Cafe on Guthrie Street

Waiwhetu, Lower Hutt

There’s no back story this week behind our pick of Cafe on Guthrie Street. Rachael asks Andre, “Where to this week *GOAT?” and the GOAT replies “How bout the cafe next to Waiwhetu marae?” We lock it in and head off!

First impressions are promising. The building itself clearly had a former life as a neighbourhood house, but it’s been a cafe for as long as we can remember. There’s a pleasant outside seating area at the front and we’re tempted to sit there as it’s a nice day but we want to experience the ambience and the only way to do that is to sit inside, plus there’s more to take photos of.

The reception is friendly and we glance in the cabinet but decide to pass as nothing looks overly tempting. We take a menu to a central table in an adjoining room to the counter and begin to peruse. Rachael points out that there’s dutch chips on offer at which Andre becomes extremely animated! (for those of you who have never met Andre, “animated” means he raised an eyebrow and said “Really? That’s cool.”)

Once the excitement passes and everything returns to normal, it’s a Belgian waffle for Andre and a Smashed Avocado Bagel for Rach. We decide to share a plate of dutch fries. While we wait, Andre regales (read bores) Rach with his stories of eating dutch fries (called friet) while in Holland. He makes bold claims that she’s “in for a treat with the friet!” Only he laughs.

Our food arrives in good time accompanied by a flat white and an EBT. The fries certainly look the part! Golden brown with lashings of mayonnaise and interestingly, a mild curry gravy, with finely chopped red onion pebbled over the top. We tuck in.

We both agree the dutch fries are certainly delicious although to Andre’s seasoned taste buds, the mayonnaise juuuust misses the mark. It’s a kiwi brand and although not unpleasant Andre swears the “real dutch stuff” is unmistakable and next level. Don’t be put off ordering them though folks as you won’t be disappointed.

Rach gives her bagel the thumbs up and Andre enjoys his waffle although it’s not quite the standard of some as the waffle itself is pretty stoggy. The accompanying cream and liquid chocolate is on point however and helps everything to glide down as it should.

After a quick conflab, we decide to award 4 stars to Cafe on Guthrie. Rach was tempted to go 5 but as we were ordering at the counter she noticed the chef lick his fingers while preparing a dish and while this must happen in most kitchens, we prefer it if we were kept blissfully ignorant of what happens at the grill.

*There’s some debate about the accuracy of this conversation as memories have become somewhat hazy. For those of you unfamiliar with the GOAT acronym it means Greatest Of All Time.

Caffiend

Petone

This week sees us heading back to one of our favorite areas in the Wellington region – Petone. There is something about this little seaside town that keeps drawing us back. Whether it’s the ever changing cafe scene, eclectic collection of junk shops or the fact that it has its own Dutch specialty store, who would know!

We start at one end of Jackson Street and decide to call in to the first cafe we see that has a park reasonably close. First mistake! Cafes in Jackson Street never have car parks close by. There are however, plenty of side streets off Jackson, as long as you’re prepared to walk. This may actually work out well as you can burn off a few calories before and after your meal.

We spot Caffiend not too far along Jackson Street and pull into a side street where parking was abundant (just kidding – we had to walk for ages). The cafe has a typical brick exterior, much like many of the old buildings in this area and also boasts a cute sidewalk seating area.

European settlers first arrived in Petone in 1840, making it one of Wellington’s oldest settlements. Many of the streets surrounding Jackson Street are named after early settlers and of course Aurora Street is named after the ship arriving in January 1840 with 101 passengers onboard.

While we are not sure if this particular building is an original, the interior would suggest it was built well in the region of ‘a long time ago’. With it’s small red bricks, lead light windows and small wooden doors, it certainly has plenty of character.

We take a quick scan of the cabinet (not much going on here) and then take a longer look at the large menu written on the wall. The menu is handwritten on a large roll of brown paper (very trendy) and more impressive than the large selection of food, is the fact whoever wrote up the menu managed to write completely straight across the page. More than 20 years in the classroom tells us this is no mean feat! (Rachael secretly checks for sneaky pencil guidelines, but there are none).

Andre spies a particularly lush looking berry pastry on the counter, and after giving it the glad eye for several minutes decides to claim it as his own. It is in his own words ‘very good’. High praise indeed from this bakers son!

We settle on the french toast and a cuppa tea each. Let us just say, the french toast did not disappoint! Layers of golden, lightly toasted bread with bacon, bananas, maple syrup and a berry coulis. We are often loathe to make bold claims on this blog, but we are going to call it, and say this is the best french toast we have ever eaten.

The food was delivered quickly, by a friendly waitress. The vibe was relaxed and beachy, with no loud music twanging our last early morning nerve.

It is hard to find fault with Caffiend, other than Rachael’s pet peeve that the sugar comes in a communal container on the table. E-Coli with that coffee anyone?

We highly recommend you check out both this cafe and the surrounding streets of Petone.

Jackson Street is also home to Te Puna Wai Ora (Spring of Life) – this pure artesian water originates from the Hutt River, and since 2003 has provided locals and visitors from afar with sparkling spring waters. Attracting hundreds of visitors each week this sculptural visual feast is the perfect perfect spot to have a gaze down the street towards Wellington Harbour. Once you have filled your drink bottle with pure spring water, why not meander along the street and follow the ‘Walk of Champions’ a row of bronze plaques dedicated to Petone’s sporting elite. If this is not your thing, the Lighthouse Cinema or the collection of boutique shops will engage even the most bored shoppers among us!

History lesson and decent coffee. It’s a win win we reckon!

OVERALL SCORE: 5 stars

Olive

Cuba Street, Wellington

Whenever Andre asks his work colleagues to recommend a cafe for our weekly visit, invariably The Botanist in Lyall Bay comes up, so this week…you guessed it…we’re off to Olive in upper Cuba street! There’s some trepidation on Andre’s part around parking as we’re talking about as central as you can get to the CBD. We all know what parking can do to even the most well planned expedition if some thought hasn’t gone into it! With Siri as backup, would you believe, we find a park directly across the road from our destination! This is a great start.

The building looks circa 1920 and inside it’s much the same decor apart from an eclectic collection of light shades from olde worlde through to funky futuristic. There’s not really a cabinet to speak of but there are some treats under cloches along the counter. We don’t have time to investigate though as a bubbly Irish lass whisks us to a table by the window and merrily informs us that she’s just had her second christmas in New Zealand and she loves how everyone here goes to the beach and you don’t have to give presents. Don’t have to give presents…really? She’s a sweetie so we decide not to say anything and we’re left with our thoughts plus two menus.

Two english breakfast teas soon appear and not long after our two waffles of the day. We quickly tuck in and agree they are best described in three words…Sen.Sation.Al. Light and fluffy and dripping in a smooth chocolate sauce over the freshly whipped cream and banana. If you’re a waffles fan then add this one to your bucket list as it’s to die for! (which is probably what you’ll do if you eat too many of these bad boys but what the heck…YOLO eh?) (That “YOLO” is Andre’s attempt to convince us that he’s still young and hip…although by the look of him a replacement hip is more likely in his future!)

Anyway…it doesn’t take us long to dispatch both waffle meals and wash it down with a tea. Andre explores the courtyard out the back, declaring it’s a peaceful inner city sanctuary that’s just right for a first tinder date, while Rachael watches the tattooed man in a fluro orange shirt smoking out on the footpath while his skateboarding buddy whizzes up and down the street wearing a tshirt with the word “plagueround” emblazoned on the back. This cafe is certainly smack in the middle of a cultural melting pot and it’s given us plenty to talk about on the ride home!

We take our leave and enjoy a quick stroll down Cuba street, Rachael squeals with delight as the wind catches the bucket fountain and splashes her with cold water…it’s an endearing kiwi tradition. We call a staff meeting in the car during the drive home and both agree we’re glad we went to this cafe as we didn’t have to waste olive our time with a bad review. A well deserved 5 stars from both of us!

Nothing to do with Olive cafe but on a large poster outside a neighbouring store someone had gotten all Etsy with googly eyes! Kinda funny.

Cafe 6

Raumati

With Christmas a dim and distant memory and the last of the trifle finally eaten for breakfast, our discussion soon turned to the next cafe to be reviewed. We were aware this is to be the final review for 2019, and wanted to make it a fitting experience for the occasion.

Deciding that this review should be something spectacular, we decided to treat ourselves to high tea at the Bolton Hotel. This is a special place to the pair of us, as we held our wedding knees up there almost 13 years ago. We have fond memories of this day, and minus the hundred guests thought we might like to head back and reminisce!

The day arrives and fancy gladrags, high heels and lippy are carefully selected for this exciting event. (Rachael pulled out a few fancy threads too).
We decided to leave early to beat the Wellington crowds – an hour and a half early in fact (excitement levels may have gotten the better of us – nothing like the promise of a cucumber sandwich with the crusts cut off to get us moving out the door).

We arrive at our venue, accidently drive up a down ramp in the parking building and make our way into the reception area. After sitting in the atrium for about 15 minutes, one of the hotel staff brave their way over to us and politely ask if they could be of assistance. Actually, why yes you can! We have a booking for high tea we proclaim. “A booking for Astoria” asked the hostess? “No” replies Andre – “a booking for Kneepkens”. The hostess looks rightly confused, as Rachael quickly explains the hotel cafe is called Astoria and yes – we have a booking for Kneepkens.

All is going well until the hostess announces we are not actually booked for high tea and that the ‘link on their website must be playing up’. Ah – ok. A bit like telling your kids Mr Whippy has run out of ice cream when the music plays. All three of us smell a bit of BS here but being the upmarket establishment it is we all play along.

Deciding not to waste the lippy and the squirt of Andre’s good aftershave he had diligently applied earlier, we decided to take our leave and look for a Plan B.

Plan B… this took us a little further North (or is it South? If you’re driving in a straight line you will end up in Auckland, so make of that what you will) to the funky little beach town of Raumati.

We end up at Cafe 6, a cute little cafe with an outdoor seating area and an indoor garden. We are impressed with the friendly waitress that greets us at the door, and love the happy vibe this cafe offers.

There is a small selection in the cabinet, including the most divine looking slice of chocolate cake we ever did see! Neither of us are big fans of the humble choccy cake, but this one looked too delicious to overlook.

We found a seat by the window and had a good view of the locals wandering past with their kids, dogs and pimped up mobility scooters (it is a retirement town after all).

The menus were printed on little booklets and even came with little samples of food stuck to the inside cover, if you’d like to try before you buy. Rachael does not!

Coffees and teas were ordered along with bacon and eggs (yet again) and black pudding and eggs. The food arrived quickly and was well presented. While there was nothing wrong with our brunch, it was best described as adequate. The chocolate cake however, tasted amazing, and it was pure genius that Rachael ate half the slice before her eggs arrived, as this counteracted the offensive alfalfa sprouts adorning the main meal!

We both agree while the food was lacking in excitement or imagination, the little town of Raumati is certainly a desirable little spot to pop into for a coffee and a cake. There is a cute boutique shop called The Frock Shop just around the corner from Cafe 6. Ladies – why not set your husbands up with a takeaway coffee on a wooden seat overlooking the ocean, while you look after their credit card. If you ever needed a reason to stock up on the latest Augustine couture, visiting Raumati could be it!

OVERALL SCORE: 3 stars (feeling generous this week).

GROUND UP CAFE – Pauatahanui

Heading north this week to the semi tropical Pauatahanui inlet, we stop in at the Ground Up Cafe right next door to the Transmission Gully road works. What was once a sleepy backwater is currently a hive of construction with every second vehicle seemingly involved with the roading project.

The on street parking is limited but if you’re not lucky enough to grab one right outside don’t be deterred…there’s plenty of parking round the back, just pull into the driveway on the southern side of the building.

First impressions as we step through the door are good. There’s a nice vibe going on and we quickly notice the staff are young and mainly male. In fact one lad barely seems more that 12 but he’s doing a good job clearing tables and delivering coffee.

There’s enticing food in the cabinet and the menu on the board looks standard with a lunch menu and an all day breakfast available. If the BLAT is “nacho jam” then maybe the English breakfast might be more your cup of tea. (sorry about that folks…a literary power surge. Hopefully won’t happen again!)

As we’re not sufficiently ravenous to both order a full meal, we settle for tea, coffee, a couple of slices and Andre slips in a chicken filo. Rach opts for her ever favourite caramel slice and big Dre is into something called a Monkey Chew. Everything arrives quickly and turns out to be amazing! Andre raves on about how the top of his slice has a layer of whole cashews and he’s a BIG fan of cashews!

After 30 minutes or so of enjoying the cafe ambience we decide to check out the wildlife reserve directly behind the cafe. The entrance is a couple of hundred meters south and it turns out to be a hidden gem! It’s a nice way to walk of the extra kilojoules we’ve taken on board.

All said and done, the cafe’s pleasant and functional. There’s no free wifi but it’s not a deal breaker. We can thoroughly recommend the selection of home baked treats for sale at the counter as Andre purchased and approved the shortbread…another weakness of his.

The staff are friendly and in a rare move, swung by our table twice to clear plates as we finished with them. Well done! As we both didn’t partake in a full meal it’s difficult for one of us to judge how tasty it would have been, so in all fairness we can only present up to 3 stars today and that’s what we’re giving it. It’s a cafe that does what you’d expect, but without the frills.

Andre’s Highlight: The monkey chew slice.

Rachael’s Highlight: Teapot poured well.

As it’s a few days before christmas Rachael and Andre would like to take a moment to wish all our loyal readers a safe and happy festive season. We both hope you’ve enjoyed following our journey throughout much of 2019 and that you’re looking forward to more reviews in 2020.

Rating: 3 stars

Buzz Cafe

Lower Hutt

“What’s the buzz tell me what’s a-happening, what’s the buzz tell me what’s a-happening, what’s the buzz tell me what’s a-happe….”, Ok, so some of you may remember the 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar hit musical (for the record Rachael wasn’t born), but that’s not the ‘buzz’ we are blogging about this week. Neither are we referring to the delicious buzz of an alcohol fueled champagne breakfast.

This weeks ‘buzz’ is all about the aptly named Buzz Cafe in central Lower Hutt. A hive of industry and noise when we arrived this morning, there were Christmas carols blasting from hidden speakers (thank you December), a table of board games and a welcome from the owner at the front door.

Buzz cafe has been around for decades, and has frequented various locations around the central Hutt area. This current venue has a distinct industrial feel, and a bustling, upbeat atmosphere.

We are quickly seated, and drinks orders are taken. English breakfast tea for two and a banana milkshake for Harry.

There is plenty to choose from on the menu – and it seems even the most fussy of eaters (Rachael) can find something to silence the hunger.

We were impressed with the speed our drinks and food arrive, considering the time of day and that the cafe was almost packed.

Bacon and eggs (that ole chestnut again), eggs with spicy sausage and waffles with fried chicken (only a 17 year old boy could manage that on a Sunday morning).

As a side note:

Our good friend Di had recommended Zany Zeus in Moera as a cafe destination, and we had planned to go there last week. If you are a regular reader, you will be aware we were rained in and people more sensible than us had made the call that the general public should not travel unless urgent. (How can cake NOT be urgent?) We tried again this week, and we were delighted to find a park right outside the door.

Once inside we discovered there was no actual menu, and only cabinet cakes and cheese on offer. I know – most of you will be asking the same question as Rachael – what’s the problem here? We decided to purchase a cake each, then move onto a cafe with a breakfast menu. We would highly recommend Zany Zeus for cake and coffee, but not a meal as such.

According to the New Zealand Herald (so it must be true), Scarlett Johnasson described the Zany Zeus chocolate cake as ‘the best in the World’. Scarlett’s daughter (Rose Dorothy) has almost the same name as Rachael’s Nana (Dorothy), so we are going to count that as six degrees of separation and believe every word she says!

Here are a few pics to tempt the taste buds.

For the record we googled the lyrics to the song “What’s the buzz” to find out what the next line was. It pretty much said “What’s the buzz tell me what’s a-happening” (repeat many times). Pretty much sums up our work day really- repeat many times! Thank goodness for weekend cafe reviews we reckon!

OVERALL SCORE: 4 stars

Cafe Kneepkens

“Heavy downpours have caused flooding in parts of Wellington, impacting on some public transport services, forcing some road closures and the cancellation of some public events.“

This is the opening paragraph on our local news website this morning as we wake up to pouring rain, thunder and lightning. The advisory warning is to avoid travel if at all possible. Our rain gauge shows 40mm overnight and social media is awash with pictures of flooding. While Andre reaches for his galoshes because inside every grown man is a boy who wants to wade knee deep in flood waters, Rachael offers a more sober approach and it’s decided we would “go local”. In fact, we’re so local we don’t even have to leave the house. Yes folks…this week mother nature is calling in at Cafe Kneepkens!

You’ll find Cafe Kneepkens not far off State Highway 2 in the leafy suburb of Wallaceville in Upper Hutt. Set in park like grounds, it’s a modern brick building with a hint of neo classical architecture offset to a degree by post roman colonnades at it’s entrance. (I made all of that up so don’t hold me to it if you actually know anything about architecture!)

Parking is plentiful either out on the street or if you’re an early bird customer there’s room for 4 cars up the gravel drive. We’ll assume those are reserved for disabled and or staff parking although it’s not sign posted.

Once inside, we quickly notice the table seating is exclusive (one table with four chairs) so it might pay to book ahead for future visits. On this occasion we’ve struck it lucky and we’re the only customers! The tough economic times are reflected by staff numbers and there seems to only be one wait staff who has to attend to all duties associated with running a cafe. This is not a good sign. There is however free wifi which connects automatically to our phones!

Eventually we’re seated, we take a quick glance at the menu…it’s either pancakes or your choice of…pancakes?

We both decide on the pancakes and it’s up out of our seats to the PPS(Pancake Preparation Station) we go. To be fair…there are an impressive selection of toppings to choose from. Andre relives his childhood and adds raisins in the mixture(an old dutch family tradition), while Rachael goes traditional (no not scrambled eggs this time!)

Andre and Rachael both order a flat white but a quick once over of the coffee machine (see photo below) suggests they needn’t hold out much hope that it’s going to win any awards. One positive is that the coffee did arrive “instantly“.

The coffee machine was quiet and quick! Cappuccinos anyone?

It’s a flurry of activity as we take our turn at the PPS. There’s raspberries, bacon, banana, strawbs, spray cream in various flavours and of course…maple syrup.

Each meal becomes a work of delicious art as toppings are stacked one on top of the other. Andre is heard to mention “You won’t find better pancakes at any other cafe!” He also mutters something like “There’s one thing I don’t like about halloween, which is…” but the rest is lost in the scrape of cutlery on plate as everyone tucks in.

After about 15 minutes the plates are empty but the wait staff are slow to clear the table so as a sign of appreciation we decide to take our dishes to the kitchen. Andre asks if there are more customers booked for today but it seems not as the cafe closes when we leave. Boy were we ever lucky as it seemed to open when we arrived!

In conclusion…we decide to rate this cafe on several factors and award stars accordingly.

Atmosphere: Has a homely feel…5 stars

Dress code: So relaxed you can wear pyjamas!.. 5 stars

Coffee: Instantly arrived but…1 star.

Food: Fresh and delicious but limited menu…5 stars

Service: The one wait staff was exceptional but this cafe is seriously under resourced!.. 5 stars

Astoria

Lambton Quay, Wellington CBD

As we slide into this Sunday with both the 1 December, and the beginning of the silly season colliding at the same time, we decided to outsmart the helpful folk who decided it would be a good idea to kick off the first of the month with the annual Upper Hutt Christmas Parade. Having seen the road closure signs earlier in the week, we agreed to avoid the Upper Hutt area for this review, and head in the opposite direction. Had we known how the day was about to unfold, watching grown men prance the main street wearing tights, with giant sacks (of lollies!!) may have been a better option!

As usual, Saturday night had rolled around and conversation turned to where to brunch the following day. We agreed up until this weekend we have carefully avoided the Wellington CBD, but maybe now we were up for the challenge. It was decided that we would get up early, catch the train into town and walk along Lambton Quay, stopping at a suitable place to eat.

In typical Kneepkens fashion, nothing ever goes to plan, and the first hurdle was the pounding rain lashing our windows when we woke up. Rachael, who had already planned her ‘Wellington outfit’, which included silver glitter sandals was not keen to continue the previous nights arrangements. Andre, however, making a quick wardrobe adjustment to his outfit (removed his socks and just wore the jandals) deciding to press on and give it a go anyway.

There was a slight flurry as we realised we would need cash to catch the train ($15 per adult return – Silverstream to Wellington Station), we were also not too clued up about where the nearest money machine is located (some might say we are just not clued up). We hoped our local petrol station might have a machine, and as luck would have it…it didn’t! Forced to make a purchase in order to withdraw some cash it was a toss up between caramel bliss balls or a steak and cheese pie. Rachael was tasked with this small job, so cherry flavoured lip gloss it was!

Ok… you’re probably thinking four paragraphs in and we still haven’t hit the cafe of choice. That would be because as we waited on the platform at Silverstream Station we were informed by a local in the know, that there was actually a train replacement bus, and we would need to go across the road and wait. As we watched a bus hurtling around the corner, heading towards us, our jaws slackened in shock. There is nothing quite like a neon sign claiming ‘Choo choo, I’m a train’ to really make you question the intelligence of the human race! Despite our reservations of stepping on a train dressed in as bus, we did, against better judgement. If you know us well, you will know Andre was happy with this arrangement, as it meant free parking, and Rachael was not, as it meant a 45 minute ride in a sealed container of germs.

The first cafe we came across on Lambton Quay (about a five minute walk from the station), was Astoria. We have been there a couple of times before and Andre is pretty partial to their black pudding dish. As we were starving, and Andre was claiming his stomach was eating itself to survive, we decided to stop here and refuel.

We were greeted at the door by a friendly waitress (please wait to be seated), and guided to a table for two (the guiding was needed as the lighting is so low it is almost a health and safety risk). We were handed a menu on a clipboard, so old and dirty it might as well have been a public library book. The tired silk flower and wobbly table leg were clearly early indicators that this previously well respected establishment has seriously gone downhill.

We were a little curious about the giant coffee machine plonked in the middle of the room, and wondered if it was possibly a strategic move to replace the lack of paying patrons?

The menu was limited and the cabinet food even more limited-er (not a real word but couldn’t think of a better one).
The best way to describe the cabinet food is to show you the pic (below).

We decided the food would most definitely be better than the decor, but interestingly it turned out to be equally as bland. To be fair, Andre’s garlic mushrooms with poached egg on ciabatta was adequate (we know he’s a soft marker) but Rachael’s bacon and eggs were less desirable (perhaps she should have egg-nored them and chosen something else).

Another couple of interesting points – our pot of tea took almost 15 minutes to arrive, and was delivered well after the food had arrived. Rachael’s meal arrived several minutes before Andre’s, so if you’re old school and waiting for the other person to start eating, you’re going to have to weigh up whether cold eggs is worse that bad manners – we’re not eggs-aggerating!

If you’re planning to come to Astoria to eat your feelings, or indulge in a decent sweet treat…don’t!

About the only thing going for this cafe at the moment is that they serve alcoholic drinks for breakfast, and that it is right next door to David Jones, where you swap your Astoria sized disappointment for a decent slice of carrot cake.

OVERALL SCORE: 2 stars

Sierra Cafe

Queensgate Mall Lower Hutt

After a restless nights sleep our combined brain power failed to engage as to where we should review this week so a cunning plan was hatched to let technology help us out, as if it hasn’t already on many an occasion, and we both agreed that we would ask Siri to recommend the “best cafe in Petone”. We shook hands and swore an oath that we’d go with it no matter what! Imagine our surprise, and a little to Rachael’s displeasure, when the cafe BJ in Pattani came up as first choice. Andre did think his day was about to get off to a great start until Rachael pointed out that “Pattani” wasn’t actually in New Zealand and the budget wouldn’t stretch that far.

Once we refined our request, Siri politely informed us that the highest rating cafe in “Lower Hutt” was Sierra on Knights Road, although she had “no information about the rating” which did raise more questions than answers. The name seemed vaguely familiar to Andre although he couldn’t quite place it’s location. Rachael did a quick online search of the menu and the food pictures that came up more than whetted our appetite. Shaking off the covers and the cobwebs we were soon on our way south following the directions laid out by Siri. (side note…have you ever wondered if Siri gives the same directions on two different phones? To Andre’s boy brain this was a science experiment too good to pass up so after some badgering from Andre and some reluctance from Rach she asks Siri for directions to the same destination. Results at the end of the blog)

Those of you who are familiar with Lower Hutt will not be surprised to learn the route to Knights Road has taken us dangerously close to Queensgate Mall, in fact it’s so close we end up “arriving at our destination” in the Countdown Supermarket parking area. It’s painfully obvious the “best cafe in Lower Hutt” is inside the Mall! We quickly examine the fine print of the contract we entered into regarding “come what may, whatever cafe Siri recommends we gotta go there!” The clauses are watertight and with reluctance we venture inside.

Sierra is one of those “in the middle of the concourse” style cafes. There’s no industrial size kitchen belching out orders faster than Santa can climb down a chimney, so what you see in the cabinet is pretty much what you get. While the selection wasn’t large, the food did look well presented, reasonably fresh and there was an option to add a salad to most items.

Rachael ordered a cheese and onion toasted sandwich on 5 grain bread while Andre settled on a pumpkin and filo tart with salad. This was complimented by a slice of carrot cake and a almond and apricot slice, all washed down with EBT and a regular flat white.

We found a table in a corner, although in a shop without walls I use that description figuratively. In fact we are more at the prow of an island where the human flotsam and jetsam drift past on either side on their way to wherever. It’s not long in and we see a familiar face. Linda coincidentally walks past and is soon seated at our table with a drink and cheese rolls. We enjoy a catchup and time slips by pleasantly.

Eventually we take our leave and promise to all have a meal together again soon. As we walk through the shops to spot any early Christmas bargains we agree the cafe gets a 3 star rating. The selection isn’t large but there’s enough to recharge energy levels for most flagging shoppers plus the service was perfunctory and reasonably speedy. The food quality was as expected although nothing memorable. We did think we saw some mall employees dressed as characters from the Nutcracker ballet but upon closer inspection they turned out to actually be just nuts. You never know what you’ll see in a mall in New Zealand!

Oh and yes..Siri gives exactly the same directions at exactly the same time on two different phones. It’s like Siri in stereo!

The Chocolate Fish

Miramar

There is a popular game on the internet that many of us have played (but never really understood). Essentially it starts off with the sentence ‘Never Have I Ever…’ then lists a whole range of activities. You give yourself a point for every item on the list that you have done (or maybe you give a point for every item you haven’t done – I’ve never quite figured that part out).

Anyway…. If I was going to write my own list it would start something like this: Never Have I Ever….

Eaten whitebait fritters
Ridden a ride on lawn mower
Won more than $15 on a scratchie card
Sharted on a first date
Ordered coco pops off a menu at a cafe
Watched an episode of Downton Abbey
Rubbed a jaffa on my lips to look like lipstick….

Wait what? Coco pops on a cafe menu? Is that even a thing? Apparently yes! The Chocolate Fish Cafe in Shelly Bay, Miramar, has a bowl of coco pops listed in black and white at the top of it’s menu. Not only can you order and eat this delicious bowl of milky chocolate pleasure in your mouth, it will only set you back a cool $3.50 for the experience.

We picked pretty much the windiest Wellington day ever to make the 30 minute trek into town. Lets just say coherent conversation was limited, and Andre’s fancy coiffed hairdo was all but whittled down to a few hairs on his noggin, as we battled the elements from the car park to the cafe.

Once inside this cosy corner of the bay we were most impressed with the friendly service, extensive menu, free wifi and retro decor.

The Chocolate Fish Cafe is located about 15 minutes from the center of town, in one of the old defense buildings. You may have recently heard about the happenings in this area – there is currently a proposal in place for 300 houses to be built on this site. We are not planning to dwell too much on this though, as the Chocolate Fish Cafe really deserves to be the star of this review.

To the food: Andre ordered the paua fritter sandwich with aioli and greens with a cheeky side order of a flat white. Rachael, a bacon and aioli sandwich and English breakfast tea.

We were highly tempted by the carrot cake, and just let me say – Never Have We Ever eaten a more delicious morsel in all our cafe review days. We were both impressed this moist triangle of goodness and the generous portion of yogurt that made its way to our taste buds.

One thing that we loved about the Chocolate Fish Cafe was the eco friendly efforts they are going to, to ensure they are contributing positively to the environment, and minimising their impact on the planet. There are options to bring your own coffee cup, and all the takeaway smoothie cups, straws, coffee cups and lids are fully compostable.

More and more we are needing to look hard for points of difference when we head out for our weekly review. However, today we were spoilt for choice. From the eclectic artwork for sale on the walls, the individually hand painted chairs, the kitchen attached to the outside of the building in a makeshift awning style arrangement, to the dog parking and extensive playground, this cafe really does have it all. If you’re not easily impressed with artwork, playgrounds and dog parking, you will not be able to walk past the magnificent view from the cafe deck, without marveling at the power of mother nature pounding upon the shores of Shelly Bay.

There are also several art galleries around this area, so if you’re feeling the need to purchase an old vinyl covered in oil paint or a mosaic dragonfly mirror, this is the place to come.

Oh and back to that list at the beginning… STILL never have I ever ordered a bowl of coco pops at a cafe!

OVERALL SCORE: 5 stars.