THE EVOLUTION OF ALFRED
WORDS Joshua Brosnahan PHOTOS Sarah Rowlands
Blink, and you’ll miss it – and Alfred isn’t one to drive by.
The start of Papanui Road is home to Alfred, a small sliver of Carlton Courts. It’s a neighbourhood wine bar, positioned right on the edge of the city. With a focus on natural and organic wines, the premise has quickly gathered the attention of fellow wine enthusiasts and locals looking for an easy-going hangout spot to share with family and friends.
So, what is in a name? Alfred Money was responsible for building the very first Carlton Hotel, opposite the wine bar. He also met an untimely end in the same spot, after falling from a moving tram in the early 1900s. Naming the bar after Mr Money seemed to be a fitting tribute to Omer Shadich and Robert Fairs, the pair behind Alfred.
After spending time in and out of hospitality since he was a teenager, Omer found himself working at Gatherings, Alfred’s neighbouring restaurant. He mentions that working alongside Alex Davies meant he was presented with completely new facets of what the hospitality industry had to offer. Omer graduated from university and made moves towards opening Alfred.
Robert, or ‘Bob’, has been cooking for ten years, which has taken him all around the world.
“I cut my teeth here in Christchurch at Cooking with Gas, and Lyttelton’s Roots. I opened two restaurants in Dubai as head chef, to critical acclaim. I found myself in various iconic restaurants in Europe, and by luck of Covid, [came on a] full-circle journey back to the homeland.”
The ethos behind Alfred is to take each day as new. “We focus on ourselves and our surroundings. Hospitality by its nature has an immediate relationship to the present; time and place are important concepts to what we do. We often look at Alfred as a point in time, so while the time is now, we put our all into it.”
The pair work well together – the space is intimate and relaxing, and with the cooking facilities in clear view, Bob’s inimitable skills are on show for Alfred’s patrons. It’s a good show. Bob remarks that one of his favourite things about working with Omer is ‘his control of the vibe’ and how he dresses the room. Omer counteracts by quipping that Bob is a ‘beast’. “Working alongside someone that pushes you to want to grow and evolve is fantastic. I think both of us being so young is exciting as well. We’re constantly learning, as we navigate through it all. It’s nice working at this together.”
The guys are grateful for their position in the restaurant realm here in Ōtautahi.
“Right now, there’s a great sense of community. It is a real highlight of our day-to-day. If we were to list everyone we feel a part of Alfred, it would fill this whole page. Hospitality can get so competitive and intense, so it’s nice to feel the love, right across the city.”
Expect evolution from Omer, Bob and from the restaurant itself.
“If you’re not evolving, you’re dead. Keeping mind of the future is essential, so we try to represent that in our day to day as much as we can.”