Rex Morgan's iconic CITRON restaurant will make its long-awaited return, this time at SO/ Auckland for an immersive experience.
Chef Rex Morgan and SO/ Auckland are bringing iconic Wellington restaurant, CITRON, back to life and to Auckland CBD in a thrilling three-day pop-up.
The CITRON by Rex Morgan x SO/ Auckland Takeover is for dinner sittings from 25-27 September 2025, at SO/ Auckland’s 15th-floor restaurant, Harbour Society.
This immersive takeover sees Chef Rex Morgan return to the kitchen, with a menu that combines his culinary legacy and SO/ Auckland’s wood-fired techniques.
An à-la-carte menu is the centrepiece of the takeover, with a full array of snacks and starters, mains, desserts and cheese selections.
Each dish is a nod to Chef Rex Morgan’s storied career, many of them are direct revivals of CITRON classics.
The Maple Smoked Duck, an entrée, is of particular note.
“The Maple Smoked Duck was on the first menu we designed for CITRON, on the very first day CITRON was ever open,” muses Chef Morgan.
The Horopito and Mint Lamb Rack is also an anticipated main.
“It’s close to my heart. Māori flavours were a new thing back in those days,” he noted.
“It’s exciting to be coming back to that feeling.”
These join dishes like sweet pea panna cotta, confit fennel bulbs with corn mousseline, grilled Denver venison leg with marinated dates, pot-roast chicken with chorizo, Caesar soup shots, and smoked kahawai croquettes.
A six-course ‘Trust the Chef’ menu is also available for NZD 160pp, or NZD 260 with wine matches.
This also references CITRON’s legacy.
“We were the first to offer degustation dining in Wellington when we opened, it put us on the map.”
“We’re excited for the collaboration with SO/, to revive our restaurant and revisit the dishes that made CITRON what it was. There’ll be lots of dishes, plenty of flavours. The restaurant was the best fun I’d had in years. This takeover brings back a real nostalgia that goes back a good 25 years,” shared Chef Rex Morgan.
Describing the philosophy of the plates, Chef Morgan noted that CITRON always understate and overdeliver.
“The dish may look simple on the menu, but when you see it, it’s prettier than you imagined.”
A love for local, sustainable produce and suppliers binds SO/ Auckland and Chef Rex Morgan.
“We were using sustainable ingredients back then,” Chef Morgan notes on CITRON’s opening 25 years ago.
“It was great to showcase distinctive suppliers.”
“It’s exciting to partner with innovators. When I knew I was going to work with SO/, it was an instant yes to the collaboration. The professionalism of the team really drew me.”
It's shared by SO/ Auckland’s Director of Culinary and Food & Beverage, Chef Roy Giam.
"It's exciting to work with someone who brought a new way of enjoying cuisine to New Zealand. It inspires us still to this day, and you'll see this in the menu we co-created.”
Chef Rex Morgan’s outlook is one of excitement for the CITRON by Rex Morgan x SO/ Auckland Takeover.
“Hopefully, the flavours here will take people on a nice, comfortable journey of flavours from my past.”
More news here.
