Loretta: wholesome food in a modern minimalist setting

When you step inside the door of Loretta, you’re greeted by a long, welcoming, stripped-back space that seems to stretch on for as far as the eye can see. This is a rare luxury afforded by few eateries these days – most compete for a tiny corner of a building, cramming in as many chairs and tables as they can, leaving punters to push and shove their way to their seats.

This is not the case here. Loretta boasts an abundance of friendly space, great light, clean lines, polished concrete floors, and a minimalist design aesthetic that’s complimented by lots of unpretentious blonde wood and earthy handmade ceramics. It’s evident owners Marc Weir and Julie Clark have an eye for the finer details.

Marc greets us on arrival. I’ve experienced his service on a number of occasions at his flagship Wellington eatery, Floriditas. He’s professional, unobtrusive and engages in just enough conversation to satisfy even the chattier of his clientele. What’s best is Marc flits, from one day to the next, between managing the shop floor and cooking and serving up food from his stunning exposed kitchen. This hands-on approach makes all the difference. Even his business partner Julie is fully immersed in the business. She manages the in-house bakery, churning out endless brioche, tarts, croissants, scones – all available, and exceedingly popular, at Loretta.

We’re lucky to get a seat today – Marc tells us the day prior was their busiest on record since Loretta opened nearly two years ago. Loretta prides itself on letting simple locally-sourced ingredients, produce, grains and whole-foods really shine without too much fuss or furore. With breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner all on offer, there’s barely a time for this man and his busy team to take a breath.

Today’s brunch is a shared affair. We start with the sweet toastie: two large hunks of house-made milk loaf encasing a delicious adult’s version of chocolate-hazelnut spread and sliced banana, then panfried until golden. Delicious. Up next it’s the ‘green eggs’. Two fried eggs are perched atop crusty sourdough, adorned with crispy bacon and lots of fresh tarragon and dill. The perfect hangover cure. Finally, we devour the oh-so-wholesome smoked salmon with popped capers, watercress and house-made seed breed. This bread is amazing!

There’s nothing to fault here – every dish stands up to Loretta’s philosophy of simple and wholesome, and I will certainly be returning to sample the lunch and dinner offerings.

Have you visited New Zealand’s capital city Wellington? Tell us about where you ate, shopped and visited in the comments below.