Monday, February 4, 2013

Penthouse Cinema & Cafe @ Brooklyn

Sunday... we were informed by our MetService that this will be the last day we are gonna enjoy the hot, sunny summer day!

We can't complain really, it has been TEN DAYS of sunshine; I don't know about you but we NEVER experience that kind of continuous "You Can't Beat Wellington On A Good Day!" for 10 days!

To make full use of this Sunny Sunday, we had a yum-char at a Chinese joint that we have not been for a long time... Le Gen insisted they got themselves a NEW chef, we were disappointed!  I vaguely remember the previous chef was slightly better ;)

The glorious sunny Wellington Sunday, one for the album before we head for a disappointing yum-char  ;)

A short 10 minutes drive took us to Brooklyn, not THAT Brooklyn! Duh!

The Wellington Korean Church overlooking Ohiro Road in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn, a suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Brooklyn is a blend of circa 1900 weatherboard villa / bungalow houses around the central part of Brooklyn, blending more recent subdivisions built in the 1970s and 1990s. The shops / bars / cinema / food outlets have created a village atmosphere. The inner city suburb is popular with families and renters for its proximity to the Wellington CBD (10 minutes drive) and access to Wellingtons south coast (an easy 10 minutes in the other direction).   - Wikipedia

The reason we are in Brooklyn was to watch "The Quartet", a much acclaimed movie directed by Dustin Hoffman; at the Penthouse Cinema.

Quartet is a 2012 British comedy-drama film based on the play of the same title by Ronald Harwood, which ran in London's West End from 1999 - 2000.
The film stars Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins as retired opera singers who annually put on a concert to celebrate Verdi's birthday, however the arrival of Jean (Smith) disrupts the equilibrium. It was filmed in its entirety at Hedsor House, Buckingham shire in autumn 2011. The film is actor Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut.  - Wikipedia

Personally, I was not that impressed by the film; but the little cinema, The Penthouse... is something else!!  :)

The Penthouse Cinema and Cafe is located on Ohiro Road just south of Cleveland Street, Brooklyn.

According to the Penthouse Cinema history...

Constructed for the Ranish family in the art deco style, it opened on 15 June 1939 as the Vogue Theatre.

The Ranish family ran the cinema until 1951, when the Vogue Company Limited took over. The Vogue Company turned the cinema into a television studio where TV commercials were shot.

The building was renamed the Penthouse Cinema when it was bought by Merv and Carol Kisby in 1975. Since then additional screens have been added, as well as refurbishment of the interior in keeping with its original style.

As you walk into the cinema, you are greeted by this delightful art deco setting, the cafe is right in front! I love the deco! May be I am just a sucker for art deco style? Ha ha ha... I remember when the four of us went on a family week end in Napier, I was really stoke by their many art deco building!

The cosy cafe serves a good variety of cabinet food that you can take into the movie theater or to have before/or after a movie. Cool eh?

We had a "Flat White" each and a yummy ginger roll while waiting to go into the cinema.

Spotless toilet!
To the show! To the show!

To all my Malaysian friends... if you are visiting Wellington, go watch a show at this lovely cinema; take your coffee with you into the cinema... you will love it!

Penthouse Cinema
Address: 205 Ohiro Rd, Brooklyn 6021
Phone:04-384 3157

1 comment:

heather said...

Really nice cinema!I went there once in the 1970`s to see "Cous cous."That would be the place to go for a night out.
About your comment re "NEVER have we had 10 days in a row of sunshine in Wellington.Of COURSE we have! Your memory is failing you.