The Lotus Licenced Chinese Restaurant was established by Dr Roy Law at 154 Cuba Street in 1964. The story of The Lotus gives us a window into the culture of fine dining, and the dine and dance scene of that time. The restaurant pushed cultural boundaries and the culinary palate of an often-conservative Pākehā clientele.

Dr Roy Law was the first Chinese New Zealander to graduate as a medical practitioner from the University of Otago. He obviously had a lot of energy, as he worked as a General Practitioner during the day and a restaurant owner at night. And as its name suggests, The Lotus was licenced to serve alcohol.

This was a big deal in 1964, as liquor licences for restaurants had only been around for a few years and was strictly enforced. One requirement for licenced restaurants was that men had to wear a jacket and tie.  The Maitre d’ at The Lotus kept spare ties at the door, for any gentleman diner who arrived without one.

Dr Law’s sons, Mark and Tony Law, kindly donated menus and wine lists along with bundles of chop sticks and the original plates, bowls and spoons from The Lotus to Wellington Museum. They also donated fascinating photographs, including of the restaurant’s jazz band The Lotus Trio in action during their evening dine and dance sessions.

The Rosanna Lounge was owned by Greek émigré Dennis Boulieris from 1958 to 1975. Situated at 85 Willis Street, by the Majestic and Lido theatres, it served ice creams to movie goers during intervals but also grilled meats and roast meals to diners from the restaurant area at the rear.

The Rosanna Lounge opened with one of Wellington’s few espresso machines, but Dennis Boulieris had to retire the machine after a few years, due to the difficulty of importing replacement parts.

The Boulieris family shared photographs, original crockery and a menu for the exhibition. They recall how Dennis worked tirelessly, enjoying what he did. He was rarely without a smile and was often heard singing or whistling traditional Greek and other popular songs as he served his customers.

We also collected stories of recent innovation. In the early 2000s a new generation of independent microbreweries started bubbling up in Wellington. Leading this brewing revolution, which echoed Wellington’s espresso coffee revolution two decades earlier, was Garage Project.

In 2011 Pete Gillespie pushed a small brew kit to its limits, at Garage Project’s converted Aro Valley petrol station. This brew kit, displayed in Capital of Kai, produced 24 types of beer in 24 weeks. Sold on tap at craft beer bar Hashigo Zake, enthusiasts rated Pete’s concoctions highly, with many of his pioneering brews still in production today.

We’re keen to share more stories of Wellington’s rich culinary history in years to come. If you would like to help us build our food and hospitality collections, please contact us at [email protected]

Capital of Kai – Wellington Museum exhibition (until 6 September).

Ian Wards is Wheako Pōneke Experience Wellington Senior Curator (Taonga).