Spqr: The Secret History Of The Ponsonby Road Icon

NZ Herald's Paul Little writes about an untold story shared with him about the first time SPQR left its mark on the famous Auckland suburb of Ponsonby. Book a table here.

"In 1993 I was 25, according to my calculations, and it was SPQR's first full year. I'd been head-hunted to be maitre d' by Dorthe Scheffman and Johnny Caracciolo who planned the whole thing."

"We had so much fun. I did every shift in hot pants and high-heels and Johnny was a peacock on the floor, strutting around and letting people dance on the bar. That definitely happened a lot.

It was crazy busy from the outset. It was also very gay. Buckwheat and Bertha came in one night in puffy gingham dresses and carrying a basket and threw a table cloth on the bar and proceeded to have a picnic."