Style: May 06, 2022

58 Style | Food
Central Otago’s ‘Little Italy’
Eat, drink and be merry Ben Bayly-style with these exclusive-to-Style recipes
from the top chef’s latest South Island venture.
Following on from the success of celebrated Kiwi chef
Ben Bayly’s southern enterprise Aosta, Arrowtown
has been treated to a second delicious offering in the
form of “bambino”, Little Aosta, a family-friendly, fast-paced
trattoria offering dine-in and takeaway options for
locals and visitors alike.
The cuisine of both eateries is inspired by Northern
Italian cooking techniques paired with ingredients from
Aotearoa’s south. The namesake city of Aosta is in an alpine
valley near the meeting point of the Italian, French and
Swiss Alps, where Ben lived and cooked for four years in
the area as a young chef, and which shares similar latitude,
elevation, climate, flora, fauna and soil characteristics with
Central Otago’s Southern Alps.
It was during his time in the region that Ben’s love of
Italian cooking was born, and his Arrowtown eateries
fuse that inspiration with almost exclusively local products
and produce from selected growers, fishermen, hunters,
foragers and other suppliers.
Ben says he and his family have fallen in love with
Arrowtown, and bringing the Little Aosta concept to life
had been on his mind since opening Aosta three years ago.
“I wanted a casual, fun and chaotic little Italian place that
complemented Aosta well – a place that was focused on
simple, delish Italian food with zero faff,” he says.
The menu is designed to bring the magic of an
authentic multi-generational Italian home into the heart
of Arrowtown and capture the essence of pared-back
Northern Italian food.
“Look for great cuts seared over the wood-fired grill
and sourdough pizzettas out of the wood-fired pizza oven,
paired with interesting, entertaining and affordable wines by
the carafe,” says Ben.
Designed for sharing, the menu also has a sense of fun
that will appeal to the young and young at heart – with
dishes such as polpette (Italian meatballs), organic fritto
misto (Italian chicken nuggets) and a Havoc ham and woodfired
pineapple pizzetta that’s sure to be a talking point.