Simon Johnson closes in Castlecrag

Castlecrag's rise in the north-side food stakes has had a meat cleaver taken to it, with the closure last week of the Simon Johnson store.

''We're in the process of redoing our stores and the [configuration] didn't cut it,'' Johnson says.

''When we opened there, Annie Parmentier was operating Lunch, and there was a good feel, but the centre has changed.''

The providore plans to open a number of north shore pop-ups in the next year, but a Castlecrag reopening is unlikely.

''I'd look at Northbridge first,'' Johnson says.