fact, it was then that we noticed that the owner was the chef, and the waitress – and we practically had to wrangle her to get any details about the menu and our bottles of Pellegrino.
Not ready to order, and realising it might be awhile until we were able to place our orders, we quickly asked for some of the homemade garlic dough balls to get us started. These little morsels came out piping hot – a bit bland but yet a bit moreish at the same time.
For mains, we were unsure what to order, so we decided on a good mix – Chicken Tortellini in a Mushroom and Cream Sauce, Spaghetti with Mussels in a Napoletana Sauce and the Romana pizza with salami, capsicum and onions.
While the tortellini wasn’t homemade, it was tasty with fresh mushrooms and herbs throughout the sauce. I wish we had saved some of the garlic dough balls to dip in the cream sauce, as this would have made them perfect.
Both the spaghetti and the pizza were exactly what we expected – perhaps a tiny bit heavy – but filled with mussels and toppings. Classic Italian flavours.
To finish, we indulged in a piece of Tiramisu, which we had to go up to the counter to order even though at this point there was no one else in the restaurant. The Tiramisu was lovely – although the ice cream on the side was a bit flavourless and unnecessary.
With a great atmosphere and local tradition, it was a bit disappointing to receive such poor service – and not even receive an apology at the end for all the waiting we endured. However, the food was decent and the prices even better, so if you aren’t expecting someone to bend over backwards for you while you dine – this may be the place to come enjoy some wine, some basic spaghetti and some laughs.

BYOs are often viewed as the “cheap” alternative, not a dining experience. I’d like to think this isn’t entirely true. BYOs on the North Shore are integral to the local restaurant scene that we love to rely on for great food and a friendly atmosphere. Relaxed, in a good way. Not lacking in flavour. Just delicious, enjoyable dining experiences in our local communities. But these BYOs aren’t always easy to find. Online searches produce very little for the North Shore, and personal references tend to only take you to someone’s local Thai restaurant. So I have placed it upon myself to seek out the best BYO experiences to add to my “black book” of restaurants.

Kellie Larson is a local ‘foodie’ who lives in Takapuna.
Email: kellie@channelmag.co.nz