Sugarloaf restaurant at Flockhill Station in Canterbury has emerged as one of the region's top fine-dining experiences. Photo / Supplied
Sugarloaf restaurant at Flockhill Station in Canterbury has emerged as one of the region's top fine-dining experiences. Photo / Supplied
Fourteen years on from the devastating earthquakes, Christchurch and the wider region have been reborn. Its hospitality sector is among the many that have undergone a mass refresh as part of the post-shake rebuild, resulting in an abundance of new dining experiences that have helped bring life back to Canterbury. Blake Benny took a culinary adventure across three markedly different food venues.
All have a major connecting thread: a desire to indulge in the theatre of the kitchen ... and go beyond a meal to create a unique culinary experience intertwining history, experience – and gold old-fashioned hospitality.
Mapu, London St, Lyttelton
Tucked away in between two buildings on Lyttelton’s bustling London St is Mapu.
The test kitchen is a one-man show from Chef Giulio Sturla, born out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He described it as “a creative outlet” for him to try new things, where he invites diners to join him in his discoveries.
It is an intimate affair at Mapu, where Sturla hosts just six people at a time.
MAPU chef Giulio Sturla. Photo / Jarrard Johnstone
He said the kitchen is “all about sharing the stories behind the people, ingredients, foraging vision and the natural environment that surrounds us on the Banks Peninsula”.
Guests first arrive at Sturla’s secret garden. That’s his base, where 85% of the ingredients for his menu are sourced from.
Sturla’s dishes are created with an aim to showcase what he “can grow and forage” with his own hands.
It means two servings are ever the same, with much of the evening menu creating that morning “choosing what is best” from the garden.
After a grand tour, we were ushered into his test kitchen – a bar stool set up where guests watch Sturla prepare the dishes.
During the evening, we are treated to nine separate dishes, starting with a vegetable ash cracker.
That’s one of the few permanent fixtures of the menu, although toppings change depending on the season – and what Sturla has tucked away in his garden.
A standout entrée was the Ecuador cheese bread, made with Akaroa’s Barrys Bay Cheese.
It also served as a symbol of Sturla’s kitchen, in which he showcased the best of Canterbury, through a unique and deeply personal menu encompassing his background and life travels.
A highlight of the evening was the King Crab dish.
Sturla served this with a mysterious noodle, having us taste-test it to see if we could guess what it was made from.
He revealed it was in fact a “green banana noodle”, an unusual dish for Kiwis but a staple of Ecuador.
Sturla walked us through how bananas are plentiful and easily accessible in the South American country, making it an extremely affordable dining option for many.
This led to a discussion about his passion for minimal food waste, which stemmed from his background – where money was tight.
“At Mapu there is no waste as any food scraps go to our compost, bones and any leftovers go to our home cooking, and whatever edible is left goes to my puppy food menu.”
Sturla pulled off many surprises with his servings throughout the night – but the most memorable was saved for last, at dessert.
He presented us with a unique handmade ice cream, which we were pleasantly surprised to learn was in fact made with mushroom milk.
Sturla had saved this from an earlier dish that required foraged mushrooms, and opted to turn it into a dessert rather than throw the excess away as most would.
The ice cream’s creamy melt-in-your-mouth texture went down a treat with all attendees.
Beverages were also well-catered for.
I had Mapu’s alcoholic dining option, which included wine pairings for most courses.
What impressed me though was Sturla’s efforts towards his non-alcoholic options, which my dining partner had.
Her evening, worth $360, included a variety of alcohol-free drinks handcrafted by Sturla.
We both commented after the dinner that her drinks had surpassed expectations.
Given the number of Kiwis (particularly younger generations) who are opting to forego booze, it was refreshing to see Mapu cater well for this growing demographic.
Sturla’s genuine desire to provide a one-of-a-kind hospitality experience was on full display after we finished our courses.
While some would call it a night and begin to wrap things up, he instead joined us all on the stalls with some extra wine in tow to chat until the last drop disappeared.
It is easy to see why Mapu has created a strong name for itself for both locals seeking an upmarket night out – and international visitors wanting a unique taste of Canterbury.
INATI, Hereford St, Christchurch CBD
Inati is the brainchild of husband-wife duo Simon and Lisa Levy.
The fine-dining restaurant is in a central spot, opposite the Christchurch City Council chambers on Hereford St.
The site is just a stone’s throw away from Riverside Market but still slightly tucked away from the main hustle and bustle, giving the restaurant its own unique bubble.
The Levys described their premises as a place that “focuses on coming together with loved ones over local produce and share plates”.
There are smaller, more conventional tables available, but what brings most people in the door is the chef’s table, which can accommodate 19 diners at once.
This is the heart of the restaurant, where you watch your food being prepared before your eyes – while hearing the backstory of each serving directly from those making it.
Much like Mapu, Inati aims to provide patrons with a shared theatrical kitchen experience, but on a far larger scale.
I deliberately went into Inati blind, doing little research outside of a quick Google search and flicking through its website.
It took me about 30 seconds inside the restaurant to see it was a well-oiled machine.
The second you step in, someone takes your coat and guides you to the back of the building and its separate bar area for a pre-dinner drink.
Inati felt like a well-rehearsed culinary dance, in which every member of the team was perfectly in sync.
The choice of custard may make some pause – I certainly did – but I soon discovered this was the key ingredient to the dish, with its creaminess providing a perfect balance to the salt of the oyster.
We also dined on a charred cream corn and lime pickle dish from the Earth selection – beautifully presented and even better tasting – an easy highlight of the night.
However, what was Inati’s most memorable dish came from its Land section of the menu.
That was the Duck Trumpets, which were served with a side of blackberry jam.
At first glance, you’d assume it’s a miniature real fruit ice cream – and anticipate a sweet dish rather than the savoury flavouring of duck parfait you receive on first bite.
While the dish was beautifully presented, this admittedly wasn’t my favourite serving of the evening, but that purely is down to personal preference, with my dining partner ranking the trumpets highly.
It was clear Inati was designed to differentiate itself from its restaurant peers in the city and brought a desire to champion Christchurch and the region’s wider offerings within its menu.
I felt this best displayed when we were poured a glass of Pegasus Bay’s delicious Fortified Cabernet Merlot Malbec.
The North Canterbury winemakers had only made this specific blend twice and Inati is the only party to serve it apart from the vineyard itself.
I felt its serving was a nice touch and highlighted well how the Levys’ connections within the local business community benefited the restaurant.
I’d imagine the Pegasus Bay serving would also rank highly for guests from outside Canterbury hoping to taste something exclusive to the region.
Nestled in Canterbury’s Craigieburn Valley is Flockhill Station.
It’s less than a two-hour drive from Christchurch’s CBD to the impressive 14,570ha sheep station, which is also home to what’s quickly becoming one of New Zealand’s most luxury accommodation venues.
Simply put, it’s a piece of Aotearoa paradise tucked away in the heart of Canterbury high country.
The impressive site includes its Private Homestead – a top-of-the-line accommodation experience costing more than $12,000 a night.
While it’s gorgeous, it’s safe to say that’s an experience for high rollers in far higher tax brackets than myself.
Flockhill has also recently opened an array of smaller on-site villas, with a price tag within slightly easier reach for those with more modest bank balances.
It was also recently received signed off to serve its own Flockhill lamb on the menu, an exciting offering that emphasised the strong desire to showcase “from farm to plate” ethos to guests.
Cullen explained that as Sugarloaf relies heavily on the station’s own offerings, the menu for the day is often dependent on what’s coming out of the dry edger, the garden or the ferment room.
“Then with those three things, we kind of build dishes ... there’s not necessarily a set structure that we follow.
“It’s kind of like what’s inspiring me on the day when I get in in the morning and write the menu,” Cullen said.
He said while that can be challenging for himself and his team, it forces them to be innovative with their creations and “keeps us on our toes the whole time, which is pretty cool”.
At present, around 80% of the ingredients used in Sugarloaf’s menu come from within the station, with the aim for that to grow to as close to 100% as possible over the coming years.
When it came time for us to eat, we received little advance information as to what our menu would include.
Instead, we opted to “Trust the Chef” and prepared ourselves (and thereby our belt buckles) for an incoming 12-course meal, which aimed to showcase the best of Sugarloaf.
Chef Cullen’s work surpassed expectations.
Over the 3.5-hour dining experience, we snacked on a range of entrées including a venison tart, smoked snapper taco, potato doughnut and honey-soaked radish.
What became immediately clear upon each serving was the attention to detail Chef Cullen and his team put into each plate – and the hours of preparation behind them all.
Cullen’s “potato doughnut” was an immediate favourite.
The potato balls came with aioli on the inside and were topped with Flockhill’s very own mānuka honey – a nice touch that highlighted Sugarloaf’s commitment to incorporating nature’s nearby offerings.
The first of our two mains was the snapper , served in koji butter and topped with caviar.
The dish was an instant highlight of the day for us all.
What struck me, though, was the conversation we had with Chef Cullen as he served the fish.
He used the snapper as an example of Sugarloaf’s desire to leave as little waste as possible.
Cullen explained that if he were to just use the fillets of the fish, that would leave about 70% waste.
Just 1% of Flockhill’s land area is used by the restaurant and accommodation, with the rest continuing as the long-running sheep station, so serving what in many ways remains the farm’s bread and butter feels necessary to provide an authentic dining experience.
Sugarloaf will be opening its doors to the public for Sunday lunches from May, giving locals the opportunity to experience the unique alpine environment without having to splash out on a night’s accommodation.
Cullen believed the restaurant will connect with locals, who will use it as an opportunity to get in the car and explore somewhere new.
I’d highly recommend the experience to all interested in catching a glimpse of what I believe will quickly become one of New Zealand’s most popular international tourism destinations.
The verdict
All three destinations provided memorable dining experiences and brought an exciting edge to Canterbury’s hospitality offerings.
While all offer an engaging and unique culinary adventure, I believe each has specific strengths.
For those seeking a personal connection with their meal, Chef Giulio Sturla’s Mapu would be my recommendation.
Sturla’s kitchen set-up makes guests feel like they’re having dinner with a friend, who becomes part of the experimental menu experience.
If you’re on the hunt for an upmarket social gathering, Inati should be top of your list.
The prime CBD location and restaurant set-up make it an immediate choice for those seeking a fun night out with loved ones – while bonding over top Canterbury cuisine and pushing themselves out of their culinary comfort zone.
And for those looking to ditch the city and head on an adventure, Sugarloaf is the number one choice.
The Craigieburn Valley backdrop is simply one-of-a-kind, and a piece of Kiwi paradise that both locals and tourists should be adding to their hospitality bucket list.
