On my fourth day in New Zealand, we were supposed to be having one of the best planned itinerary in our trip. Halfway through the day, the youngest member caught cold bug and had to be hospitalised.. missing one of the tour was not really that important but the fact that it drained our energy and affected our mood. Luckily she put up a strong face and after 4 hours she was discharged. Feeling hungry, I fired up Google to find place to eat.

As a matter of fact the only food that they all could agree on was pizza so Italian restaurant it was. Many options but we settled for the nearest to us with good ratings. Located at Eat Street Rotorua, we decided against dining alfresco due to the cold weather. As it was weekday, not many diners were seen and therefore we got undivided attention from the waiter who served us.

◾Risotto con Granchio - crab, chili, chive and sweet pea risotto, parmesan and prosciutto crisp NZ$26.50 was the best money spent! The risotto was brimming with the sweetness from the crustacean while the crispy parmesan prosciutto provided extra crunch to the otherwise soft texture of the Italian rice. ◾Insalata caprese NZ$15.50 - with cured prosciutto, horopito and basil oil, balsamic reduction and croutons. ◾Margarita NZ$18.00 - a classic Italian pizza done right with Napoli sauce, cherry tomato, mozzarella, fresh basil, and olive oil. Thin crispy crust with generous cheese and tomato toppings but the happiest part was to see how the little ones gobbled up everything ◾House pouring white wine - badly need this to sooth the feeling after the blardy incident.

A plan of just stopping by for a quick dinner turned out to be one of the best meal of the entire trip due to the setback earlier in the day and the fact that the weather was very gloomy.