Hospitality/Dining
Use your head
Author. Leisha Jones — 14/ 07/ 2021
Leisha Jones comes face to face with a favourite dish from her childhood.

Author. Leisha Jones — 14/ 07/ 2021
Leisha Jones comes face to face with a favourite dish from her childhood.
Author. Stone Soup — 13/ 07/ 2021
There’s a lot of musing to be had of sardines grilling over a charcoal barbecue, signalling the start of summer on small wharves, streets and in backyards.
Author. Kate Richards — 27/ 08/ 2019
Auckland’s least Instagramable dishes
There’s no point getting preachy. We all know that Instagram and her army of shiny influencers have changed the way we look at and consume food. So let’s take a moment to appreciate the ugly-delicious ducklings of Auckland’s culinary landscape, for being both relatable and tasty.
Author. Here's Barney — 08/ 11/ 2018
Word of this guy Bobby Wayne slinging fried chicken and cornbread to those in the know out of his garage (which he called The Chicken Coop) spread like wildfire around the boys I used to play league with for Aranui in Christchurch. They quickly got a taste for the fact it was the most legit fried chicken around.
Author. Leisha Jones — 07/ 11/ 2018
You can just picture little Samrudh “Sammy” Akuthota running around his parents’ restaurant as a nine-year-old boy – garnishing his mum’s curries at the pass, helping prep entrees after school and delivering dishes to the diners with his signature pearly grin – because now, when he talks about food and beer, his face lights up with the same boyish enthusiasm I imagine he possessed back then.
Author. Stone Soup — 06/ 11/ 2018
A collaborative story about Root-to-Petal week by Will Bowman, Ruby White & Jane Lyons.
Author. Stone Soup — 03/ 10/ 2018
When your dumpling lands with a thud on your table
William Chen finds out why service doesn’t always come with a smile at Asian eateries.
Author. Martyn Pepperell — 02/ 10/ 2018
“When people come here, we want them to feel like they’re transported to Ethiopia,” explains Iman Mahyup. “We want them to be able to experience traditional Ethiopian cuisine, coffee ceremonies, music, and culture. We’re working on growing the experience. It will take time, but we’re getting there.” Iman is talking about Blue Nile, the Ethiopian restaurant she opened last year in a business partnership with her mother Fathia Sadd and her close friend Almaz Nrea.
Author. Stone Soup — 03/ 03/ 2018
This issue we talk to Kevin Morris of Dante’s Pizzeria as we continue our journey through the hospitality world via nomination by our previous subject. Naomi Nakama of Takapuna’s ARK Coffee says she often goes to his Takapuna shop “where they make beautiful pizza and the service is always great”.
Author. Charles Buenconsejo — 25/ 11/ 2017
Charles Buenconsejo liked interviewing, writing about and photographing the crew at Nanam so much for Stone Soup Volume 4 so much, he decided to turn his interview into a video as a gift to celebrate their new abode.
Author. Lynn Jenner — 04/ 11/ 2017
They say if you can remember the 70’s you weren’t there, but that isn’t entirely true. I have proof. Ever since I left Dunedin in 1983 I’ve kept great taste and texture memories of the whole-wheat salad, coleslaw and cottage cheese at Pot Pourri Vegetarian Café in lower Stewart Street.
Author. Stone Soup — 14/ 09/ 2017
Had enough of traffic? Sick of Ponsonby? Feel terrible about using Uber? Want to have more than two drinks with your dinner?
Author. Stone Soup — 05/ 09/ 2017
Our previous hospitality profile, Yuki from Tanpopo Ramen in Auckland, nominated Naomi Nakama – Ark coffee director, artist and designer – as our next subject.
He said, “She is a passionate artist, and also a passionate cafe owner. I like her hospitality style, she treats the customers with grace, all people have a peaceful and relaxing time.”
Author. Stone Soup — 14/ 05/ 2017
By Calum Hodgson, cheesemonger at Sabato, otherwise known as ‘The Curd Nerd’
At the beginning of September 2016, Biddy made the decision that she would no longer make heat treated cheese. Her advancing years and clapped out shoulders meant lifting heavy pans of milk into bigger pans of boiling water and then out again into iced water to cool it down before she could begin cheesemaking was a chore she could do without.
Author. Stone Soup — 03/ 05/ 2017
Monique Fiso recently held the first of her Hiakai Bell tent pop-ups on The Food Farm – the organic permaculture CSA of the Clifford family in Waipara, North Canterbury.
Author. Leisha Jones — 18/ 02/ 2017
The team at Hamilton’s Duck Island ice cream parlour spend their days constantly tweaking, testing and perfecting their well-crafted and unique flavour combinations – resulting in the dreamiest ice cream that is worthy of a road trip just to get a scoop.
Author. Angela Clifford — 17/ 02/ 2017
Hereford Street in Christchurch seems a long way from the boisterous streets of Mumbai, India, renowned for it’s street food culture, lines of people gathering at busy roadside stalls to fuel themselves with delicious bite sized snacks on the go. But the interior of Mumbaiwala – Indian Street Kitchen, makes a good attempt at recreating Mumbai’s disheveled exotic-ness.
Author. Here's Barney — 16/ 02/ 2017
If the late 2000s were about the rise of the food blogger, the early 2010s heralded the arrival of the food Instagrammer. It’s been under these conditions that Wellington-based food/culture lover and connector Barney Hodges – the man behind the popular @heresbarney Instagram and snapchat accounts – came into his own.
Author. Stone Soup — 15/ 02/ 2017
Lee from Camper Coffee, our previous hospitality profile, said he would like to suggest Yuki from Tanpopo as our next subject because, “He is a professional ramen maker and makes the best ramen in Auckland”. It’s a big call, so we tracked Yuki down to talk hospo life.
Author. Leisha Jones — 14/ 09/ 2016
Whether it’s the pillowy bread, the perfect execution of that egg, or the sunny disposition of the friendly faces that run the place…There’s something about Ceremony that just makes you feel good.
Author. Stone Soup — 10/ 06/ 2016
“What is food for thought? Why does food for thought make you hungry? And hungrier, the more you eat? How is an idea translated into food? Are ideas something you can taste? I had endless questions about food, about cooking, about the science of cooking, about restaurants, about chefs. I had time to go in search of the answers. That’s where I’ve been. Here’s what I brought back from my journey…”
Author. Leisha Jones — 10/ 06/ 2016
Maryam Omar and her sister Dalal Omar take great pride in showing off the flavours of Jordan to Kingsland locals. At the family-run Petra Shawarma, questions about the menu are answered in great detail – how the dish would be eaten back home, how it has been slightly altered to meet our needs, how it should be eaten, and what it should be eaten with.
Author. Aaron McLean — 10/ 06/ 2016
We asked our previous hospitality profile subject @Honebegood to nominate our next subject, and he sent us to theologian-turned-coffee-guru Lee Woo Hyung of @camper_coffee. Johnny suggested Lee “simply because I really like what he’s done with the place and he seems like a really nice guy. He’s a stylish dude who is quite obviously extremely passionate about the coffee!” Lee was the winner of this year’s New Zealand AeroPress awards and will rep us in Dublin this June. Go check out his Newmarket hole in the wall.
Author. Ginny Grant — 10/ 06/ 2016
I’m almost loath to talk about Eden Noodles. It’s truly one of the finest producers of Sichuan food in this city. It’s small, it’s handily located at the top end of Dominion Road and it always has queues forming outside at peak times. If you can’t handle chilli or heat to your food, this is not the place to come.
Author. Stone Soup — 10/ 06/ 2016
Peculiarly, food courts, in their many shades and shapes, have been the location for much of the very best and worst of the substantial amount of eating I have done in my life.
Author. Leisha Jones — 10/ 06/ 2016
Talking shit and drinking spritz with the man behind the beanie.
Author. Stone Soup — 05/ 02/ 2016
I saw Johnny Hartnett (@honebegood) post a picture of that day’s work attire on Instagram and it gave me the idea that we should profile the personalities in New Zealand hospitality. So it seemed appropriate he was the first subject.
Author. Fiona Smith — 05/ 02/ 2016
Salty, sweet, tangy, tart, crunchy and surprisingly light, the goat cheese croquettes with Kaimahi honey at Apero are the perfect start to any dinner. I’ve had them many times before because I have to say, unreservedly, that I love Apero.
Author. Ginny Grant — 05/ 02/ 2016
One of the great joys of travelling in countries with a strong food culture is the ability to find a cheap snack at any time via the street side vendors and stalls. For a local version, vegetarian diner Mumbai Chaat in Sandringham (1A Kitchener Rd, there is another branch in Blockhouse Bay Auckland only) may be as close as you can get.
Author. Josh Griggs — 05/ 02/ 2016
Kelmarna Gardens and City Farm is an oasis within the city and a hidden gem, transporting you into another world beyond the busy hustle of Auckland.