PROFILED BY DEGROOTS MEDIAThe team at Biga Panificio want to know if you are a bread lover; a real bread lover, that is. None of this paper thin, sawdust tasting, sliced air stuff but the rip into it, fill your mouth with chunks and roll your eyes to the heavens kind. If you are on a carb-free, “I have no life” diet then head to Biga for salvation. Pull up a pew and pray they have not sold out of pane di frutta, a sweet fruit loaf with currants, sultanas, orange and lemon peel. Now you know where to come for your daily bread.
A church style bench runs the length of the room, where the distance between you and the service counter is about the length of a baguette. If you’re big on personal space, there are also regular table and chair settings and the alfresco seating Hutt Street is famous for. This eatery is modeled on a Milan venue that impressed proprietors Charles Porcaro and Sam Spiniella. The long glass-topped counter cabinet is loaded with Italian-style cakes, biscuits, pizzetta and piadinas (grilled flatbread) heavy with mouth-watering toppings and fillings. There is an antipasto bar and a selection of designer salads while hot mains include osso bucco with truffle mash and broccolini. Biga’s hand-crafted beauties include their signature pane Toscana which is a cross between a ciabatta and rustic paesano bread, with a low salt and yeast content. Devour it with your choice of Mediterranean nibblies and some vino from the smart wine list.
Roz Taylor, July 2008
