My Top 10 in Christchurch
Inati
Simon and Lisa Levy have created an absorbing dining experience at this restaurant they established in 2017. The couple met in London, Simon’s hometown (Lisa is from Hawke’s Bay, NZ), but they’ve become locals through their sophisticated eatery that buzzes like a London hotspot. A former head chef for Gordon Ramsay, Simon says that – aside from serving quality food and wine – their ethos is about breaking down barriers and building relationships (easily done at the bar-cum-chef’s table). The boeuf-nuts is a signature dish and the Our Collection wine list stocks some serious New Zealand vintages. www.inati.nz
Gatherings
Chef Alex Davies describes his innovative, immaculately executed, plant-based dishes as ‘an expression of myself, my values and who I am – I think it’s important to respect the environment we live in and honour the people who are doing things properly and looking after the earth’.
The care is all there on the plate, and his intimate restaurant serves wines from Bell Hill, Greystone, Mountford and Rippon Valley, with more from Alfred, the wine bar next door. www.gatherings.co.nz
Alfred
Co-owned by Gatherings’ Davies and Omer Shadich, this unpretentious local bar serves natural wines. Shadich is the man behind the bar, and he likes to keep hard-to-source New Zealand and international wines at an approachable price, but there’s a top shelf for those with the budget. From Waipara to Georgia, he’ll lead you through his thoughtful selection. See Facebook
Vesuvio
The brick-paved courtyard of this little Papanui Road local has seen numerous long nights thanks to its great live music and formidable wine list, with European greats alongside North Canterbury wines. The cocktails are classic, the food is delicious, and the calendar of happenings includes poetry, live music, vinyl nights and kitchen takeovers. Owner Matt Lingens is a stalwart of the Christchurch food scene and his staff know their wine. www.vesuvio.co.nz
Gin Gin
Gin Gin exemplifies the pop-up nature of bars and eateries that evolved after the 2011 quakes. With buildings razed and nowhere to go, people felt a desperate need to connect and socialise, and places appeared in a makeshift, haphazard kind of way. This hole-in-the-wall bar further extends the theme with a rotating line-up of food trucks that pull up outside to serve delicious morsels. It boasts more than 80 gins (including local and New Zealandmade), and the wines focus solely on the South Island. www.gingin.business. site
Riverside
Aptly named (the lovely Avon river runs close by), this seven-day farmers’ market gives the city a pumping new heart. Riverside brings together the region’s best food producers and purveyors in their first permanent home – no more shipping containers and Portakabins – a beautifully crafted building. As well as local-produce vendors, there are eateries with Greek, Vietnamese, Korean, Argentinian, Mediterranean and European cuisines filling the hall. www.riverside.nz
Vino Fino
Weekly guided tastings with winemakers and Masters of Wine for a mere NZ$20 (about £ 10) are among the many good things here. Knowledgeable staff and a good catalogue of local, New Zealand and international wines complete the offering. They can also arrange overseas deliveries, should you find yourself fixated with a dazzling North Canterbury Riesling or two. www.vinofino.co.nz
BearLion Foods
Chef Alesha Bilbrough- Collins prepares quality deli fare with passion and flair. You’ll pick up on Ottolenghi influences (she worked at the Israeli-English chef’s restaurant in London before returning to Christchurch to set up BearLion).
Bilbrough- Collins uses local, organic produce to prepare small-batch fare – stop in for picnic provisions and head to the coast. www.bearlionfoods.co.nz
Earl
This inner-city bistro has an inviting at-home feel. Only it’s so much better than home – the welcome is always warm, the chefs in the open kitchen are obligingly chatty and the washing up is taken care of. Earl serves modern Mediterranean cuisine at lunch and dinner and has a tightly edited wine list. There’s also the very tempting aperitivo offering from 3pm-5pm. www.earl.co.nz
Pinot Cave & Grater Goods
When musician Flip Grater returned from Paris to Christchurch with her French husband Youssef Iskrane, they felt bereft of the wine bars they’d left behind. So they established their own, Pinot Cave, in an old warehouse, where they host events with European flair: a mushroom festival, a tasting of Pinot Nouveau fresh from the barrel. They serve predominantly, though not exclusively, natural and vegan wines sourced from New Zealand and abroad. They also serve vegan food – their KFT, Kentucky Fried Tofu, has become a hit. www.gratergoods.co.nz