SPQR is probably my favourite place for long lunching in Auckland…sun, people watching and good food…it was a true pleasure to photograph this one with Chris and Courtney.
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer
September 8, 2014
SPQR
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer
September 2, 2014
Clooney
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer
Always a pleasure working with two of my favourite people in Auckland. Tony and Des, you’re amazing. Clooney is better than ever.
Xuxu
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer
Xuxu recently became a dumpling bar…be sure to head there for cocktails into the early hours and these tasty pint-sized pockets of joy.
July 15, 2014
Burger Burger Continued
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer
This is a fun crew of people…all committed to making the best burgers in town. Fresh produce, incredible brioche buns, from the butchers to the fisherman…I’m slowly, slowly, taking portraits of the entire process and each person behind each step of the way. Go there! Burger Burger, Ponsonby Central.
April 15, 2014
Burger Burger
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer
Hands down, the best goddamn burgers in town. Mimi & Adrian’s newly opened Burger Burger should make other burger joints shake up their act. $10 burgers – think pulled pork, slow-cooked lamb shoulder that literally falls apart in your mouth), medium-rare cooked beef patties…the list goes on. There are cute differences too – for example, if you’re diet conscious, you can order your burger in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun. There are half-bottles of Veuve to wash down your burger, or good ol’ swapper Lion Reds. Cocktails, old-fashioned shakes, the best old-fashioned lemonade (that your mother never made)…all in a prime location in Ponsonby Central. YOU MUST GO.
La Cigale
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer
I have a large backlog of jobs to update on this site…the blog updating has fallen by the wayside due to a busy wedding season (that you can see here). This was a recent favourite. I was invited by La Cigale (the gorgeous Parnell markets) to shoot imagery for their brand refresh – new website coming soon…all very exciting. I first fell in love with the market eight years ago when I moved to Auckland, my husband and I would spend lazy Saturdays strolling around, eating crepes with coffee, picking up big loaves of warmly baked bread before retiring to our apartment in the city. One time one of our dogs got into a sausage bin, but that’s a story for another day… Liz and Mike are so lovely, you’ll always see them on market days with their big black poodle wandering between stalls. And, if you happen to make it to their bistro evenings (Wednesday & Thursday evenings) be sure to say hi to Emerald, possibly the best maitre-d in town.
December 16, 2013
Mexico
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer
Mexico is definitely one of my favourite restaurants in Auckland. It’s so delicious, everything on the menu is packed with flavour and you can always count on the restaurant being packed with people you know and love. They make the best tacos – and don’t even get me started on how much I love their polenta fries.
This was a seriously fun shoot for me – Mimi’s apartment became a haven for Mexican food as Javier cooked up a storm on the BBQ, made deliciously fresh salads, all the while we photographed step-by-step Mexican recipes. I’m very lucky to work with such a creative, talented and fun crew of people. Make sure you visit the restaurants and enquire about their recipe cards.
Happy festive season!
November 26, 2013
Bird on a Wire
On an extremely hot Sunday afternoon, Sophie, Mimi, Emerald, Camille and I piled into Mimi’s incredible city apartment and prepared, styled and photographed 35 vibrant and delicious salads. Bird on a Wire has become a Ponsonby staple – serving delicious salads and rotisserie chickens for eat-in or takeaway, so it was really only a matter of time before another location came calling…and calling it did. Box of Bird, sister to the hero store, has opened on Auckland City’s Commerce Street, no doubt satiating hungry city dwellers with their mouth-watering menu options. It was a particularly fun shoot – I always love working with this talented family.
October 18, 2013
Picnic Box | Part One
Diane, the owner of New Zealand company Picnic Box, has nailed the concept of luxury on the go. Her picnic boxes, can be found at many leading events in Auckland, from the tennis, to Veuve Clicquot’s polo, to late night movies at Silo Park. Each box is prepared with so much love and care, the food is created by the former chef of Harbourside restaurant and range from Italian antipasto themed boxes, to stuffed roast chicken or even fondue…I was asked to photograph their first set of campaign images (stay tuned for part two which is going to be amazing…). Here are a few of the shots I took. If you haven’t tried one, make sure you order a picnic next time you see their truck…brilliant idea, executed perfectly.
October 15, 2013
Blue Duck & Black Robin | Art Auction
The other night saw the launch of two new luxury spirit brands distilled right here in New Zealand. Blue Duck & Black Robin, vodka and gin respectively, launched to some of New Zealand’s leading artists and collectors at an art charity auction at the Auckland Museum. The art auction, with proceeds supporting conversationalists Forest & Bird, included works from Don Binney, Elizabeth Thomson and Dick Frizzell. In summary, it was a standout evening of fine art and liquor, and I can’t wait to see more from the crowd at Blue Duck and Black Robin…I have no doubt they will command centre stage.
October 2, 2013
Devonport Chocolates
Apologies for the slow upload of work, life seems to have gotten the better of me in the last month. This was a job I did for Devonport Chocolate’s festive campaign. I wanted just a hint of Christmas (a pop of red) and soft layered textures. Their chocolates are really quite something, I should know, I had about half-a-tonne to eat my way through after this shoot, including a commercial sized brick. Needless to say, one of the slightly sweeter jobs I have worked on of late. Many thanks to the ever lovely Jo, Caroline and Stephanie.
September 13, 2013
Bombay Sapphire | Dickie Cullimore
Posted In: Auckland Food Photographer , Bombay Sapphire , Dickie Cullimore , New Zealand Fashion Week
I was invited to photograph Dickie Cullimore (luxury spirits ambassador) for Bombay Sapphire in full cocktail swing at New Zealand Fashion Week. Looking particularly dapper, he’s rather talented at mixing up some potently good drinks (just what I needed after a busy busy week). There’s something particularly enjoyable about photographing the art of cocktail making – there’s so many elements that go into each concoction – it really is a specialty skill. Well done Bombay Sapphire, your lounge provided a pretty nice respite from the craziness of the shows. And thanks to Dickie for being so nice and accommodating even though I was running a little over schedule!
September 10, 2013
Mandarin Dumpling & Bar
Welcome Mandarin. This restaurant feels quite close to my heart given I am part Chinese. Nat Cheshire has done a wonderful job creating a slick interior – low stud ceilings with exposed pipes, concrete floors, walnut colour tables with wooden furniture for warmth. This is the kind of place you want to hunker down and get quietly drunk over the course of a few hours in the evening with good friends. The food is exceptional. It isn’t greasy or in any way reminiscent of some other Chinese places in town. The dumplings come in a range of colours (thanks to their mix of Spinach, Beetroot & Squid Ink) and the Tofu, I’m told is to die for (it certainly was beautiful to shoot). The owner Jiahao is young and clearly has big plans in terms of his offering of contemporary Chinese food. I actually cannot wait to sample the menu in its entirety. I think this one is here for the long haul. Here are some photographs I took for the client before its opening to the public.
5 Fort Lane, Auckland.
September 6, 2013
Orleans
I love the guys (BHC) behind this new restaurant and bar Orleans. They have transformed Britomart along with the help of key people like Nat Cheshire (of Cheshire architects) and made Britomart a place of heart and soul, where once it felt like an empty void. Orleans (which opened today!) occupies the space that was District Dining but in a completely new form. Gone is the pared back industrial hall, the walls are now clad with wood, and the lights emit a warm ambient glow. The food, of course, is Southern inspired – but with fresh options too. Opt for the buttermilk fried chicken, maple glaze with sage butter on waffles or try baked cornmeal gnocchi with braised greens, napoli sauce and pecorino…all of it delicious and hearty.
48 Customs Street East, Britomart, Auckland.
September 1, 2013
The Roxy
I was asked to photograph the Roxy bar in full cocktail swing late one evening quite a number of weeks ago. This is the result. The Roxy has transformed itself from its initial fine dining offering into the perfect spot for late night drinks with friends. With a dark moody interior downstairs and a roof top terrace (still protected from the elements), it’s a good place to while away time into the early hours. And, if ever you feel slightly hungry, pop downstairs to Everybody’s and sample chef Nick Honeyman’s take on Izakaya food. You won’t be disappointed.
June 18, 2013
Everybody’s | Izakaya
Everybody’s in Fort Street’s Imperial Lane has undergone somewhat of a makeover. Distinctly Japanese-style booth seating now lines one wall, with thick slabs of dark wood serving as the tables. A once stark, white minimal interior, now feels clad with warmth; offering diners somewhere to comfortably spend the evening, all the while enjoying Japanese infused cocktails, sake and wonderful upscale Izakaya style food. The food, which deserves a special mention, is another feather in the hat for wunderkind chef Nick Honeyman. With a stint previously at The French Cafe, working under Simon Wright, and more recently heading up The Commons in Takapuna, he is firmly cementing his place in Auckland’s culinary scene. Make sure you head along and check it out…And, if you feel like stepping it up a notch, you can always wander next door into The Roxy where they will mix you up a cocktail or two.
May 6, 2013
Blue Breeze Inn Restaurant Opening
I like few things as much as eating delicious food and drinking nice wine in the company of good friends and colleagues. Mark Wallbank (of MooChowChow) and Claire Sullivan (of Denizen) asked me to photograph a lunch they hosted for 80 of Auckland’s finest, which also happened to coincide with Mark’s latest restaurant offering: The Blue Breeze Inn. Situated opposite SPQR in Ponsonby, the décor has a 60s nod, with plush velvet booth seating, retro light fittings and perhaps the pièce de résistance…a coconut shell wall. A Chinese fusion menu headed up by head-chef Che Barrington (it is hard to believe this really is the first of its kind in Auckland?), bar staff clad in Hawaiian style shirts, and the ever welcoming and effervescent host Mark, made for an afternoon and evening of hilarity. Make sure you check it out! 146 Ponsonby Road, Auckland.
Anna Kidman Photography