Shafeeq Ismail's Favourite Christchurch Food Spots

This place offers a different style of cuisine for Christchurch. Back in the day, it was Bodhi Tree. Their food is very consistent and not too pricy. It's real craving food, like the shredded green papaya salad. And you can't forget the tamarin sorbet topped with chilli.

Bar Yoku is a great place to take someone for a quick lunch—friendly people with great energy. There are many different items to order; I like the soft crab shell. It's also the best spot in winter, with a cosy indoor/outdoor vibe.

A small patisserie for online orders and pick up from their window or at the Saturday Market. Owner Julie is very experienced. She has something like 15/20 years of experience in high-end restaurants. We sell their gluten-free chocolate fudge brownie at Story; it's a heated-up live lava cake! All the gluten-free options are excellent, too.

I'm biased, but Odeon always takes me to some different place, like Marrakesh, but it also feels homely. It's a relaxed space. We've set a standard of honest service and talking to the customer. Every month, the food changes. The Feed Me option with the wine match is the best.

A non-pretentious and intimate space. They are great people at Gatherings, very hardworking. One of the Chefs, Finbar, used to work at Story. Finbar thinks a little similar to me with the ingredients he uses. I really like his palette: nice acidy, spice and sourness that you usually find in Asian cuisine, which makes sense as to why it's popular with Asian people, too. They go there for the excellent seafood.

It was very courageous for Bob to start a restaurant at 26, he's a machine! His cooking style is a little more refined; it's always good vibes and down-to-earth service. It's also open on Sundays, which is hard to find.

I used to love the old Hello Sunday crew. Back then, they were doing things differently. It was fast service and good energy. Then they started 5th Street; they do everything themselves. It's honest, tasty food and not too much pretentiousness. Ideal for a big group dining. It was a great transition from Hello to 5th Street - from breakfast and brunch to dinner. They did that well.

This place is a bit of a chef's secret spot. It's well priced, a place to try lots of different things: Chicken with Szechuan Pepper, a stir-fried eggplant dish, cumin and chilli lamb, and salted fish fried rice. I still remember the flavours, which means it's good!

I don't drink, but The Last Word is a relaxing place to sit upstairs, look out the window and reflect. Alex and the team will make something creative for me to drink when I get there. A lot of the businesses down New Regent Street have a great relationship. It's a strong community that has grown together and come a long way.

I like that this Lyttelton café really relaxed and not too polished. They also do triple-shot coffees. James from the now-closed Caffeine Lab used Lyttelton Coffee Beans and did triple shots; he hooked me.