Stories

Cityscape puts its beer goggles on and tracks down the best places to sample craft beers both local and from further afield. We’ve come a long way from a nation where you could have any beer you liked so long as it was made by Lion or DB. Since the craft beer revolution kicked off in the 1980s, some of those original breweries are now themselves large enterprises, and there seems to be a new boutique label every other week. Add to that the ever-expanding offering of brew pubs, beer-focused restaurants and bars, boutique fill stations and bottle stores and you have a nation of beer drinkers confronted by more choice than time to sample and choose. Now ain’t that a First World problem! Ask the brewers and they will say it is their customers’ openness to trying new styles and flavours that drives innovation in the New Zealand industry –...

Brewing beer can use a lot of resources and can be hard on the environment, but at The Fermentist, they are determined to find a better way. Sustainability is the new buzzword for everything from drinking straws to air travel but few take it as seriously as Christchurch micro-brewery The Fermentist. Not only do they chase down and replace any product or process that doesn’t meet their high standards for sustainability, they see this commitment as a way to help other brewers and hospo houses up their game. If that all sounds a bit too serious for a fun night out, fear not – sustainability doesn’t mean austerity, and the delicious plant-based menu is well matched to the bodacious beverages on offer. The chefs do an amazing job at creating flavoursome food, such as delicious tofu bites that taste like popcorn chicken! Sustainability is a big challenge for a brewery –...

It’s true, Asian food tastes better eaten with chopsticks. Using a fork or spoon may be easier for the uninitiated but those big mouthfuls will fill you up faster, meaning you won’t be able to sample all the delicacies. And making the effort to master the sticks also shows respect for the culture that is feeding you. So grasp the nettle (and the chopsticks) and give it a go. But remember, they are utensils, not drumsticks, so hold off on your table-top cover of ‘Wipeout’. Never pass food with your chopsticks. Doing so reminds Asian people, particularly the Japanese, of the ritual of passing cremated bones between chopsticks at funerals. The same rule applies to sticking your chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice, another symbol of death. Here’s a few simple rules: You wouldn’t do it with your fork, so don’t point your chopsticks at someone while talking. Likewise, don’t...

Ralph Bungard of Three Boys Brewery reckons fortune favours the brave when it comes to matching food and beer. What could possibly go wrong, he asks. You can really put a unique spin on your next dining date by taking an adventurous jump into matching food with some of the amazing beer styles now on offer from our independent New Zealand brewers. Aromatic hops, complex malts and funky yeasts are the tools modern brewers use to provide anything from gentle fruitiness and complex maltiness through to in-your-face hop explosions and mouth-puckering sourness – all in the name of beer. The secret to good food-to-beer matching is not complex. Let’s face it – what can really go wrong that won’t, in the worst case, just leave you with some great talking points and memories to savour. For me, a good starting point in beer-to-food matching is to chant “similar or contrasting”. That...

Cityscape seeks out some of the truly epic burgers on offer around Christchurch. BurgerFuel // The Bastard Ingredients: 100% pure grass-fed beef, melted cheddar, bacon, raw grated beetroot with chia seeds, mango, smashed avocado, salad, tomato relish and free-range aioli. One of the originals on the menu at the first BurgerFuel store. The Bastard is like a pizza with ‘the works’ and once people got over the polarising mango and beef combo, it quickly became one of the most popular burgers on the menu. The Burger Joint // The Bomb Ingredients: 100% pure NZ beef, bacon, cheese, egg, beetroot relish, lettuce, onion and pickles. From a menu of sumptuous choices, including kimchi and a delicious grilled eggplant vegetarian option, The Bomb stands out. It’s been on the menu since the New Brighton eatery’s start as a food truck and it continues to please the punters. The name says it all –...

If you're going to be a truly cosmopolitan foodie, you've got to know the lingo. Cityscape breaks it down. Indian Aloo: potato. Bhaji: vegetables dipped in chickpea flour batter and deep-fried. Biryani: a mixed rice dish. Dahl: a lentil curry similar to thick lentil soup. Dosa: similar to a crêpe in appearance and made from a fermented rice batter. Ghosht, josh or ghosh: meat, usually lamb. Kofta: meatballs or vegetable dumplings. Korma: braised in yoghurt and/or cream and nuts. Often mild but rich. Lassi: a yoghurt drink, ordered with salt or sugar, sometimes with fruit. Murgh or murg: chicken. Naan: teardrop-shaped flatbread cooked in tandoor. Paneer: Indian cheese, a bit like tofu in texture and taste. Pasanda: thin fillets of lamb cut from the leg and flattened with a mallet. Pilau: flavoured rice cooked with meat or vegetables. Popadom: large thin wafers made with lentil paste and flavoured with pepper, garlic...

Wander into New Regent Street’s Rollickin Gelato HQ on the right day of the week and you may find yourself part of “the huddle meeting”, where the chefs at the city’s hippest gelato joint will be brainstorming new flavours and lobbying for old favourites for the fortnightly menu update. “Because our customers are listening in around us, often they’ll jump in and make suggestions. And we’ll see if we can slot it in somewhere,” Jed Joyce, Rollickin’s founder, tells Flavours of Christchurch. That’s just how Rollickin came to have The Cinema on its roster, with a salted vanilla base and layers of caramelised popcorn and chocolate. “That’s a classic example,” says Jed. “We were sitting there having our meeting and somebody sitting at a nearby table just jumped in and suggested it.” For Jed and the rest of the Rollickin Gelato team, it’s about being responsive to their community. Oh, and...

The days of chips and onion dip are long behind us (yawn!). Grazing platters are the way to go, so we teamed with Barrys Bay Cheese to show you how to pull together the ultimate party platter. Platters offer something for everyone and most importantly show off your fab presentation skills! Everything can be prepared ahead, leaving you free to greet your guests. People eat with their eyes, so spread everything across your board and add plenty of pops of colour. Start with your heroes The stars of any good platter will take up a decent chunk of space and be the most coveted. It’s safe to assume that cheese will be snapped up, so be sure to get a few decent-sized blocks. Place the cheese throughout the board so the goodness can be reached from any angle. Meat is something else that will be in demand and may take more...

Switch from four wheels to two with one of Bespoked Cycles’ sleek custom-built bikes. Starting with one of four different framesets, Bespoked Cycles rock a huge number of build combos including unlimited colours to choose from. You can design, build and spec your bike from scratch with high quality components. Tailor your bike to fit your own style and aesthetic, add flip-flop hubs so you can switch between fixed and freewheeling options or take your pick from their range of primo prebuilt custom bikes. Bespoked Cycles use only high-end Factory Five quality components including chainrings, Pista cranksets, carbon-fibre forks, and alloy and steel frames. bespokedcycles.co.nz

Those who like to imbibe in swank surrounds where exotic cocktail lists meet craft beers, fine Kiwi wines and savvy service are in for a treat, with Christchurch rocking some seriously swishy bar action. You’ll find the slinky, speakeasy cool of O.G.B. resplendently housed in the Old Government Building. Ballantynes’ Lichfield Street wing is home to Kin, an elegant café, deli and wine bar with a fine collection of wines, craft beers, spirits and bubbles. Stroll down historic New Regent Street to The Last Word, an intimate and beautiful cocktail lounge and bar where you can enjoy a fine selection of craft beers, New Zealand wines and a wealth of hand-picked whiskies. The rebirth of pre-quake fave Fat Eddie’s on Oxford Terrace offers toe-tapping live jazz and blues every night in an old-skool atmosphere and with some excellent snacks and drinks. On Poplar Street, four-bar venue Dux Central consists of London-esque...

Rex Ormandy of Christchurch specialty wine shop Vino Fino knows more than most about the phenomenal success of the New Zealand industry. He tells Cityscape you don’t need to be a connoisseur to appreciate a good wine. In 25 years at the helm of Vino Fino, you would have seen plenty of changes in the wine industry? The past 25 years virtually covers the history of the modern New Zealand wine industry. When I first set up Vino Fino in 1993, Marlborough was still an emerging wine region with only around a dozen producers. Central Otago and Canterbury were making their first fledgling steps. Gisborne was the major producing region and Müller-Thurgau was the most popular variety. So the growth in volume, quality and variety has been enormous. The wine industry is now a major part of the New Zealand economy, driven mainly by Sauvignon Blanc, which is now recognised as...

Christchurch is blessed with an abundance of farmers’ markets bringing the goods when it comes to fresh, locally grown produce, artisan goodies and awesome handmade trinkets. Here are our top picks for where to fill the pantry and grab unique food finds. Riverside Market This enclosed seven-day market serves up some of the best eats in town. Located along the hip and happening Oxford Terrace, Riverside is supporting local by bringing a range of small businesses together under one roof. You can pick up craft beers, fruit and veg, cured meats, cheeses and baked treats, or you can pop into one of the cafés, restaurants or bars and indulge as you overlook the Avon River. The Riccarton Market The grandpappy of Christchurch markets is the biggest of its kind in New Zealand. Running each Sunday 9am – 2pm at Riccarton Racecourse, the market has a wealth of artisan food and beverages,...

World famous in NZ for his Flight of the Conchords’ appearances, Arj Barker is bringing his new stand-up show to Christchurch for the Buskers Festival. What can you tell us about your new show, We Need to Talk? It's awesome. I'm jealous of the audience for getting to watch it. From Christchurch and the Buskers Festival, you head to the Adelaide Fringe for a month and then the Melbourne International Comedy Festival for another month – you must get tired just thinking about it? It's not too bad. I mostly work about an hour a day. And don't worry, I am not complaining! How do you keep the show fresh on such a long tour? Do you mix it up along the way? Yes, the show will be slightly different each night, depending on many factors. But at the end of the day, the shops tend to close. You are well...

Nancy Barclay and Nenah Milne are the perfect team to help mothers and daughters navigate the treacherous teenage years. Both certified life coaches, the pair specialise in working with teenagers and they’re bringing their Mother & Daughter Workshop to The Tannery on February 15 and 16. Whether you think your mother/daughter relationship needs a little work or that it’s already extremely solid, this workshop will help strengthen it. Few relationships can be as fraught as that between mother and teenage daughter – navigating this can be confusing and overwhelming at times, as well as joyful and surprising in the best ways. Everyone wants to feel heard, supported and encouraged, and Nancy and Nenah’s powerful and unique workshop will help you to work on these feelings and push you to help your loved one feel the same. They will give you the tools to build more trust and respect on both sides...

What a fantastic show! Sven Ratzke’s performance of Where Are We Now, part of Bread & Circus – World Buskers Festival, left the audience spellbound. If you're a Bowie fan (and who isn't!) this is a must-see; if you're not, you'll love it anyway. Ratzke, wonderfully accompanied by pianist Jetse de Jong, does a whole lot more than 'cover' Bowie, he reinterprets a selection of the great man's masterpieces, spinning a yarn or two along the way. It’s not an obvious selection of greatest hits either. Sure, he opened with ‘Let’s Dance’ and closed with ‘Heroes’ before coming back for two encores, but along the way was a beautiful rendering of the more obscure ‘Boys Keep Swinging’, from the hugely productive late 1970s Berlin Trilogy collab with Brian Eno. Everything fitted together to make a perfect whole. For Ratzke, who wowed Christchurch audiences with his Starman show in 2017, Where Are...

Acrobatics, dance routines in oversized balloons, tasteful nudity and loads of champagne is what you can expect at Blanc de Blanc, the headlining act for this year’s Bread & Circus – World Buskers Festival. Not one for the kids, think burlesque meets cabaret then add a dash of whimsy and you’ll have a little of an idea of what to expect at the awe-inspiring show. This stunning spectacle offers plenty of sass and some “what!” moments as well. The French-themed cabaret show had a strong focus on champagne, with bottles getting passed around the stage and popped throughout the routine. The first half of the show provided the background story to set up the more intense second half, which started with a bang as three naked performers took to the stage and danced around – something to grab the audience’s attention. In the first half we meet host Romeo, who charms...

No. 4 on the 5 Ways to Wellbeing is to keep learning. The premise is to try something new – learning new things will make you more confident as well as being fun. Here’s our tips on ways to learn around town. DP Herbals Learning can mean a new skill, or a little more about yourself. Deirdre Panapa is a clinical herbalist at the helm of DP Herbals, where they can do a live blood analysis and look into someone’s wellbeing. They’ll chat with you about what’s going on and offer some natural solutions to have you feeling like your best self. dph.nz SOLE Music Academy The cool cats at SOLE Music Academy want to pass their knowledge on to you. These guys can help you to smash your music dreams and teach you a thing or two along the way. There’s no better time to learn a new skill. solemusicacademy.co.nz...

Christchurch’s biggest annual fireworks display will bedazzle the city when Sparks bangs into action at Hagley Park on February 15. The sky will be lit up to the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra and other special muso guests as your ears and eyes are treated to a free performance of classics and modern-day jams. ccc.govt.nz