Cartel is a great little not-too-pretentious and not-too-conservative bar in SOL Square (Off Lichfield Street), Christchurch.
It’s a tiny little space, but I seem to recall the bartender saying something about bringing a horse inside for the staff party?

Following on in the ‘every cloud has a silver lining’ theme, and introducing the ‘worst luck in air travel for a small domestic holiday’ category I am pleased to recount a visit I made to Barcelona Restaurant in Christchurch.
My lack of planning and wonderful ability to mis-read the fine-print meant that I booked a return [...]