Great Pizza In A City Trying To Re: Start
Christchurch, New Zealand
Cuisine Style: Eclectic, Pizza, Kiwi
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 4/5
Dined in: August 2014
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Executive Chefs:
Chris, Andy and Rod Thomson
Disasters strike on every corner of this Earth in one form or another, whether it is by a tornado, volcano, tsunami, or in Christchurch, New Zealand, is earthquakes. Over a period of a year beginning in 2010, the city was destroyed by a series of earthquakes, and now a 25-year plan is in place to rebuild it to its former glory. Part of this rebuilding plan includes bringing in new business to the area. In the center of the town is a makeshift mall with stores and cafes called Re: Start. It is an area made up entirely of cargo containers, redesigned to house businesses. Among these businesses is a wonderful wood-fired pizza establishment called BASE Woodfired Pizza.
"Immediately after the September earthquake we found ourselves cooking in our wood-fired oven for all our neighbors due to the power outage and that was when the business idea was born,” says the brothers.
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| BASE Woodfired Pizza |
In 2014, several co-workers and I were on our way to work in Antarctica for eight months at McMurdo Station, and because of bad weather were delayed in Christchurch for over a week. During this time we had a chance to sample a lot of the local restaurants and see the rebuilding of the city from the devastating earthquakes. Inside the center of the city was Re:Start, where we ate several meals at local café’s, amongst them being BASE, a small family owned cargo container, with a wood-fired oven, and very higher-end pizza selections with a variety of toppings you would normally see at a fine dining restaurant versus a small pizzeria.
I felt it be very important with the city being rebuilt to focus on these local businesses, and highlight the fantastic jobs they are doing, and to make sure that anyone that reads this blog will seek out this cafes and pizzeria’s to keep them in business and order the wonderful food they offer.
After a few great years with the mobile Re: Start unit, the brothers have now moved away from the festivals and catering events to focus their efforts in a new location at the Court Theatre where they were approached to consider teaming up with them to offer a permanent food option for their patrons. So with BASE @ Re: Start still going strong, they now have BASE @ the Court, and other options are on the table for future expansion. I wish them the best of luck and am proud to add them to my top 100 list of best places in the world to eat.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other Noteworthy pizza Articles and Restaurants:
Feola’s Italian Ristorante relaxed eatery for pizza and pasta in Treasure Island, Florida
Gino’s East Pizzeria Chain serving Chicago-style deep dish pizza & other Italian eats in Chicago, Illinois
Home Slice Pizza Thin-crust New York style pizza restaurant in Austin, Texas
Napoletana Pizzeria Wood-burned stone oven pizza restaurant at the Dubai Marina, UAE
Noble Crust Modern contemporary Italian and Southern dishes in St Petersburg, Florida
Pizza Republica Trendy Italian trattoria and pizza restaurant in Centennial, Colorado
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other Christchurch restaurants and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
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High-end bistro with modern New Zealand cuisine
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Funky Cargo container mall
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Eclectic and Innovative New Zealand cuisine
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Casual tavern serving contemporary New Zealand cuisine
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Bar, pub grub and New Zealand cuisine
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Bistro serving Contemporary kiwi cuisine
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Artisan cheese & pastry shop
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Pub style New Zealand cuisine
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Pizza with traditional Kiwi cuisine
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See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience, and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give BASE a 4 out of 5 stars, meaning that they not only exceeded my expectations and were far above the average dining experience of most restaurants, but they were outstanding.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings
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Max Points Possible:
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Total Points Awarded:
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Total Points deducted:
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Ambiance
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10
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7
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3
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Food quality
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9
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9
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0
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Plate presentation
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5
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5
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0
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Customer service
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8.5
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7
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1.5
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Alcohol and other beverages
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0
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0
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0
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Total regular points awarded
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32.5
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28
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4.5
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Total percentage — less the Bonus
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0.861538461538462
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“Wow” factor BONUS
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5
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2
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0
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Total bonus percentage
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0.0615384615384615
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Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
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0.923076923076923
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Stars Awarded (see chart below)
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0 - 5
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4
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above.
To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
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4 of 5 Stars:
92% Rating with a 2 point “wow” bonus
An Extraordinary Dining Experience
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Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine style:
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Italian, New Zealand (Kiwi)
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Farm to Fork, Local, Non-GMO, Organic, Vegetarian
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Dress code:
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Casual attire
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Child policy:
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The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Experiences:
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Place for foodies, Modern, Trendy, Hotspot, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Street meter parking
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Wifi
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The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Nonsmoking restaurant, and nonsmoking patio
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Patio or terrace:
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Yes
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricy)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
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Price
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New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
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$
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United States Dollar (USD)
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$
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Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
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£
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Canadian Dollar (CAN)
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$
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Chinese Yuan (CNY)
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¥¥
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European Union (EUR)
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€
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BASE Woodfired Pizza:
181 High Street
"Little High”
The Court Theatre Bernard St
Christchurch, New Zealand
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+64 22 182 1921
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Email Contact:
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Serving hours:
Greenwich Mean Time or
British Summer Time BST
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - BST Offset + 1:00)
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Sun-Wed
10:00 am - 10:00 pm
Thur-Sat
10:00 am - 12:00 am
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Social Media
&
Accolades:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
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Modern Gastro Whole Animal Cookery
Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Seasonally inspired continental European fare
Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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Contemporary & elegant eclectic eatery
Johannesburg, South Africa
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Other Pictures:
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| Pizzas at BASE |
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| RE: Start eating area |
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| Picture courtesy of the BASE |
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| RE: Start Mall, Christchurch |
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| Christchurch Cathedral |
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| Downtown Christchurch |
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| The government sector, Christchurch |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
