There have been a few recent (re)openings on the hospo scene recently, and a few more are either imminent or rumoured. A quick round-up of drinkie and foodie news, including drunken pigs, an Italian invasion and a touch of cinnamon, after the jump.

– The former Tupelo is set to reopen as a restaurant/bar called “The Watusi”. The menu looks very retro, in a way that may or may not be ironic, and the cocktail menu looks to have been nicked from the not-quite-lamented Pod.

– The long-running Calzone finally closed a little while back, and is undergoing a transformation into a restaurant and bar called “The Craftsman”. From the sound of things, this could be very steakhousey.

– The old Hong Kong Café in Taranaki St is now a Caribbean restaurant called “Calypso”. Delicious food (Drunken Pig, anyone?), pleasant enough cocktails, but seriously lacking in atmosphere. Apparently more décor is on the way, and the bamboo-clad bar at the back is just screaming out to for Tikification.

– The vacant retail unit in Bond St looks to be opening as a licensed café called “Mon Ami”. Tres frog.

– The Cuba St building that once housed Our Bar, Neat, Montelupo, … Orsini’s is now an Indonesian/Malaysian restaurant called “Kayu Manis”. The menu looks slightly broader than the standard Wellington Malaysian cuisine, and the décor’s a touch more upmarket. Has anyone tried it yet?

– Part of the retail space under the NZX building on the waterfront is on its way to becoming a gelato/café place. Insert “frozen assets” joke here.

– The ground floor of Wildlife House (on the corner of Tory & Holland streets) is rumoured to be the location for “Osteria del Toro”, a large pizzeria and “pan-Mediterranean” restaurant. An osteria is supposed to be “a tavern or humble restaurant where wine is served as the main attraction and tasty food is prepared to wash it down”, which sounds fine by me, but the job ad‘s mention of “a concept that combines fun, funk, and innovation” sounds dire.

– The ill-fated (and frankly bizarre) Vietnamese Gallery/Deli/Café on The Terrace should be reopening this month as La Bella Italia, bringing a taste of Petone Italy to downtown Wellington. Ciao Bella!