There’s no denying it: people go bonkers for brunch. In this town, those serving up the finest brunch fare are rewarded with lengthy queues come the weekend, and unwavering loyalty from their regulars. It’s a meal we know many people feel strongly about, and so we are giving you the opportunity to vote for the eatery that you think does it the best — if there’s anyone you think we’ve overlooked, be sure to add them in the comment box.
Everybody who votes goes in the draw to win one of three $1000 vouchers to be spent at one of the American Express Local Dining Collection locations — a list of which can befound here.
Voting has now closed. The 2022 Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express will be announced in the Winter issue of Denizen magazine (released on 23rd May, 2022).
The Denizen Hospo Heroes 2022 ‘Best for Brunch’ Shortlist:
Fresh is one flavour we all crave in our food. The city’s dining scene wouldn’t be what it is today without the restaurateurs that have spent decades bringing it to life. Alas with the ever-changing nature of the industry, off the back of a challenging couple of years, a new guard is now being ushered in. With a wave of eateries opening around Tāmaki Makaurau, this new category is all about celebrating the faces of the future that are set to redefine our beloved restaurant experience. And there’s no one better to decide the winner than you — the person who loves good food more than most. If there’s a notable new guard that you think may have been overlooked, share them with us in the comments below.
Everybody who votes goes in the draw to win one of three $1000 vouchers to be spent at one of the American Express Local Dining Collection locations — a list of which can befound here.
Voting has now closed. The 2022 Denizen Hospo Heroes presented by American Express will be announced in the Winter issue of Denizen magazine (released on 23rd May, 2022).
The Denizen Hospo Heroes 2022 ‘Best New Guard Operator’ Shortlist:
Reminiscent of the cult favourite David Trubridgelampshade, the handbag of the moment leaves little to the imagination in the most alluring way. The exquisite construction of these bags brings in a geodesic element to the simplicity of bags past.
For an everyday addition, look no further than the classic construction of a Chloé tote, or for a supermarket-chic look, Balenciaga’s Mag Basket offers just the right amount of effortless cool. If you’re seeking something timeless, consider a Louis Vuitton or Alaïa that promises to age gracefully.
Clockwise from top left: MEDIUM KAYAN TOTE BAG from Chloé, BOTTEGA VENETA Jodie mini suede tote from Net-a-porter, Alma PM bag from Louis Vuitton, Anagram large cutout tote from Loewe, AlaïaMina 25 Tote Bag from Faradays, Mag Basket East-West Tote bag from balenciaga.
Make a toast to comfort with upholstered dining chairs that will allow you to linger at the table for longer. Not only physically delightful to sit on, these chairs bring a hefty dose of design charisma, whether sculptural or pared-back is more your style.
Guest dining chair by Rodolfo Dordoni for Poliform from Studio Italia
Dudet dining chair by Patricia Urquiola for Cassina from Matisse
Crown armchair by Chris Martin for Massproductions from Simon James
Glove Up dining chair by Patricia Urquiola for Molteni&C from Dawson & Co.
They say fortune favours the bold, and at Lucky 8 a bold approach to social dining has created Ponsonby’s new lucky charm. Its sign is a large black cat perched above an enigmatic black door, which leads upstairs to the new-guard opening.
Another Fortune Cat, known as Maneki Neko in Japanese (and now Chinese) culture, also looks over diners as they enter the loft-like space with exposed brick, large street-facing windows and what appears to be 800 other small black cats watching on from the walls.
The latest from the team behind the ever-popular Mr Hao — Paul Wong, Julian Diprose, and now Lucas Boucly — Lucky 8 is as audacious as it is auspicious.
Taking the Lucky 8 theme and really running with it, each and every delicious dish here is $8. From a masterful mouthful of abalone and squid with soy sauce (served in its shell) to a slow-cooked black pepper beef cheek, which melts off the bone, everything is priced, and revered, the same.
The Head Chef from Mr Hao was quick to up sticks to the Lucky 8 kitchen, and one of his favourite plates, Hao’s Chilli Chicken, is served here — as a more petite size piled up like popcorn chicken, while keeping all the bite.
Another favourite is the Golden Crusted Shrimp, which comes with a deliciously crunchy coating and a squiggle of moreish mayo. The Lion’s Heads pork meatballs are styled off those you’d find at China’s renowned street food stalls, but covered in sweet and sour sauce that pools on the plate for a contemporary take.
Of course, the Cantonese-inspired sharing plates are delectable, from the pork and shrimp dumplings to the chicken wing and teriyaki salmon skewers, but the vegetarian options are a surprising star of the menu. Scrolls of fresh cucumber in a spicy and sour sauce, and the neatly swirled vermicelli and shredded turnip salad, work well with the richer, stickier courses. Meanwhile the Mushroom Fries are as dangerous to snack on as its starch namesake.
Lucky 8’s Private Dining Space.
As well as its own Lucky brand lager, hazy pale ale and pilsner, there are also eight unique cocktails on tap — ensuring a round of refreshments come to your table as quickly as they need to. While we would usually be careful of cocktails that come at the pull of a lever, the ones at Lucky 8 are so popular they are constantly being made fresh for your preferred method of libation.
All as revitalising as the next, you can sip a Wuling dragon, with Yuzu sake, mandarin liqueur, chrysanthemum, lime and basil, and a Luckys Spritz, with prosecco and mango liqueur and a flame-torch toasted meringue on top. Each $8 cocktail comes with its own symbol, reflected in the neon lights around the room — all your need to do is spin around and pick one.
In fitting with the social scene that has been set here, you won’t find any tables for two at Lucky 8. Instead, there is a central bar island, with seating all around. Elsewhere there are high or low tables, with approximately eight seats ushered around each for gatherings of friends, or for new chance meetings.
For those who are ‘Extra Lucky’ (or celebrating something extra special) there is a private room with one large table found behind a beaded kind of curtain — not completely closed off from the action in the main dining room.
With a vibrant atmosphere, this is certainly the place for a good time — but it’s here for a long time too. Lucky 8 is open every day except for Monday, and open until midnight. Whether you find yourself in need of a feed when most restaurants are turning the lights off in their kitchens, or if you want to settle in early and stay, you will always be satiated. With talk of opening for lunch not too far off, it would also be a lively location for long Friday lunch ‘meetings’ with your favourites from the office.
While the team has a come one, come all approach, the concept bar’s instant favour means its red leather seats are filling up fast. Be sure to be one of the fortunate ones, and get in quick to enjoy Lucky 8 this week.
Opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday: 5pm — Midnight Closed Mondays
Our latest issue looks into the metaverse: a destination unknown, with endless possibilities — where your avatar can be dressed head-to-toe in Gucci, Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton. From optical illusion dresses to all-over dazzling outfits, this season’s fashion choices offer us the ultimate chance of escapism, whether we choose to plug-in or not.
Sara wears Alaïa dress, sunglasses, and earrings, available from Faradays, Balenciaga gloves.
There’s something to be said for those moments of self-care where you can simply sit in silence and re-divert your energy and focus on the now. Collectively, we live in a busy and exhausting world, and the opportunity to go slowly doesn’t appear often. This is why the team behind Takapuna’s Slöwe Studio decided to carve out a space for anyone to experience those benefits, at any time of day.
In the first of its kind for the North Shore, and making one of only two spaces in Auckland, this immersive experience combines hot and cold therapy through the use of infrared saunas and ice baths. In the signature Sweat + Chill session, you work up a sweat (while doing something relaxing like reading a book, listening to music or watching a movie on one of the in-sauna iPads) in your own private space, before taking a plunge into an ice bath for as long as you can last. Over the course of 75 minutes, you rotate between the two states of extremity, sipping on chilled water, electrolytes and Slöwe’s signature tonics on the way. The end result, despite the arduous process of getting there, is a state of complete and utter relaxation that is near impossible to find anywhere else.
Slöwe Studio was founded by friends Rachael Jones and Braxton Hall, who both went through their own health experiences and, seeing the benefits of this kind of therapy first-hand, wanted to share it with the community. “Our ethos is to provide our community with time and space to slow down and that’s exactly why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Jones said. “If we can provide people with a safe space to heal, then we’ve achieved our goal.”
The benefits of infrared saunas are seemingly endless, and alongside being a hive for relaxation, they promote detoxification, muscle and joint recovery, circulatory issues, energy level concerns and overall immune support.
“Infrared therapy is so effective as it gives off what’s called radiated heat, penetrating deep within your tissues, muscles and cells, giving your body all the benefits the sun would without the harmful UV damage,” Jones said. “The slow and direct heating of an infrared sauna makes for a much more comfortable experience than a traditional one. This comfort allows for a longer sweat and therefore a deeper detox, removing 20 percent of toxins compared to the 3 percent removed from traditional steam sauna therapy.”
Slöwe’s saunas also use chromotherapy, which is akin to a total-body experience of LED light therapy, with their in-sauna guide highlighting what light setting best serves you. The ice bath therapy then works by dilating the blood vessels in the heat and then constricting them in the cold. This results in alternating the blood from flowing to the internal organs and extremities, which helps reduce swelling and inflammation, enhance your sleep, improve circulation, aid in weight loss and maintenance, relieve depression and provide an overall sense of wellbeing.
For those who are looking for more of a relaxation experience, or are still warming up to the idea of cold immersion, simple Sweat sessions are available, where you can simply melt away in the sauna for 60 blissful minutes.
To celebrate their opening, Slöwe Studio is kindly offering one lucky Denizen the chance to win one complimentary twenty pack for the signature Sweat + Chill treatment, valued at $1400.
The bright young things of Birkenhead may have already spotted this stylish new café that has taken up residence in the historic Hinemoa Street. And, there is good reason for the excitement.
Duo is the first solo venture from husband and wife team Jordan and Sarah Macdonald. Jordan, you may recognise, is a former Denizen Hospo Hero who has previously opened and owned Lowbrow, Culprit, Little Culprit, Nook and Double Double — and together they have ensured Duo is very much ready to grace its new neighbourhood.
“Our vision was to have something small(ish), suburban, calming, vibey and having predominantly daytime hours so we can still spend time with our three daughters,” they say. “After a while of searching we found a spot with inherent character that would fit our vision.”
In the kitchen, Jordan whips up classic café dishes like the Bene, which can include house citrus cured Mt Cook salmon with its poached eggs and sourdough, and the Tomatoes on Toast, which includes confit Curious Croppers — and some not-so-classics, including the Raw Fish on Toast and Bruleed Custard Loaf. What brings them together on the large communal table at the front of the café is the use of high quality produce and artisanal products.
From left: Duo’s Lamb Sausage Roll; Jordan and Sarah Macdonald.
On the floor, Sarah serves Coffee Supreme while getting to know the locals as its café scene percolates. Once the liquor licence comes through, Duo will be able to open for dinners, where one can expect an intimate, bistro-style menu, whether it’s to share or to keep to yourself.
For the welcoming interior, the Macdonalds partnered with Kirsty Mitchell from Mitchell Addison Architects, who has previously worked on Culprit and Lowbrow. The brief was for a space that is light and calming, and which could easily transition from day to night. This has been achieved by highlighting the interior’s historic features, while working in modern touches, like the sage Arnold Circus Stools, and creating a layer of warmth through walnut wood accents. The charming branding that adds to this is a collaboration of sorts between Sarah’s sister Lauren Glading at Create Design Studio and long time friend and illustrator Carly Black.
While there is a very talented team of two behind Duo, we are sure its community of creatives and coffee sippers alike will ensure its continued success.
Industry expert and hairdresser Chloe Zara couldn’t find a salon brand that was natural, effective and focussed on overall hair health — so she built her own. Formulated and made in New Zealand, the modern and multifaceted Chloe Zara Hair products grace cabinets with their minimalist design, from a silk hair wash and a crème to a perfume oil. Throughout the range, some things are sure to remain the same — the product’s commitment to hair and scalp health, and the founder’s unwavering commitment to creating simple yet luxurious routines. Here she shares the secrets of her career success, and her brand’s cult following.
From Left: Chloe Zara; Chloe Zara Hair product range.
This year marks almost two decades in the hair industry for me, which is something I’m really proud of. It’s been a rich and rewarding journey too — working in some of New Zealand’s leading salons, learning incredible skills and doing so alongside some of the most amazing stylists. I largely built my own hairdressing business on word of mouth, taking appointments via social media, which gave me the confidence to open my own studio. Obviously, beautiful, healthy hair has always been my passion and I took the learnings from these many years — what makes for healthy hair and why this is important — and in 2019 founded Chloe Zara Hair with my husband Scott. The success so far has been so humbling.
I’m passionate about hair health and what goes into maintaining beautiful, healthy hair. The right ingredients — plant actives, essential fatty acids, antioxidants to name a few — all work their magic in keeping your hair in top condition. Everyday, effortless hair needs the right nutrients and love so knowing about them is vital. Also, in order to have beautiful healthy hair, we must not forget the importance of where it all starts, our scalp.
I’ve been dreaming of my own haircare range for a long time. We’ve built a strong relationship with our chemist who I work closely with. We start with the desired and work backwards. One thing that is important to me is that these aren’t a quick fix so we’ve worked hard to find ingredients that honour long term hair health. As a result, all products are natural and clean, and I love that it’s nature that gives us exactly what we need.
Naturally, we consider what is better for us, better for our planet and how this comes together. We’re lucky in that natural ingredients really are best when it comes to hair health and results. There’s no need for anything unnecessary — everything we use is there for a reason and is proven to improve hair and scalp health with the very best results. My belief is that looking after your hair is just as important as looking after your skin and you’ll find many extracts, vitamins and plant actives commonly found in skincare in Chloe Zara Hair. From anti-aging to smoothing to strengthening and volumising, we’ve looked to mother nature to help.
Our Hair and Body Perfume Oil has gained a cult following and works in a multitude of ways. It works as a leave-in treatment that protects hair from hot tools and UV rays, as well as sealing split ends, and adding shine. I also love to use it as a body oil, it is so lightweight and absorbs so well into the skin. Because the hair and body perfume oil is a leave-in treatment it combines perfectly with our silk hair balm. Mixing the two together creates an intensive hair treatment masque, repairing dry, stressed strands and leaving your hair smooth and shiny. The scent was custom formulated for us in Grasse, France, with tones of sandalwood, fig and pineapple.
Take risks, set goals, work hard, be persistent and don’t give up. From leaving a salon and starting out on my own, to launching Chloe Zara Hair, it has sometimes felt like the scariest career move, but I have never looked back. I think the key is to be driven and know what you want, have a clear vision, and to not give up. It’s not easy, but when you have a passion and a dream and see the incredible results along the way, that is what keeps you moving forward.
My goal is to share Chloe Zara Hair with the world — a lot of our research and development was done in Europe, so I can’t wait to see the brand expand globally and take things full circle.
We are working on some very exciting new products, which will launch later this year. As ever, we’ve worked hard to create the perfect formulas and find the perfect ingredients for them. They’re currently being trialled and I can’t wait to share them.
You’ll find a delightful debut hotel or must-visit eatery around every laneway corner in Australia’s cultural capital.
WHERE TO STAY
Lancemore Mansion Hotel If you’re after a grand stay, the Lancemore Mansion Hotel Werribee Park is a 19th-Century estate with rambling English gardens, only a half- hour drive from central Melbourne. The Italianate mansion boasts luxurious guest rooms and excellent service with all the tranquil trimmings, including a day spa.
Next Hotel The shiny new 80 Collins precinct is now open, and with it the Next Hotel. In the vicinity of high fashion and sophisticated hospitality, it’s a chance to explore the city on your doorstep. When it’s time to retreat, we recommend unwinding in the La Madonna Restaurant & Bar, or simply relaxing in the refined rooms.
Quincy Hotel Located on the iconic Flinders Lane — with the CBD’s highest concentration of award-winning fine diners and popular eateries — Quincy Melbourne reflects the vibrancy of its city. Beaming 29 stories high into the skyline, it brings the essence of South East Asia to Melbourne with impeccably finished rooms and amenities.
W Hotel Another Flinders Lane local, W Melbourne holds the keys to what’s new and noteworthy. With two bars and three restaurants, it’s best to get your bearings in the hotel before stepping out. Lollo is under the creative direction of one of the most talked-about chefs in town, Adam D’Sylva, while the WET® features a poolside bar and panoramic skyline.
Shangri-La Surely one of the most anticipated openings of 2022, Sapphire by the Gardens will be Melbourne’s most exclusive address and a destination of international renown. As well as the luxury residential tower, known as the Sapphire, there will be the five-star Shangri-La hotel — with a sky bridge connecting the two over Exhibition Street.
Ritz-Carlton Slated to open later in 2022, the Ritz-Carlton Melbourne will become the southern hemisphere’s tallest (and might we add, most glamorous) hotel. In what will be the centrepiece of the West Side Place development, it will showcase signature dining experiences, holistic wellness spaces and, of course, an infinity pool.
WHERE TO EAT
Left: Society. Right: Entrecôte.
Society Another new entry at 80 Collins Street is the multi-faceted Society. The art of à la carte is the centrepiece of the Dining Room, which also boasts over 10,000 bottles in its formidable cellar. The Lillian Terrace is named after the Collins Street denizen Lillian Wightman, and overlooks her former couture salon, Le Louvre.
Entrecôte Taking a nod from the famous one-dish Steakhouse Le Relais De L’Entrecôte, which opened in Paris in the late 50s, Entrecôte welcomes a new era of refined decadence in Prahran. Marrying French cuisine with Melbourne produce, within a party scene, it’s simply fantastique.
Left: Tiger Prawn Tostada from Repeat Offender. Right: Gimlet.
Repeat Offender A short stroll from Elwood Beach, Repeat Offender is attracting the usual dining-out suspects with a tapas fusion bar. Creating worldly interpretations of classic Latin-American cuisine with plenty of flare and flavour — and a long drinks list — you’ll want to let loose here.
Gimlet Located on a corner of Flinders Lane, Gimlet at Cavendish House is the latest addition to Melbourne’s dining scene by critically acclaimed chef Andrew McConnell. In the landmark 1920s building, expect a cocktail bar, dining room and caviar service with a classic European charisma, lavishly reimagined.
Left: Anchovy. Right: Nomad.
Anchovy Lauded chef Thi Le has consistently championed the progression of South East Asian cuisine in Australia. At Anchovy — in the multicultural locality of Richmond — she advances the ethos of Vietnamese cuisine, now offering a Back to Our Roots set menu and Banh Mi sessions to keep things fresh.
Nomad Sydney’s much-loved restaurant has stayed true to its name and opened a new outpost on Flinders Lane. Believing that some of the world’s finest produce is grown in greater Victoria, the local resources lend themselves to Nomad’s menu, which is inspired by the team’s travels through Spain, Morocco and the Middle East — and finished with fire and smoke.
For more exclusive access to what the city has to offer, engaging content, excellent imagery and thought provoking commentary on the life that surrounds you, subscribe to Denizen magazine now.
