A little taste of Italy, in Arrowtown

Olivia Caldwell finds Arrowtown's Aosta is the perfect little Italian getaway for lunch.

I had heard so much about Aosta in our neighbouring Arrowtown, I simply had to rush over the hill to taste.

The restaurant has a reputation for its local produce, high-quality and beautiful Italian dishes.

While the dinner menu has more to offer than the lunch menu, it was a gorgeous setting for lunch, sitting outside the restaurant and watching the bustling Arrowtown.

If you like Italian food, this is the perfect place. To begin with we ordered the Otago Caprese, which is a beautiful tomato dish served with stracciatella cheese and a stone fruit chutney. This, accompanied with the bluefin tuna Crudo, was a great combination. The tuna had a beautiful lemon and orange flavour, and chilli dressing.

We moved to the bread, because I love bread. The bruschetta was divine. Covered in crispy pancetta, ricotta and lemon, and super crunchy, I would almost be tempted to say this was the perfect Italian treat.

Having not had enough bread between the two of us, we also ordered the giant focaccia. This too was delicious, covered in porchetta, pesto, mozzarella and rocket.

Having not had enough carbohydrates for one sitting, we then ordered two pasta meals. The first was buttery and cheesy fettuccini. The second was the Aglio, which comes with a chilli kick to it, lemon garlic and pappardelle.

As you can imagine this left no room for dessert, we were completely full.

I highly recommend Aosta if you are wanting to carb load before or after a race, or if you want to experience the Italian guilt-free lunch — and why not?