Chef and winemaker Will Lyons-Bowman shares his favourite places to eat in Riccarton, from tasty scallion pancakes served at a supermarket, to fish and chip institutions and superlative soft serve.
“I grew up in Christchurch, not far from Riccarton, but as a keen eater I’d have gravitated towards Riccarton from any suburb around the city,” says chef and winemaker Will Lyons-Bowman (Ngāpuhi).
Lyons-Bowman produces wines under the Vita label in North Canterbury’s Waipara Valley, and co-owns Lillies with Liam Kelleher – a winery, cidery and restaurant housed in a former St Asaph Street warehouse in Phillipstown. Once a CrossFit gym, the space has been transformed into a humming eatery, centred around their great orb of a wood fire. That wood fire is so central, in fact, that the menu is divided into two sections: pizza and not pizza.
Just a couple of suburbs away from his restaurant lies Riccarton, a place that Lyons-Bowman has a long-held affection for – particularly for its diverse food scene. “Growing up we would eat there all the time, whether it was Cambodian noodle soups with a friend, fish and chips with the family or special sichuan celebrations after a school prize giving with Mum,” he says. One of Christchurch’s largest suburbs, Riccarton, in Lyons-Bowman’s view, “produces the most authentic, delicious food in the city.”
Three words that sum up the food in Riccarton: Vast, varied, fragrant goodness (and yes I realise that’s four words).
My most controversial food opinion about Riccarton: Is that it has the best selection of Chinese food in the country.
Everyone has a dining out pet peeve. Mine is: People that don’t want to share food.
The best restaurant in Riccarton is: Shanghai Restaurant.
Why I love Shanghai Restaurant: They do comforting, balanced and affordable Shanghai-style Chinese breakfast food.
My go-to order is: Savoury tofu pudding, youtiao, xiaolongbao, scallion noodles, cucumber salad.
When I’m craving something cheap and cheerful I head to: Dumplings on Riccarton for “$2 rice” (which is what we’ve always called the restaurant itself, since my high school days), a bread stick, and a few wontons. A big plate of food for a wildly reasonable price.
The most underrated local gem is: My mate and business partner Liam introduced us to “Local Kitchen” which operates as part of Basics Asian Supermarket at Church Corner. They make an incredible spring onion pancake type bread that is both flaky and chewy, with a central layer that is smeared with fermented bean paste.
A recent food discovery I can’t stop talking about: Makan Junction – a Malaysian restaurant on Colombo Street doing the classics like Hainanese chicken and char kway teow well.
A place I’ve been dying to try is: Ceylon Kitchen is a Sri Lankan restaurant and a real stalwart of the Christchurch eating scene, so it’s a tragedy that I haven’t been yet. Will do before this piece is published.
The local dish I crave most: Cold pork slices with garlic and chilli sauce from Uncle Seven’s Claypot Rice.
Celebrating with a group? Book a table at: Drexels.
Pub or bar of choice: Volstead.
The BYO I keep going back to: Daphne’s.
For a late-night food fix you’ll find me at: Ancestral.
Got visitors from out of town? I’m taking them to: Shanghai Restaurant.
An ideal date spot would be: Shanghai Bistro (not to be confused with the aforementioned Shanghai Restaurant).
Make sure to order: Cucumber salad.
But I’d advise you to avoid the: Cucumber salad if garlic breath is a concern.
Riccarton’s best…
Breakfast: Shanghai Restaurant.
Coffee: I’m fiercely loyal to Coffee Embassy which is technically in central Christchurch not Riccarton…
Sandwich: Bruce’s Bahn Mi.
Noodles: Scallion dry noodles from Shanghai Restaurant.
Fish and chips: Theo’s.
And the best place to unwrap and eat them is: My sister’s garden around the corner.
What defines great fish and chips? I am a crumbed fish fanboy through and through, so it’s gotta be crumbed, it’s gotta be fresh, it’s gotta be seasoned well and then doused in lemon juice. Chips: somewhere between crisp and soggy. And I do like chicken salt.
Bowl of soup: Phở from Ngon Ngon.
Bread: Scallion pancake from Local Kitchen at Basics Asian Supermarket.
Baked treat: See above!
For a serious sweet tooth, head to: SUMO’S for soft serve. They do a range of elaborate flavours and toppings such as matcha and Oreo but I am a sucker for vanilla soft serve with strawberry sauce.
If you’re after spice, make a beeline for: Little Spicy for congee with your desired add ons. Get a youtiao too.
The dairy with the best lolly selection: Naresh Dairy.
A little local treat that always cheers me up: Savoury glutinous rice roll with pork floss and chilli paste from Corner Delight.
My favourite grocery shop: Sunson Supermarket for its great range of fresh herbs and Chinese greens, wide selection of dried goods and sauces and its incredible vibe – it’s busy from when it opens and I love seeing what people are buying.
A perfect place to linger over a drink: The Craic.
My favourite local hospo personality: Yotti and Yanni at Theo’s Fishmongers are awesome. They run a fourth generation shop and are always happy to suggest a new species and how to cook it. They take pride in what they’re selling.
For outstanding people watching, go to: Drexel’s – I love the mixture of celebratory groups jammed into booths and solo diners at the kitchen bar getting their diner breakfast fix.
The place I’m most likely to bump into someone I know: Shanghai Restaurant.
The place I go to avoid bumping into anyone I know: Corner Delight.
A local spot I wish we could bring back from the dead is: It’s not dead per se, but Three Elements restaurant moved from Riccarton to Wigram, so sadly it’s no longer quite as accessible as it once was.
A restaurant I would love to relocate to Riccarton: GoGo Music Cafe from Dominion Road in Auckland.
The place I return to again and again: Sunson Supermarket.
Why I love eating in Riccarton: I love Chinese, South and South East Asian flavours and Riccarton is brimming with a really delicious range of regional specialities. It’s the beating heart of good eating in Christchurch.
