In Good Company | Fashion Quarterly

With spring deadlines looming, the Fashion Quarterly team stepped away from the rush last week for a moment of calm.

"Being in good company is the kind of company where you can be completely yourself - no rush, no pressure. It's generous, present and energising."

Set in Lilian Private Dining Room in Auckland, they gathered over lunch to press pause, reconnect beyond the page and savour time together before the season unfolds.

The mood was easy and the conversation flowed - a reminder that the best ideas (and the best laughs) often happen away from your desk.

Because work is better when it feels human. And good company makes everything richer.

"The setting helped too - Lilian's private space is intimate, elegant and made it feel like our own little world for the afternoon."

What they ate

It's hard to go wrong with the menu at Lilian, so we chose the set menu - and it didn't disappoint. We started with their iconic Cosmopolita cocktail before moving on to a chilled red: the 2022 Domaine Dubost Beaujolais-Villages Lantignie Tracot.

On the table:

Raw market fish with cara cara orange, red onion and capers, warm woodfired bread, chicken liver parfait, burrata, and olives.

Then came woodfired eggplant with macadamia and agrodolce, lamb ribs with black garlic and pistachio, baby cos with ranch, parmesan crumb and lemon.

To finish, a duo of pizzas - pepperoni with mozzarella, spicy vodka sauce, pesto and basil, and a potato pizza layered with caramelised onion, parmesan, ricotta and basil.

A moment to remember

The space itself felt so special - the private dining room at Lilian is beautifully considered and made for the most effortless setting to linger over lunch. It's rare to be able to slow down like that midweek and we left feeling full in every sense.