This Indonesian staple is traditionally served with egg, but Green Dinner Table chef and co-owner Tom Riley mixes it up with scrambled tofu seasoned with black salt in his tricked up vegan version. Serves 2. Shopping List 1 piece tofu1 cup Basmati rice1 leek6 cloves garlic1 carrot1 cup frozen peas½ cucumber2 tomatoes½ spring onion3 heaped tbcrispy shallots Tofu Spice ½ tsp nutritional yeast½ tsp turmeric¼ tsp smoked paprikaA pinch ofblack salt Tamarind Sweet Soy Sauce 60ml tamarind sauce (Either pre done, or soaked and strained)30ml sweetsoy sauce10ml Sriracha sauce20ml sweetchilli sauce Making It Happen Wash the rice under cold running water until the water runs clear. Strain, then add enough water to cover the rice by about 1 cm and a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer. As soon as it’s simmering, stir, cover, and reduce the heat to very low. Cook covered for 13 minutes before turning off the...

Cityscape checks out the creative culinary capital and its key players in an exclusive preview of New Zealand's iconic foodie Mecca Visa Wellington On a Plate ahead of its 10-year anniversary in August. “The gold foil adds some bling,” says Maxine Scheckter, the 22-year-old pâtissier who has transformed Kilbirnie into one of Wellington's hottest foodie destinations after opening her social media-melting patisserie Sugar Flour in the sleepy suburb four months ago. The current cuisine It girl who ditched school at 17 and followed her passion for pastries studying and working in Wellington and Paris before a stint in Heston Blumenthal's famed London restaurant The Fat Duck is referring to the gilded delicacy and jaw-slackening pièce de résistance in her tasty tetralogy – An Exploration of Citrus – the Lemon Passionfruit Sphere. Part art, all culinary revelation the glistening lemon-hued orb, dotted with the winking gold foil and delicate baby basil leaves...

Made Espresso Bar’s owners (and all-round dynamic duo) Michelle Burns and Kate Bloomfield share a killer recipe from the MEB repertoire that’s bound to delight on chillier days. Honest, wholesome and simple is the mantra at Made Espresso Bar, and their Moroccan Lentil Soup with Preserved Lemon ticks all the boxes and is one of their go-to classics – a great winter warmer that’s both hearty and nourishing. Shopping List A good glug of olive oil1 onion, chopped1 stalk of celery, chopped2 carrots, chopped into half rounds1 large red capsicum, chopped2 cloves of garlic, crushedKnob of ginger, microplaned/grated2 red kumara, diced1 ½ cups beluga black lentils, rinsed2 tins of diced tomatoes1 Tb tomato paste2 L vegetable stock1 preserved lemon, pith removed and choppedBunch of kale or spinach, washed and choppedBunch of fresh coriander, roughly choppedCoconut/Greek yogurt (optional for serving) Spice mix 2 Tb garam masala1 tsp cardamom powder1 Tb turmeric powder1 tsp chilli flakes1...

Cityscape cuts a rug with the Royal New Zealand Ballet ahead of their boundary-pushing production Dancing With Mozart in June, which melds classic, contemporary, and climate change – all set to a thrilling Mozart-penned score – in an en-pointe tetralogy of one world and three New Zealand premieres. In a continuation of their tireless commitment to producing ground-breaking work, Royal New Zealand Ballet’s Dancing With Mozart offers four works from outstanding choreographers set to the music of the beloved composer, in a case of epic music inspiring provocative dance. With a programme that offers three New Zealand premieres and one world premiere, and the dance performance accompanied live by the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra, it’s a production that needs to be on the radar of any ballet and dance fan. The exquisite showcase includes 20th Century dance legend and master choreographer George Balanchine’s 1956 work Divertimento No. 15. Balanchine considered Mozart’s work in...

Channelling Euro-chic sophistication, Terrace Tavern perches a lush, modern watering hole and restaurant on the banks of the Avon River at scorching hot spot The Terrace.   The Richard and Lisa Sinke co-creation and latest addition to the Dux stable offers sun-drenched al fresco drinking and dining out the front, while inside soaring black ceilings featuring pendulous white globe lighting meet dark woods, dark teal walls and booth seating in the dining area, which offer killer views of the open kitchen (complete with wood-fired grill). At the dark-grained wood-fronted bar, copper lights highlight the marbled bar itself, where the Dux range of beers stand at attention on tap, and a wild range of glittering top shelf spirits includes the George Clooney-created Casamigos Tequila. Intimate, elegant and seriously slick, this multi-tasking space is perfect for everything from suds outside in the sun through to glammed up late-night cocktails and a bite to...

Donning her regulation perm, comical specs, floral housedress and comfy cardi, Brendan O’Carroll’s caustic creation and feisty, potty-mouthed gran Agnes Brown’s mere appearance on stage elicits an eruption of applause – which doesn’t stop until long after the houselights have come on. Hailing from the shores of Ireland, the Mrs Brown’s Boys matriarch and titular star brought the house down in Christchurch last night, the first city on the production’s New Zealand leg to be wowed (and shocked) by everyone’s favourite no nonsense Mammy. The opening night's performance took the audience on a craic-ing, fast-paced, comical joy-ride filled with brilliantly-timed saucy innuendos and quick-fire one-liners, all peppered with cunning cusses – in signature Mrs B style. On the prowl for a Valentines date, after being prompted by her children to get out on the dating scene, the leading lady resorts (begrudgingly) to the wonders of the Internet and the nonsensical advice...

I’m addicted even before I swallow the first forkful – it’s mac-n-cheese, but not as you know it. The thick, rich sauce – a buttery, creamy love child of 4 gourmet cheeses! – is the star of the suitably-titled The Greatest Show On Earth, which comes with a dangerously handy back-up jug should you feel you need more. Enveloping al dente elbow pasta, Sun Dog Diner’s famous sauce (a secret family recipe of owner Jess Lynch, she of Mamacita’s Mexican food truck fame) epitomises comfort food, and comes smothered in crispy fried onion ‘straws’. Perched on the corner of one of the city’s busiest intersections, Sun Dog Diner effortlessly rocks retro Americana diner cool sans the pretension, offering serious home (on the range) cooking with a Mex leaning. It’s all served up in bodacious surrounds that include tile-topped tables, booth seating, funky pop art, an epic bar made from speakers, and...

In the kitchen with Green Dinner Table's chef Tom Riley. Making exceptional use of summer’s bounty, the key to Tom’s mujadara is to heavily caramelise the onions and zucchini to bring out the deep, rich sweet flavours that beautifully pair with the creamy hummus and fresh, clean asparagus. Serves 2 – 3. SHOPPING LIST 1 cup brown rice 4 zucchini 1 large onion 1 tin white beans 40g tahini 2 – 3 garlic cloves Juice of 1 lemon ¼ cup water 400g asparagus Handful of fresh herbs (mint, coriander and parsley) A pinch or two of sumac MAKING IT HAPPEN Bring a small pot of water to the boil with a pinch of salt. Cook the brown rice for 20 – 25 minutes until tender. Peel and thinly slice the onion and grate the zucchini. In a large (ideally heavy bottomed) fry pan, cook the onion on medium-high with a pinch...

Eschewing street frontage and the obligatory rubbernecking gawkers it attracts, Stealth Hospitality’s flagship (and the literal King of its popular empire) King of Snake epitomises off-the-grid nonchalance, with its no-fuss entrance via an unassuming alleyway. Equal measures chic sophistication and rock star swag (note the now iconic skull wallpaper in the bar!), this post-quake bar raiser has become the measuring stick of cool. It’s a flawless union: a slick fit-out, top-of-the-game Asian fusion fare, and that elusive hybrid of über professional, efficient and disarming Kiwi charm/service usually reserved for the country’s luxury lodgings. With primo cocktails a given, King of Snake’s legendary namesake elixir is top-shelf lightning-in-a-tumbler magic, and not to be missed. Bitingly potent, it’s a harmoniously-blended firecracker of fresh ginger, chilli-infused Belvedere Vodka and citrus liqueur. It’s the perfect primer for, and distillation of, executive chef Stuart Langsford’s celebrated Asianic menu without borders. The diligent front of house team...

Exciting news, Cityscapers – we've let the first issue of Cityscape monthly loose on the world! The debut issue, September 2017, is out now.Cityscape’s shiny new monthly magazine is a companion publication to Christchurch’s favourite quarterly lifestyle bible, and the hottest ticket on all things happening, relevant and of the now in the city. As usual with Cityscape, it channels everything from Christchurch's essential events, latest venues and all things trending through to exciting discoveries and catching up with some seriously cool locals (and talented visitors!). It's the essential on-the-ground guide to exploring and experiencing the very best our awesome city has to offer.Urban, edgy and with our signature street smarts, the new title further cements Cityscape as Christchurch’s barometer of cool and the city’s go-to-guide for all the latest in entertainment, food, bars and nightlife; gigs, movies, influencers, fashion, beauty and wellbeing, as well as all the hottest events, exhibitions, performances,...

I’m super impressed by Eco Frame and Mirror’s Hamish Noster; not only has he called dead on 9am (our appointment time), but he’s at our office minutes later with the Art Hang van to collect a large art piece we had shipped over from Sydney, which has been stranded in the office due to its sheer size.While technically a pick-up is outside of their service offerings, Hamish nonetheless arrives to collect the behemoth artwork with the easygoing, next-level service of a true pro, and takes it back to our house where we have a huge clock, mirror and two additional pieces of art waiting to hang. The additional artworks waiting at home have been framed by the Eco Frame and Mirror team, who with their stunning selection and on point advice (following a series of probing questions regarding art placement, surrounding décor and natural light) have made the process entirely hassle-free.At...

As soon as the rich aromas hit us at the top of the (twenty-seven) stairs, we know we’re in for a spectacular culinary experience. Sure – both the fact that Twenty Seven Steps is helmed by formidable foodie duo Emma Mettrick and Paul Howells (formerly of Little Bistro fame) and a quick glance around confirming that it’s comfortably packed on a Wednesday night are also strong indicators – but it’s the immediately comforting and simultaneously ravenousness-inducing incense of serious gourmet cred that floats us to our table.Like a cunning optical illusion, the slinky single New Regent Street shop front entrance (about to be transformed into a hip alfresco bar!) makes way for an intimate and swishy second-floor dining space that spans the width of four shops. The space channels bistro-luxe sophistication sans the stuffy pretension; timber floors and dark wood tables – complete with guttering candlelight and vintage, purposefully mismatched, crockery...