Eatery shuts just months after opening

Mandarin Dumpling and Bar. Photo / Sarah Ivey

A downtown Auckland eatery has shut down after being put into receivership by its landlord only several months after it first opened.

The operator of Mandarin Dumpling & Bar, in the basement of the revamped Imperial Buildings between Queen Street and Fort Lane, went into receivership late last month.

The restaurant - which specialised in the regional cuisines of Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan and Xinjiang - had received mixed reviews and offered a number of daily-deal discount vouchers to entice people to dine there.

It boasted a drinks list shaped by "craft beer brewers and boutique winemakers" that helped celebrate a "exploration of China's culinary heartland".

But the restaurant is closed for now and won't be trading while in receivership, says receiver and Hamilton accountant Kim Thompson.

Read Viva's review of Mandarin Dumpling Bar here.

Thompson said it was "highly likely" that the restaurant would be sold.

"We're just dealing with the landlords at this stage and working out where we go from here," Thompson said.

Thompson said the landlord, Phillimore Imperial Limited, exercised their rights under a general security agreement and put the company into receivership.

The landlord advanced some of the money for the restaurant's fitout and called up that debt, he said.

Thompson said there were potentially some other significant creditors but did not wish to comment further.