RR Hospitality | Monkey Spices
Fine fare with a twist Nestled in the heart of one of Canterbury's quaint little towns you’ll find culinary creativity at its best. If you take Italian cuisine at its finest, marry it with authentic oriental cuisine and incorporate service that represents the very essence of great hospitality, you’ve got a recipe for success. Better still, you’ve got Monkey Spices restaurant in Rolleston.
An international accent It’s impossible not to feel inspired and excited by what’s on offer at Monkey Spices. When the owners and operators are so passionate about what they do, their enthusiasm becomes contagious. Chie and Taka Mochizuki have created a Kiwi restaurant with an international accent and local clientele and diners from far and wide come to enjoy their unique food and fancy. The business has survived the literal ups and downs of the Canterbury earthquakes and global financial crisis and has come out the other end stronger than ever. Established in 2007, the business is a hybrid of the skills both Chie and Taka have invested in it. “My husband has a background in architecture and had a great desire to build something wonderful from the ground up,” she explains. “He loved the idea of developing a restaurant concept and designing a beautiful space. “My background is restaurants – my parents had their own restaurant from the time I was
a child and like my husband, I have always loved good food and the idea of having something I could call my own.” The couple has certainly made Monkey Spices their own – injecting incredible time, energy and resource into giving the business the flavour it deserves. From Napoli style stone fired pizza, through to lamb shank wontons, Monkey Spices’ menu is enough to make even the most conservative of us lose a little bit of self control. That’s the whole principle of this restaurant – serve fresh, flavorsome and fanciful food that delights the eyes, minds, mouths and hearts of its diners. “We were very much inspired by the Italian culture presence in Australian cities like Melbourne. The Italian cuisine is a big part of the culture there and we wanted to bring something like this to Christchurch,” Chie explains. “The blend of Japanese and Italian is really about the desire for us to do something just that little bit special and different.”
We love to serve Customers are firmly at the forefront of Chie and Taka’s minds at all times – and the same goes for their ‘work family’ too. The staff at Monkey Spices has been handpicked to ensure they reflect the same work ethics and service ethos as the owners. “We strive to offer the whole package including the best possible customer service. We treat every diner’s experience as a special occasion and in addition to our consistently good food, we ensure what we offer is of the highest quality and standard.” Having perfected the art of creating an indulgent dining environment, Monkey
Spices, being the ambitious business it is, is now in pursuit of new palate pleasing options and has introduced invitation only degustation dinners. “Our head chef Chong is incredibly talented and skilled and he made it possible to create something extraordinary and memorable for our regular customers. He is such a great asset to our team,” Chie reveals. “This option is a great way for customers to experience a lot of different dishes and flavours. For the last degustation evening the chefs created a menu with 13 courses – tapas style. It was a great success.” On the horizon is the plan to make the degustation evening available for everyone who loves great food with a difference. “We were able to celebrate our five year anniversary last year following the earthquakes and we are very proud of that fact. We invited all our customers along – many of whom have become good friends of ours. And we really appreciate their continuous support to us. “We will be advertising the next degustation dinner dates and details shortly so don’t miss out on the opportunity!” Chie says. “If you have any enquiries you can call us at the restaurant, or send an email though our website."
Menu teasers • Lamb wontons • Slow cooked lamb shank with olives wrapped in wonton • Oriental fresh spring rolls • Prawns, surimi, egg, spring onion and rice noodle wrapped in soft rice paper with special dipping sauce (3 rolls) • Pizza Capricciosa • Prawns, chorizo sausage, basil, roasted capsicum and mozzarella with aioli sauce (tomato base) • Hoajao crispy chicken, spinach with penne pasta in creamy tomato sauce • Kumara and mascarpone tortellini, chorizo, spinach and caramelized onion with basil pesto and roasted cherry tomatoes • Lamb shoulder braised with bacon and pomegranate served on creamy polenta with a selection of one side – crispy polenta with aioli and wedges/ side salad/broccoli with cherry tomatoes and almonds • Banana gelato in crepe parcel with vanilla mascarpone & honey caramel sauce.
Lunch: Group bookings and private functions only Dinner: Tues-Sun, 5.30pm-late Fully licensed and BYO wine only.
When it comes to fine wine,we don’t kid around.
Proud to support Monkey Spices Restaurant
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60 | July/August 2013 www.canterburytoday.co.nz
Monkey Spices Shop 9, 72 Rolleston Square Rolleston Christchurch T (03) 347 7444 E info@monkeyspices.co.nz www.monkeyspices.co.nz — Advertising Feature