Aug 18, 2012 Restaurants
118 Ponsonby Rd, Ponsonby. Ph 378-7979.
ellacafe.co.nz
Lunch Wednesday-Friday; dinner Tuesday-Saturday & roast on Sunday;
brunch Saturday-Sunday 10am-3pm.
They’re still doing the Sunday roasts at Ella — a rotating offering of beef, pork, lamb, chicken — and it’s still delightful. But then, pretty much everything is delightful at Ella. We think the best way to think of this eatery is not as a denizen of the Ponsonby strip but as a treasured local bistro. Proprietor Erwin Zimmet, who has been in the game a long time, clearly revels in his work, and that rubs off on pretty much everything: great bistro food, a warm buzzy atmosphere among the customers, staff such as Katie Schmidt (above) who love their work. They open for brunch on the weekends, and in the afternoons and evenings, Ella also functions as a wine bar, with lots available by the glass, lots of great bargain offerings (bargains for Ponsonby) and some pretty impressive wine at the top end, too. Care for a bottle of “the best rioja in the world” with that roast?
A favourite dish: Veal schnitzel with German potato salad.
$$$ | V | FR | PR | G | B | CL what’s this?
