…but Koi looks like it’s not too far away as the replacement for Copita, with logos all over the awning already. The food sounds quite interesting, but it will mainly be bar snacks, with the emphasis a bit more on drinking than in its illustrious fine-dining predecessor.

As my colleagues mentioned, I’ve been busily tweeting away, but for those not following the tweets, here’s a summary of recent news, gossip and speculation, plus a few other morsels…

In an update from previous news, Club K may have closed to allow for Arty Bee’s expansion upstairs (a bookshop taking over a bar? Heresy!), but it will take over the space just across the Oaks. You know, the one with a great reputation for longevity.

The DomPost article on Crazy Horse’s troubles wasn’t the first hint that $40+ steaks aren’t a great seller in this economy. There was a very thinly veiled post on Roarprawn as early as last December suggesting frontier justice in the hospo world, with strategic dine ‘n’ dashes planned in advance by disgruntled creditors. And the sign on their door today? Apparently they "will not be opening tonight due to technical difficulties." Hmmm.

But the downturn isn’t just hitting the top end of the market: cafes and takeaways are also feeling the squeeze. Riceburger, Fresh Take and that old stalwart Dorothy’s Patisserie have all shut their doors. Fresh Take may be gone from Chews Lane, but apparently their Les Mills branch in Taranaki St will be moving to street level. No sign of a future life though for Dorothy’s, which survived fire but couldn’t live through increasing Cuba St rents (having a really good French patisserie moving in up the street can’t have helped either).