Cassia's Had to Shut Due to Flood Damage (Again) — But Has Launched a New Dining Pop-Up Across Town

History is repeating itself for Sid Sahrawat (Kol, Cassia, Sid at The French Café). The renowned chef and owner of modern Indian eatery Cassia has suffered another flooding blow, less than nine months after his first.

Cassia was forced to shut for five weeks back in March 2022 after a morning of unprecedented rainfall — and has now been forced close again thanks to the city's flash flooding on Friday, January 27. According to the eatery, 140 diners were forced to evacuate on Friday night when the prep kitchen flooring gave way and flooded the restaurant's kitchen and dining rooms, which sit below road level on Fort Lane.

But Sid and the team have again moved quickly, relocating to the kitchen at Symonds Street eatery Sid at The French Café for a temporary pop-up combining the two beloved restaurants.

Temporarily renamed The Cassia Kitchen, punters can relax in The French Café's elegant surroundings while enjoying a Cassia tasting menu for $95 per person. On the menu: five courses of Cassia crowd favourites including goat's cheese fritters with charcoal emulsion, the restaurant's signature lamb chops and the iconic roasted carrots with vindaloo cream.

The pop-up will open for dinner service from Wednesday, February 8 and will see guests be served a 'shared feast' at communal tables of up to 10. Bookings are available now for dates from Wednesday, February 8 until Saturday, March 4, with additional dates set to be added each Monday.

Of course, it goes without saying, we only recommend heading out to dinner if it's safe to do so — more rainfall is expected on Tuesday evening which will hopefully be cleared by the time The Cassia Kitchen opens next week.  But if you can get out and about, it's a great way to treat yourself while supporting the hospitality community — or perhaps an experience to be gifted to someone who has had a particularly rough weekend.

Cassia in Auckland's CBD has been forced to close due to flood damage. You can find temporary pop-up The Cassia Kitchen at Sid at the French Cafe, 210 Symonds Street, Eden Terrace.