Mapu Lights the Way for Dining in Lyttelton

“Literally a little town a mountain away from Christchurch, Lyttelton is a curious place where chain stores do not thrive, independence is cherished and residents are likely to have facial piercings,” Jamie Lafferty writes for the Financial Times. “These hipsters have had a fairly tight grip on the town for years, but part of their particular brand of gentrification has seen the weekend farmers’ market thrive and the excellence of the coffee soar.”

“I stayed with a friend for a week, filling the days with walks around town and feverishly caffeinated conversations. To thank her for her hospitality, I wanted to take Andrea (an Antarctic guide for part of the year) to the best restaurant in town, but it seemed to have closed, presumably because of the pandemic,” Lafferty writes. “Yet on the same site, another, smaller restaurant had popped up. It was there, in the Mapu Test Kitchen, that I met Giulio Sturla.

“‘I don’t have staff so I can afford to use only premium ingredients,’ Sturla said.

“I wondered how long a one-man operation could thrive, but the chef showed few signs of self-doubt.”

Original article by Jamie Lafferty, Financial Times, July 15, 2023.

Photo by Elizabeth Carlson.