Dragonfly has brought dining, cocktails and a hidden courtyard together on Courtenay Place since 2012. Created by restaurateur siblings Brent Wong and Tania Siladi, the venue unfolds beyond a discreet Te Aro entrance into softly lit dining spaces, a bar and a bamboo-framed courtyard. Collected Asian objects, an original brick wall and playful visual details give each area its own character. The mood is polished but relaxed, with the room designed to reward lingering over several plates rather than rushing through a single course.
The kitchen draws from eating experiences across Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, then reshapes them for a shared modern menu. Small dishes include a Wagyu orange beef tostada with pickled ginger, a pork katsu sando and Taiwanese popcorn chicken scented with five spice and Sichuan pepper. Pork and chive dumplings come with fermented chilli vinegar, Thai chicken dumplings sit in green curry broth, and mushroom and tofu dumplings give plant-based diners a substantial option alongside sesame tuna and coconut squid.
Larger plates continue the cross-regional approach. Japanese golden curry brings together miso carrots, squash, lotus root and enoki, while ginger-soy chicken layers lemongrass, turmeric, Thai lime, palm sugar and kecap manis. Sticky pork belly carries chilli and sesame caramel, red duck curry adds pineapple, grapes and lime leaf, and slow-roasted beef short rib is finished with black vinegar, sweet soy and candied coconut. Salmon two ways, sesame noodle salad and lemongrass chicken salad make the menu broad enough for very different shared tables.
Drinks are treated as part of the same experience rather than an afterthought. The list leans towards New Zealand wines, changing boutique beers and cocktails that bring ingredients such as lemongrass, lychee, coriander and ginger into the glass. Coconut gelato, Korean twisted doughnuts and dark chocolate with Vietnamese coffee close the meal on equally distinctive notes. Full table service extends across the dining room, cocktail bar and covered courtyard, while banquet menus and larger bookings turn the same style into a social group dinner.
Address: 70 Courtenay Place, Te Aro, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
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