EAT & DRINK

Dining trends and entertaining inspo for food lovers and fashionable hosts

WHEN LIFE GIVES YOU LIMONCELLO…

… make a limoncello spritz! Packed full of vitamin C (promise!) winter’s answer to the summer favourite Aperol spritz is like a soothing lemon and honey drink with less honey and more Prosecco. Fill a wine glass with ice cubes, pour in one part limoncello to three parts Prosecco, top up with soda water and garnish with a twist of lemon. If symptoms persist, increase liqueurto-wine ratio.

WHERE’S THE SOURCE?

Auckland fine-dining institution Clooney has a new head chef, new menu and new NZ-only ingredients philosophy. With plates influenced by global cuisines, the exclusively local approach has required some number 8 wire thinking (see ‘capers’ made by salting locally grown blueberries). But as evidenced in the restaurant’s à la carte and degustation options — the latter of which can now be enjoyed with a wine, tea or juice match, because #health — the flavours speak for themselves. Or, if you prefer, the proof is in the ‘sorrel mandarin milk skim’ pudding. Visit clooney.co.nz.

TO A TEA

To coincide with the opening of its bigger and better Kingsland premises, Auckland’s Bluebell’s Cakery has launched a takeaway high-tea service, perfect for birthdays, baby showers and brunches when you don’t want to leave the house. For $35 per head, the offering includes a selection of their signature sweets and savouries, packaged up with cardboard cake stands, which are a piece of cake to assemble. Alternatively, head to Seven on the rooftop of Auckland’s Seafarers building for three tiers of pan-Asian delicacies created by head chef Fred Wong of Ebisu and Azabu fame. Available Saturdays, $40 per head.

BUON APPETITO

No Milan Fashion Week is complete without an exclusive dinner party thrown by the Missonis, but if your invitation gets lost in the mail, fear not. The zigzag-loving family has revealed some of its most closely guarded recipes in this cookbook collated by Francesco Maccapani Missoni (grandson of Ottavio and Rosita, who launched the Italian label in 1953). Pick up a copy and impress your friends with your own kaleidoscopic feast. The Missoni Family

Cookbook (Assouline, 2018), $70.

GLUTEN TAG

With a new batch of artisanal bakeries popping up around the country, it looks like bread (gluten included) is making a comeback. Advocating the use of organic, spray-free flour and natural leaven yeast (it’s gentler on the stomach), Daily Bread in Auckland is a one-stop shop for sweet treats, sourdough and other gut-friendly foods. And in the capital, outlets like Pour and Twist, Pickle & Pie and Sugar Flour prove that everyone is feeling the loaf.