This Content Is Only For Subscribers
Sofitel Wellington will host global dining experience 7 Paintings – The Art of Dining, Saturday September 12, pairing French art de vivre with local luxury hospitality. The seven-course interactive dinner show runs on a menu created by executive chef Joe Costello.
Fusing digital art, fine cuisine and storytelling across two and a half hours and seven iconic works. Each course draws on a celebrated artists – Michelangelo, Banksy, Picasso, Warhol and van Gogh to name a few and will sit alongside immersive projections and music.
It’s interactive too with guests encouraged to discover the first course, reveal the second, with paint crafted sauces across the plate and riddles to solve along the way, before sinking their teeth into the paintings themselves. Striking presentation, unexpected flavour profiles, and a dinner people remember.
For the Wellington season, Joe has reimagined all seven courses around French technique and in-season regional produce.
“The concept of my menu is to use the rich diversity of local ingredients: premium proteins and fresh vegetables harvested from North Island farmlands, seafood sourced directly from Wellington’s coastal waters, and sweet notes from local hives,” he says.
Highlights will include a Michelangelo-inspired duck pâté and caviar tart, Banksy venison carpaccio, Picasso flame-grilled fish, Warhol slow-braised beef cheek and a van Gogh lemon tart.
Sofitel Wellington general manager Liam Caughwell says the hotel is excited to see 7 Paintings come to life in the capital, and that Joe and his team have taken the concept and built something to enchant diners with legendary artistry on the plate, made with the best in-season produce the region has to offer.
7 Paintings runs every Friday and Saturday evening, 7pm to 9.30pm, with Thursday sittings added from October. The season concludes Saturday December 19 2026.
Tickets are NZ$169 per adult and NZ$99 per child aged 6–12. A seven-course vegetarian menu is available for NZ$159, with gluten-free options on request.
Bookings are essential and can be made here.
