OOH-FA — Restaurant in Albert-Eden

Ooh-fa-cking delicious is two words to put this bustling place. A small cozy drinks and pizza bar nestled into a hole in the wall esque place, on the busy streets of Dominion Rd.

First of all where do I start? Nevermind, I'll start at the beginning. We walked in without reservations and it was popping off for a Sunday. We were quoted a 20 min wait and after a quick casual car jam sesh, we were promptly seated at the bar. The gentleman at the bar, James, was super knowledgeable and helped us pick a few wines and cocktails. He even explained the terroir and insider information in some of the alcohol they used. Drinks were good, just trust the dude he knows what he's on about.

Next the starters/small dishes. We had 3, as suggested and honestly it was the right amount to begin the meal. Marinated green and black olives, juicy, salty, zesty, tasty af. If you don't like olives, don't order these. They're olives. Pickled veg and bagna cauda. Kinda like giardiniera, a simple assortment of various veg, with rich garlicky anchovyish sauce on the side. Sour, piquant, refreshing, tasty af. Carrots and ricotta. A simple humble dish, my fav of the trio today. Carrots, normally a peasant food, elevated and transformed. Served on whipped ricotta, with mint and scatterings of herbs. Sweet, creamy, tangy, herby, tasty af.

Pizzas. Normally, calling a place a pizza bar kinda cheapens a place up. But it is what it is. Ooh-fa serves pizzas. And they are excellent at it.

A basic tomato based pizza, I guess their version of a Margherita pizza? Added stracciatella for healthy oomph and it was worth it. The woodfired dough was crisp and almost hazelnutty in a sense. Simple, elegant and tasty af. Nduja pizza special. Drizzled with chili honey, sweet at first, but then warmth from the nduja encapsulated the mouth blended into something nice. Spicy, sweet, zingy, tasty af. Both these pizzas were juicy af, kinda strange to describe a pizza, but works out perfectly using the warm crust to mop up the juice and a cap of ranch they kindly provided. And chili oil. White people spicy but still a welcome accompaniment to the pizzas.

Oh we also had a little dessert. A buffalo milk panna cotta, if you know the og Pici cheesecake it's like that but panna cotta. Lemony, rich, decadent, tasty af. Perfect end to the night.

Final verdict yeah it's pree good. Go for a good time, good wine, good vibes. Or don't. Save some more pizza and things for me. Pizza word...

I was really excited for the launch of Ooh-fa as am a huge fan of it's sister restaurant, Pici. Got a walk in spot with a friend at 5.15pm on a Thursday. It's been booked out for weeks so I was quietly chuffed.

I started with a glass of the organico pet nat. I've loved this wine for a little while and I was very happy to see if on the menu.

We began with the roasted carrot dish which I couldn't fault. Complex flavours and diverse textures. We then moved into pizzas. The waiter suggested 2 sides and 3 pizzas between two as the pizza's are small. While the size comment is true, this would have been far too much food.

We ended up ordering two pizzas and the leafy salad. The first tomato pizza with stracciatella was easily the star with it's puffy crust and high quality toppings. Simplicity done well. Our second pizza, of potato and prosciutto, couldn't be faulted technically but was equally nothing to write home about. Maybe we should have opted for another flavour.

I was disappointed by the rocket side salad as was excited for a zingy kick to cut through the rich flavours and breadiness of our other meal components but there was lots of delicately grated parmesan and not much grapefruit dressing in sight.

Our waiter / bar tender was very friendly and attentive and kindly made us impromptu tin foil doggy bags for our leftovers when our alloted dining time came to an end. Extra points awarded for him!

Overall, would still recommend Ooh-fa and will return again for round 2 but probably won't be adding it to my regular rotation like my...

Been here before and enjoyed it but this time it was a total stunner. Consistency was everywhere and the food was expressive, fresh, and consistently delicious. Got a lovely pet-nat to share which might be my new favourite drink.

Starters: Gabagool - just some cured meat, you get what you order! Carrots with Ricotta & Pistachios - Woodfired, sweet, gorgeous carrots with that ricotta and a bit of added freshness on top made this a perfect start to a meal that set freshness and sweetness as its main themes of the evening.

Pizzas: Margherita - a classic that lives up to the ethos of italian simplicity, with a hefty dollop of stracciatella making for a brilliant first bite into a classic tomato base pizza. the fermented sourdough pizza bases add that extra layer of goodness.

Zucchini, Parmesan, Lemon - Possibly the greatest pizza I have ever had. Fresh, delicious, ingenious, I was all over this thing and I am so happy we ordered it.

Nduja, Garlic Honey, something else - This was an off-menu special. Richer and spicier with a heavy note of honey to keep it fun.

Dessert: Sheep Milk Panacotta - Get this dessert it is absolutely insane and so simple. Pure yumminess - we were both shocked by how fantastic this little milk cup was.

Overall I don't see many better places for a bottle of wine and some amazing food. I rate this over Pici even though I went there today and love it too - banger of...