Smoko

I finally made it along to Depot last evening for dinner with some of the boys from the store. I was really impressed with the food and the décor: They have spent a lot of time and money making a new space look humble.

Al Brown has come from a life growing up on farms and has spent a fair amount of time in shearing sheds I would suspect. He obviously has a fascination with the history of food in New Zealand and seems un affected by International trends and fancy foams.

He has created a great space, it is lacking the cultural cringe I now get from too much kiwiana and it is a subtle balance of New Zealand’s history and a celebration of what makes us unique: A bit like the food.

From the mismatched cutlery that says so much about the inspiration for this space to the Ans Westra print on the wall from her 1964 Wash Day series showing a small boy, anchor milk tin and some buttered bread this is a celebration of New Zealand food.

The Rugby World Cup will come and go; Depot tells a culinary story we should all be excited by and will survive long after the IRB roadshow departs.