Fancy an escape to wonderland?
At the very end of last year, Katy Mecchia became the owner of hospitality institution The Monday Room, bringing with her almost 20 years of experience in the industry. In 2001, aged just 20, Mecchia opened her first establishment in Fox Glacier. The Monday Room will be her first Christchurch venture. The Scandinavian-style dishes, led by head chef Eva Torvinen, was one of the main drawcards for Mecchia.
‘‘I’m excited to build on The Monday Room’s awesome culinary reputation and to introduce features like ‘Trust the Somm’ and ‘Trust the Mixologist’,’’ says Mecchia.
Stephen Wong of Wine Sentience, one of only
13 Masters of Wine in New Zealand, has been enlisted to pair the food with wine.
Mecchia’s vision for the restaurant’s menu and overall dining experience is to bring back the original concept of The Monday Room which, for her, always had Alice in Wonderlandlike associations.
‘‘I want people to feel like they’ve escaped into a fantastical world of decadence where something unexpected and wonderful awaits.’’
The Monday Room has an earlier opening time of 3pm, making room for after-work drinks and a late-night whisky and cocktail bar. A new seasonal menu will be released in time for Valentine’s Day tomorrow.
161 High St Sunday blues are more like Sunday brews thanks to Dorset Street’s fortnightly events.
Since opening late last year, this cellar door has been a hot spot to fill up on riggers of Garage Project craft beer, as well as organic and natural North Canterbury chardonnay on tap.
Owner Matt Smith recently announced the wine and beer shop will become an onsite bar every fortnight, where anyone can hang out from 2pm until 8pm to enjoy a glass or two of anything on tap, or wines by the bottle.
Dish of the week
To make it more of a delicious occasion, each event will feature different local chefs and foodies putting on a spread. Smith has already lined up Finbar and Harriet from Rona’s, Gatherings and Meatball Monday.
17 Dorset St This Friday, the city of love (and good food and wine) is coming to Christchurch. Gatherings’ Alex Davies is excited to announce the restaurant’s first international collaboration of the year will be with Paris’ Carbon.
The modern French restaurant has many parallels with Gatherings, serving tapas-style dishes that focus on real produce with natural wine pairings.
From 5pm, Carbon’s chef, Thibaut Marlin, and sommelier Waiata Kalma-de Jong will be taking over the kitchen and bar at Gatherings with natural European wines and smoky shared plates. Call 021 029 35641 to reserve your spot. 5/2 Papanui Rd Ditching cooking duties has become all the more tempting for Sumner residents with the arrival of Princess Thai’s takeaway caravan. The Wraps are such a common lunch option, it’s easy to pass them over as being a bit same old, same old.
At Gentle Giant, this would be a mistake.
The Chicken Wasabi Wrap is so good, you’ll be hard pressed to find another at the same level.
Manager Juhee Choi says the chicken is fried fresh daily using a simple flour, water and milk batter – the detail of which is a secret. Added to that is a fresh crunch salad and vegetables, wrapped in a thin tortilla.
The real triumph is the sauce. Wasabi mayo, spicy mayo or aioli – all three choices are in the cabinet on weekdays. Grab one to go, or sit down with a cup of coffee.
mobile restaurant has parked up in an empty lot on Wakefield Ave, next to Hollywood Cinema.
Operating since 2015, Princess Thai has travelled between many Christchurch suburbs, as well as catering for the crowds at the World Buskers Festival and Rhythm and Alps. The team intends to stay in Sumner until the site is built on.
The menu has all the classics and more, with soups and salads, noodles, curries and stir fries, as well as the option of ‘‘Kiwi hot’’ or – if you dare – ‘‘Thai Hot’’.
Meals can be ordered to take home or enjoyed at the picnic tables out front. Open for lunch and dinner every day except Monday.
2 Wakefield Ave, Sumner For a hip, late-night dumpling outing, freshly handmade versions can be found at Potsticker Dumpling Bar’s Lichfield St haunt or Eight Grains in the Little High collective.
Lunch is made easy and delicious at Zen Sushi & Dumplings in the Arts Centre. On the outskirts of town, Kung Fu Dumplings’ food truck is kept busy in Kaiapoi, and the Pierogi Joint is switching things up in Hillsborough.
Switch fried eggs for an authentic dim sum experience at Maxine’s Palace in Addington.