When I went into Gatherings, Alex apologised for the mess, saying it had been a big night the night before. It wasn’t messy and I loved the way Alex’s eyes lit up as he described giving over his space to Mitchell Teirney and Josh Hunter for their dinner: Know the whakapapa (origin/story) of your kai (food); a celebration of traditional Maori food, storytelling and wisdom. Alex, himself, is all about provenance, basing his plant-based and seafood menu, as well as his wine list on produce and wines from the Canterbury region. I ate here the other night and it was an absolute delight. Dishes such as yakitori potato and braised cabbage, cured yolk, mustard, porcini echo the season and the region and were delicious. Lucky Christchurch.