Exit the Dojo

File under: dining, drink, nightlife, Wellington

It looks like we've seen the first closure of the holiday period (apart from the Malthouse): this notice recently appeared outside Dojo in Woodward St. It's a bit hard to work out the details, but it seems clear that chef Ming Poon will be opening a new venture elsewhere in the not too distant future. The notice also seems to hint that something will be re-opening in the existing space before long, though the wording is a bit cryptic. Both the chef and the location have long and interesting histories, so it'll be intriguing to see what becomes of each. Update: next month it will revert to its previous incarnation, and become Chow Woodward again.

In the meantime, just around the corner on The Terrace in a brand-new space, a very different sort of Asian fusion restaurant has just opened. Gallery Deli is a Vietnamese café, and since Vietnamese cuisine has a strong French influence, you'll find steak baguettes and croque-monsieur alongside the Pho Bo and rice paper rolls. As the name suggests, it's also a gallery (though confusingly, not a deli at all), with paintings and lacquer boxes for sale. It seems to be some sort of chain, with the original version in Ho Chi Minh City. With the forthcoming Butler's Chocolate Café originating in Dublin, it seems like the sources of global chains are becoming suprisingly diverse!