Limelight Cafe

Upper Hutt

After last week’s epic road trip, we decided (our bank balance forced us) to look a little closer to home for our blog fodder. That and the fact we threw it out to our readers a few weeks ago, that we were holding a get together to celebrate reaching 1500 views on our blog.

At first we were worried that the ‘view count’ was in fact the two of us hitting the refresh button every four minutes, however, judging by the stats below, there seems to be a few readers from around the world too. For those of you concerned about privacy, there is absolutely no record of who views, just the country you are from. Rest assured, you can sneaky peek without us ever knowing.

We have posted a snapshot below of where our current readers are from. Not because we think this is relevant to this post, but because a bit like Seven Sharp, we sometimes need to fill a gap with useless information.

If you’re a regular reader, you may remember we kicked off our first blog post with an offer of a free coffee at Mitre 10 Mega in Petone. We were pretty stoked with the turn out on that occasion, when one reader (Rachael’s lovely mum) showed up in support of the launch. Imagine how happy we were today, when we not only doubled, but TRIPLED our numbers . Thank you Rachael’s mum, and this time Rachael’s kids Summer and Harry too!

So, our great meet and greet celebration was held at Limelight Cafe in Upper Hutt. You may be somewhat confused by this, as we had previously announced that it was being held at Expressions Cafe. As you are aware, directions such as left and right, North and South are meaningless to Rachael, and so it turns out, place names are too. If you googled Expressions Cafe and it came up with nothing, that would be because the cafe is connected to Expressions Art Gallery and is not actually the cafe (possibly why no one turned up).

Anyway, on to the actual food. Our orders this week were:
2 x Works breakfast which included: mushroom, tomato, kransky sausage, fried eggs (Harry) poached eggs (Andre) hash browns and toast.
2 x pancakes with cream, bacon, banana and maple syrup (Rachael and Summer)
Lemon slice (Nettie)
Chocolate milkshake
Flat white
EB tea
Bottle of sprite

We were all impressed with the friendly service, happy vibe and cosy atmosphere. The Limelight Cafe is attached to Expressions Art Gallery, which is currently showing a ‘Bugs’ exhibition (the garden variety, not the virus variety), so if you’re a bit of an adrenaline junkie and like to live life in the fast lane, this exhibition is probably not for you.

We did notice this is quite a popular cafe, and parking can be a little on the sparse side. It is right next to the public library and quite near to H2O Extreme swimming pool. If you’re anything like us, and would much prefer to wallow in a cup of coffee than several thousand litres of shared skin flakes and chlorine, then this cafe is in the perfect location to look like you’re heading to the pool but actually side step into cake and coffee bliss.

There was a general consensus among the five of us that this is a perfectly adequate cafe for a quick bite and a coffee. Andre felt his tomato was a little undercooked. We tried to argue that a fruit you generally eat raw couldn’t really be undercooked, however, Andre was feeling stubborn today and could not be budged. His exact words were “I prefer my tomato fully warmed through, not just lightly seared on top”. We considered sending it back, but in Heinz sight it wasn’t worth the effort.

HIGHLIGHTS

Summer: The chocolate milkshake was delicious
Harrison: Hash brown
Nettie: Spending time with my family
Andre: The kransky was delicious
Rachael: The English Breakfast tea was perfect!

Today is also a special day for all those Dads out there. Happy Father’s Day to all you wonderful men reading today.
Given that it’s Father’s Day, we can’t think of a better way to finish today’s post, than with a Dad joke. So here it is:

Q: What did the pirate say on his 80th birthday?
A: Aye matey!

OVERALL SCORE: 4 stars.

The Great Wellington To Napier Road Trip!

McCauley’s Store Cafe (Otane) and Ahuriri Village Kitchen (Napier)

This week folks you’re in for a real treat…a double banger where two cafe’s go head to head to see who will take the title of…aaah… ok you got me! There’s no competition as such but there almost could have been as Rachael and Andre have driven nearly 800 km in search of the perfect cafe experience. Honestly, the lengths we’ll go to! For our overseas readers I’ve included a Google earth image to give you some idea of where Napier, our destination is.

Our first cafe, McCauley’s store is at a small place called Otane about 60 km south of Napier itself. There’s a slight detour off State highway 2 and with fuss so minimal you’ll hardly have noticed, you’ve driven through a time portal and entered a decade before even Andre was born. To give you some idea…here’s a picture of their “main street”…

Wow! I bet that place goes off on a Saturday night! But of course this isn’t a blog about townships so on to the cafe itself. When I say we pretty much had the place to ourselves I’m not exaggerating…we were the only customers! The lady behind the counter looked pleased to see us and we promptly ordered tea and toasted sandwiches. Andre had “the works” while Rachael was slightly more specific with cheese and onion. The cabinet food was sparse which isn’t surprising given the likely turnover of customers at this time of year.

What the cafe lacked in customers it more than made up for in atmosphere. For the more senior reader McCauleys is a cafe with its roots firmly planted in the “tearooms” of yesteryear. It’s almost like dining in a museum and we highly recommend it as a refreshment stop before the final push into Napier about 40 minutes drive further North. Do be careful though as driving due East from Otane will most likely take you over the edge of the world!

Final score 3 stars.

So in case you think we’re completely bonkers, I have to point out that we didn’t really drive all that way just to visit a cafe. Our mission was one far more grand! Rachael the athlete, is part of a team competing in the Maori Ironman challenge in November, in Napier. We thought it prudent to clap eyes on the the cycle course before the event, so she’s aware of what’s ahead, and can tweak her training regime accordingly, so as to peak on the day and blitz the field. (That reminds me…we need to get her bike serviced as the gears don’t work, but as she keeps asking “How important are gears?”)

After our arrival we settled into a hotel in Ahuriri which is the old port area of Napier. I won’t bore you with details of our wild night watching TV doco’s about Air Crash Investigations and Fatberg Autopsy (did you know they are made up of 90 percent cooking oil?) At one point Andre really let his hair down and had a perk coffee and a bag of popcorn!

After a wicked night as I’ve just described, we find ourselves at dawn(9:00am) entering the Ahuriri Village Kitchen. Andre stands by the cabinet staring in and shouting “Broccoli! Cauliflower! Broccoli! Cauliflower!” finally attracting the attention of the lady behind the counter. Rachael apologises on their behalf and whispers to her…”Sorry about that…he suffers from florets.”

Eventually we’re settled at a table by the window and the most delicious scrambled and poached eggs make their way to us. The accompanying milk jugette (I may have invented a word there) looks cute but it’s pouring qualities leave a lot to be desired and Rachael rescues the situation mopping up with her serviette.

We really enjoy our breakfast dining experience and notice the cafe, as well as a fabulous setting across from the beach, offers a few extras like being dog friendly and having a supply of hats and blankets available for those who wish to sit outside in all weathers. The staff are courteous and attentive and there’s lots of laughter which makes for a great way to start the day on a positive note.

We decide to award this cafe a well deserved 5 stars.

Quarter Acre Cafe and Bistro

Levin

Logs flickering on the fire, vegetable soup bubbling in the crock pot, the smell of baking bread wafting through the house, soothing tones of The Eagles playing on Youtube, on repeat, cat snuggled up on this fluffy $11 bed from Wish, gentle rain splattering the outside of our windows… so many reasons to stay at home today, with a cup of instant coffee and a tim tam. However, as none of the above remotely describes anything that was happening at our house, we decided to brave the wild winter weather bomb, and head out into the unknown for this weeks review.

We just happened to need to visit Levin today (a long story that involves two men, heavy lifting and a four wheel drive, but we won’t bore you with the details), so we decided to tie this in with a cafe lunch. We had no specific venue in mind, so decided to take a risk and find somewhere along the way.

We were completely unprepared for the extreme weather while heading ‘up the line’. Thunder, lightning, sheets of torrential rain and waves breaking over the side of the Pukerua Bay coast added an air of drama to our trip and highlighted the dedication we have to writing these blog posts each week. Ok… we may have slightly over dramatised the weather here, but it was raining, and there was one streak of lightning. We needed to amp this up a little so you can visualise the beacon of welcome and light that glowed from the side of the road, calling us into its haven of warmth and shelter.

This beacon of warmth and light came in the form of Levin’s Quarter Acre Cafe, which rose out of the gloomy depths of the Levin Highway, and enticed us inside for a quick meal and a flat white.

While there was ample parking outside, it quickly became apparent that this is a popular little noshery, and parking was at a premium. We did manage to nab a cheeky spot by the door, but this may or may not have required us to block the entrance to the outdoor seating area.

The inside of the Quarter Acre Cafe was beautifully decorated, the staff were welcoming and although the venue was filled almost to capacity, there was a peaceful ambiance in the air.

We were shown a table, given a slick menu which screamed ‘boutique’ (little choice and even littler portion sizes), and offered a bottle of still water. While there were only about six items to choose from, they did all sound delicious and we had a hard time deciding what to order. We both went for the sirloin steak, with mashed potatoes, mushroom sauce and winter vegetables (a nice descriptor, but there is little you can do to disguise carrots, beans and broccoli once it actually arrives).

Our flat white and EB tea arrived quickly and Rachael’s triple layer carrot cake, politely described as an entree by the waitress followed not too far behind. So far so good.

While we waited for our mains, we noted the following: no free wifi, there was a selection of cabinet food which looked delicious, the cafe was in fact an old homestead, with the covered verandah cleverly hosting around 20 tables, the venue was quite tightly packed so not wheelchair / pushchair friendly, the outside grounds were stunning and would be a huge draw card on a beautiful spring day.

We were impressed by the presentation of our meals and both were keen to taste these morsels of perfection plated in front of us. We did feel a little rude starting while the table next to us recited Grace, so in the interest of good manners, refrained for several minutes before digging in.

You may be starting to think at this stage, that all is going as planned and this is just a standard food review. The first mouthful, however, would prove otherwise. It would appear the Quarter Acre Cafe owners may have had ancestors tracing back to spice traders, as the amount of cracked pepper in the steak would have been enough to barter for a small farmlet on the outskirts of Manakau .

Our second surprise was the absolutely inedible steak – more than half was gristley and tough (that would be the half not covered in pepper). While the ‘winter vegetables’ were perfectly cooked, we could not manage to overlook the poor cut of meat.

We both completely disagree with our overall score this week. Andre can not move on from his meaty disappointment so is firmly sticking to 3/5, and feels like this score has been generously upgraded because of the delicious flat white. Rachael on the other hand, is sticking to a solid 5/5. Reasons for this include being offered dessert as an entree, the wine rack turned into a magazine stand and the symmetrical placement of the accoutrements on the table.

It’s not often we disagree, but this week we are at a stalemate. We could meet in the middle and award four stars, but neither of us is prepared to budge!

A couple of side notes:
If you’re free on Sunday 1 September, at 10.30am, we would love you to join us for a coffee at Expressions Cafe in Upper Hutt.

Many of you have asked the outcome of Andre versus Wilson Parking. Lets just say we have happily spent the $65 fine on today’s meal, and leave it at that.

Andre’s highlight: The coffee was hot, and the food arrived quickly.

Rachael’s highlight: Kitchen staff picking fresh lemons off the tree outside.

OVER ALL SCORE: Debatable.

Sweet Vanilla Kitchen

Pretoria Street, Lower Hutt

Those of you who have grown up or spent any time in Lower Hutt will recognise “The Crescent”, a single storey brick house/cafe situated conspicuously on the corner of Pretoria street and Kings Crescent. Upon recommendation from two of Andre’s colleagues, thanks Jodi and Dane, we find ourselves squeezing into a car park directly outside the Sweet Vanilla Kitchen on a wet and gloomy day. Andre, ever the amateur archaeologist, decides to uncover some of the buildings history. A quick search on The Historic Places Trust website reveals the following:

” The Crescent is an L-plan single storey brick building on a prominent corner site, designed as a combination of shop and residence, built in 1906. The building has always had a retail function, and was first used as a bakery. The baking was carried out in a small separate building which still exists on the site. The architectural style can best be described as a New Zealand interpretation of Australian Victorian Georgian and Federation Bungalow styles. The architect was RP de Ridder. The building was modified in 1970 with the removal of the verandah on the southern end and filling in with an unsympathetic laundry. A feature of the building is the coloured glass in the shop windows and house fanlights, which is claimed to be “signal glass” once used on railway semaphore signals.”

One can only imagine what an “unsympathetic laundry” might refer to and unfortunately we are none the wiser as we don’t penetrate that deeply into the building during our visit.

The cafe is busy but there are a few spare tables and we’re lucky enough to secure one next to a large window by the entrance. The cabinet food looks spectacular and the staff are friendly and welcoming. Rachael decides to order her standard scrambled eggs and bacon while Andre caters to his sweet tooth with a pancake, bacon and fruit option.

Despite the steady turnover of customers, our drinks and sweets, more about them later, arrive in good time, followed after about 10 minutes by our “mains”. Rachael thinks her meal is delicious and Andre makes short work of his pancake stack. His only complaint being his bacon which needed another 3 minutes on the heat but we can’t hold that against the cafe as it’s impossible to tell whether a customer likes crispy bacon just by looking at them.

And finally to the sweets. The piece de resistance of our dining experience. Dear reader, take a good long hard look at the photos below as they show what could quite possibly be the finest examples of a banana/chocolate/caramel and cheesecake to be found anywhere this side of the black stump!

I have deliberately left these images large as that’s the respect these delectable dishes deserve. If you like a great cake then this is the cafe for you…unsympathetic laundry or no.

Andre’s Highlight: Cheesecake

Rachael’s Highlight: Banana/chocolate/caramel cake

Star rating: 5

Don’t forget, we’ve extended an invitation to all our readers to join us at Expressions Cafe Upper Hutt at 10:30 Sunday 1st Sept. Coffees are on us!

Like this review? Find more https://sundayat10oclock.home.blog/

Peppermill Cafe and Bar

Porirua

This week our happy trio made up of Andre, Rachael and Summer headed to Porirua, an easy 30 minute car ride from home. Several factors came into play for our visit in that particular direction. Firstly, it’s always a pleasant drive around the Pauatahanui Inlet (Rachael’s reason) and one of our group was interested in the progress of Transmission Gully (well that’s the “official” line but really we think Andre just wanted to see a few diggers and large trucks in action).

We find ourselves drawn towards the Peppermill Cafe and Bar. We were greeted by a buzzing hive of industry and a sign requesting we wait to be seated. We were more than happy with this arrangement, however, it became apparent after a reasonable wait, that in fact no one was coming to seat us. (Cue crickets chirping here, as it slowly dawns on us that we have been left lonely and table-less at the front door for several minutes).

After our false start, we head to the counter, picking up menus on the way and have a look at the tempting delights in the cabinet. We were not disappointed.

We make our way to a self selected table (I need to let this go, it’s the parking ticket from last week all over again). It’s dirty and filled with used plates, coffee cups and several serviettes with a slashes of red lippy crumpled into a ball on the table top. To be fair, the cafe was very busy, and the table was being cleaned as we sat down. It was quickly cleared and wiped, however, the seats needed to be given a quick flick with the laminated menu before sitting down (we all do that right)?

Once ensconced at our table, we opt to order off the board. Coke, flat white and an English Breakfast tea are quickly ordered (should English Breakfast have capital letters?? Rachael says yes, Andre, no – any grammar aficionados out there that can settle the score)?

On to the food. Andre selected the Belgian waffle with cinnamon sugar, raspberry coulis, chargrilled peach & vanilla whipped cream, Summer the smoked chicken linguine with garlic, parsley, sweet chilli, parmesan & white wine cream sauce and a side of fries and Rachael…. A cheeky Peekon ja munad (if you’re wondering, that’s bacon and eggs in Estonian – thank you google translate)!

A couple of things to note: We were advised before we ordered that there was at least a 25 minute wait for the food to be cooked. We were not in a hurry, so this was not a problem. It did take around three Trump scandals (40 minutes in real world time), but we all agree the meals were worth the wait. They were delicious, well presented and served with a smile.

The cafe is wheel chair / push chair friendly with plenty of room to maneuver around. There is free wifi – no password needed, table service and plenty of catchy tunes being pumped through the speakers. An added bonus would have to be the free colouring sheets and pencils available at the entrance.

The cabinet food was too tempting to pass up, so we selected a few treats to take home for an afternoon cuppa. Can we just take a look at HOW CUTE this little carrot cake is? Small note – it didn’t make it home.

While our Mum’s always told us not to play with our food, we thought this time round was an exception to the rule. Wanting to get a message to the chef, there was only one option…. Let’s hope the dish hand shared the message before washing the last of a good meal down the sink.

Rachael’s Highlight: Cosy booth looking out to the skate park.
Andre’s Highlight: Cinnamon mix in the cream was nice
Summers Highlight: The chicken linguine was delicious.

Side note: Each week we love seeing how many views our blog generates. We’re excited to see it is almost at 1,500 views! We are planning to share our small milestone with a celebration morning tea. We would love you to come along and share a flat white or a hot chocolate with us. Sunday 1 September, 10.30am, Expressions Cafe, Upper Hutt. See you there!

OVERALL SCORE: 4 Stars

Pickle and Pie

Central Wellington

Today’s review has left a bitter taste in our mouths! Before everyone gets too alarmed however I should point out it has nothing to do with the Pickle and Pie cafe itself and everything to do with the Wilson car parking building right next door! Yes dear reader, your dynamic duo are currently in negotiations with Wilsons about the cost of parking and whether $65 tickets really needed to be issued at all! Having said that…we will not let it detract from a fair and professional review such as all our previous efforts. On to the cafe…

The Pickle and Pie is a well known and popular cafe tucked into a pleasant lane behind the West Plaza Hotel and arguably about as central as one can get in downtown Wellington. Full disclosure…it wasn’t the cafe we were heading to when we left home but events of the day overtook us somewhat and the P&P was conveniently located. Plus we thought the Wilsons building next door offered convenient parking but let’s not labour that unfortunate situation any longer. I will just say, if you do go there DO NOT TAKE THE STAIRS as it turns out the paystation is outside the lifts.

The P&P is a modern glass and steel cafe with a warm and friendly atmosphere. Our visit was mid afternoon on a Sunday and the place was full. The friendly waitress who greeted us offered either a table we could share with complete strangers (interesting but no thanks) or a table outside. Although a little cool it was a beautiful summers day and we were well prepared with survival jackets and wooly hats so opted for an alfresco experience. Once seated we were treated to table service which was speedy and friendly. The coffee and sparkling water arrived within minutes after our order was taken.

Rachael wasn’t feeling her usual hunger pangs so ordered a plate of hand cut fries while Andre, ever the culinary adventurer, gave a thumbs up to a plate of smoked blue warehou with lemon and fennel salad topped with a poached egg.

We both agreed Rachael’s chips were perfectly cooked although on the menu it says they come with pastrami ends and as we had asked them to hold the pastrami the kitchen took it upon themselves to add pickle which wasn’t mentioned anywhere other than in the name of the cafe. Rachael’s not a pickle fan but it’s no big deal as she managed to eat around them ok. Andre enjoyed his fish dish although they were a little heavy on the onion. His salad leaves were also at the mercy of the slight breeze that comes with outside dining and several ended up on the footpath.

As we were somewhat time constrained (had to get back and pay for parking! Sorry…I need to let it go I know.) we decided to forego anything sweet from the cabinet but we both agreed there were some interesting and tempting delights we’d like to come back and try another day. I mean who wouldn’t want to eat a buttermilk chilli cheese scone right?

Overall we enjoyed the Pickle and Pie cafe. We rated it a solid 4 stars. The highlight for both if us was the friendly service from all the wait staff. It was almost like they had been expecting us all day and were excited we had finally arrived! We’re beginning to think that great service can go quite some way to enhancing average food. Two suggestions we have though should anyone ask… don’t play R rated music as old fuddys like us and children shouldn’t have to listen to it and, in today’s world you need some wifi option, there was none. (maybe they are covered by the free Wellington wifi but we couldn’t see it during our visit.)

At the end of the visit Rachael and Andre went their separate ways. Rachael to enjoy some of the shopping just around the corner and Andre to pay for parking…and it seems this review has come full circle!

Like this review? Find more https://sundayat10oclock.home.blog/

Clareville Cafe

Carterton

This week we head to the mighty Wairarapa, just outside of Carterton, for our culinary feast. According to Andre we were ’north of Carterton’ but those sorts of directions are meaningless to Rachael, so we won’t linger too long on the finer geographical points, of where our destination actually is. All you really need to know is we visited the Clareville Bakery, and we were very impressed to say the least.

You may remember last week, we mentioned sometimes the universe leads us to a cafe, and sometimes we have a plan. This week was a ‘have a plan’ sort of week, and the plan came in the form of Rachael’s colleagues setting up a meeting of ‘super athletes’ and Andre. The super athletes consisting of Rachael, Cathy and Meghan (shout out to Meghan’s support crew – Lewis too) are currently in training for a ¼ triathlon in November, and what better way to train than cycle, run and eat together!

The Clareville Bakery is a cosy, renovated church building, with plenty of parking, cute flowering window boxes and a solid outdoor playground for the kids.

We are surprised by the amount of people already packed into the cafe when we arrive. It’s reasonably early in the morning, and nearly all the tables are full, with a longish queue at the counter. One of the first things we notice (before quickly nabbing the last table by the door), is the length of wall where you line up to order, is almost completely a glass wall, looking into the kitchen area. This enables patrons to watch the loaves of fresh bread being baked on site, and have a little behind the scenes glimpse into the wonderful world of artisanal craftsmanship.

While you may think a 15 deep queue could be a little daunting, it appeared light work for the happy crew serving at the counter. We ordered surprisingly quickly, and all agreed the wooden spoon table numbers were the cutest thing we’d seen since Channing Tatum starred in Magic Mike XXL.

Our drinks order was made up of one trim mocca, one trim latte, one flat white and two cups of english breakfast tea. These all arrived quickly, and each of the recipients were suitably impressed with their selection.

There is a wide and varied range of both cabinet and menu food available, and all of it so tempting this week. Our crew ordered meals ranging from bacon and eggs (no surprises there), french toast and lamb cutlet pie to custard squares, raisin pastry and a curry chicken roll.

The bacon and eggs were pretty standard, however, the ciabatta was outstanding. If you’re a bread connoisseur, we would highly recommend stopping here just for a slice of this doughy perfection. Andre went with the lamb cutlet pie with homemade butter puff pastry and salad. The verdict was positive, but just a heads up for those with a weak constitution, the pie came with the cutlet bone attached! (See pic below). While we agree this is an interesting garnish, it’s a little unnerving for those of us not wanting to think about poor Laaaambert being part of today’s menu.

We do need to take a moment here to acknowledge the melt in your mouth custard square. This outstanding blob of perfection was one of the best we have sampled in a very long time. We don’t take our custard square ratings lightly, but this one is absolutely worth it’s own blog paragraph!

A couple of things to note: this cafe is closed on a Sunday (yay to old school trading days), there is a fantastic children’s playground outside (yay to old school fun for kids) and the outdoor play area and alfresco dining is fully fenced (yay to not old school safety standards).

There is a small shop selling bakery treats inside the cafe. You may wish to snap up some of the local deliciousness before heading next door to the flower shop.

Clareville Cafe proudly boasts a “Best Regional Rural Cafe of the Year – 2018” sign outside the main gate, and we would have to agree, it is a well deserved title. It may be a little out of your way, but nothing a good ole fashioned Sunday drive couldn’t handle.

If you’re driving past, or even if you’re not, add this cafe to your destination wishlist.

Rachael’s highlight: No loud music belting out at 10.30am.

Andre’s highlight: Kicking back with a good book while the athletes ran / cycled 10km.

OVER ALL SCORE: 4 Stars

Fig Tree Cafe and Delicatessen

Upper Hutt

As you can imagine…conversation in our household during the week inevitably drifts around to deciding which cafe to visit on Sunday. Sometimes we decide on a whim, other times the universe decides for us and through circumstance, we find ourselves outside a cafe over which we seemingly had little choice.

Today’s visit to the Fig Tree is a little of both. As Rachael has booked an appointment at her favourite salon, our female readers will be well aware… no visit to the hair stylist is complete without the obligatory public unveiling of the latest cut and colour, so where better than one of Upper Hutt’s more well known establishments…the Fig Tree.

You’ll find the Fig Tree on your right about 2.5 kilometres along Fergusson drive heading north from the Silverstream bridge as you leave state highway 2. It’s an old church and there’s a cute little caravan out the front aptly named the Fig Leaf if you’re looking for a quick caffeine hit on the run. Parking is mostly along Fergusson drive and can be a little hit and miss depending on how busy things are at the time. Be prepared to walk a couple of hundred metres if you’re unlucky. It’s a nice way to shed a few pesky calories anyway so no big deal.

There’s a pleasant seating area out the front if your thing is alfresco and don’t mind a little bit of traffic noise, but we prefer indoor dining so make our way into the “church”.

Apart from a stained glass window with an uplifting message and the odd pew there’s little left to suggest a denomination from it’s previous life as a place of worship. The altar has been replaced with a kitchen and we can quickly see it’s a hive of industry! We’ve clearly arrived at a busy time and while we wait to order we bump into some good friends…shoutout to Sonya and Tanya!…who have coincidentally also decided to lunch here today.

Time passes pleasantly at the counter as we catch up and eventually our order is taken, Rach again surprising everyone with the crepes and a tan slice option, while Andre tries out the mushroom and blue cheese filo with a side salad.

The food and drinks arrive surprisingly quickly given it’s very busy and it looks delicious, although Andre thinks they may have been a little heavy handed with the dressing on his salad. Rachael’s crepes seem to tick all the boxes and as both of us are hungry we make short work of both meals. We share the tan slice as a desert and both agree it’s sweet and delicious. We’re also impressed by how fresh all the fruit and salad ingredients are.

Rachael asks Andre how his filo was and he replies that while tasty it did remind him of the reception he was given when he initially met his first girlfriends parents…lukewarm. Another minute in the microwave would have worked wonders. Andre’s flat white also was adequate despite a corner of the waitresses frilly collar brushing through the froth as she delivered it to our table. To be fair she was laden down with cups and plates so we realise these things happen.

There is free wifi for those who appreciate that kind of thing and a small but functional children’s corner with enough toys to amuse most under 5’s for some time. Eventually it’s time to go and although we’re in no rush to get anywhere we find the busyness and noise a little overwhelming. The kitchen has no separating walls from the seating area and the crash of plates and pans from the workspace becomes a little tiresome. (I know…first world problems eh?)

On our way out we check in with Sonja and Tania who highly recommend the vegan muffin with coconut yoghurt.

Rachael’s highlight: The freshness of the food.

Andre’s highlight: The quick delivery of the food and drink given how busy it was.

Overall rating: 3 stars.

Like this review? Find more https://sundayat10oclock.home.blog/

Picnic Cafe – Wellington Botanical Gardens.

This week we venture into the Big Smoke, braving the narrow roads of Tinakori, in pursuit of the perfect flat white. We head into the Wellington Botanical Gardens, with one destination in mind… Picnic Cafe.

Picnic Cafe holds fond memories for the pair of us, as this cafe is attached to the Lady Norwood Rose Garden. A spectacular vista of roses, exotic plants, large koi…and 12 years ago was the venue of the best wedding we attended in all of 2007 (ours). Some of our readers may remember this evening at the Lady Norwood Rose Garden for an entirely different reason. It was of course, the same night the Warriors beat the Gold Coast Titans 22-6, at Carrara Stadium.

While we do say this cafe holds fond memories, it is not one we regularly visit. In fact this was only our second visit in 12 years. Back in the day we were able to order a decent lunch of ham sandwiches, custard squares and the staple saveloy with watties tomato sauce, so it was with some trepidation we decided to try our luck here this week. Our taste buds have matured some what over the past decade, and the floppy pink sav is not one of our current go to morsels.

If road rage is not your thing, then you’re probably best to avoid the limited angle parking and judder bars on steroids outside the venue. If you DO decide to risk it, we would suggest a few minutes realigning your Zen at the Peace Flame before heading into the cafe. This is not actually a flame, but a gorgeous waterfall, right outside the seating area of Picnic.

We could not have been more surprised than our livers after a glass of water, by the welcoming atmosphere and updated decor when we first entered the cafe.

We were utterly charmed by the doorman / water bearer / daily specials announcer, who greeted us with “Now my darlings…” before realising we were a middle aged couple, and not a pair of well heeled ‘Ladies who Lunch’. He quickly redeemed himself by pointing out the ‘Naughty Drinks’ (his words, not ours) on the back of the menu, and continued to regale us with friendly and humorous banter.

There was a large selection of food in the cabinet, and a serious upgrade of the a la carte menu has definitely brought this cafe from 1950’s throwback to 2019 hot spot! Andre ordered the ‘Avo Extravaganza’ – smashed avocado on toast, with grain toast, tomato quinoa , beetroot hummus, feta and a poached egg. For those of you concerned that Rachael deviated from the traditional scrambled eggs and bacon last week, you will be relieved to know they were back on the menu. We both agreed that our meals were outstanding quality, sensible portion sizes and arrived quickly.

Several things stood out for us at this cafe. Some of these included the colouring activities and felts available for the young ‘uns, we were easily able to connect to the free ‘Welly Wifi’, soothing background music and that there is no surcharge on public holidays. Your furry friends are welcome, and there is a bowl of water available for them too.

A couple of other things to note: the toilets are outside the venue, so you may need to risk wet feet or bring a pair of gumboots if nature is calling you on a rainy day. There is both inside and outside seating available. Interestingly the outside seating was most popular today, even though it was overcast and chilly. If you have the time, take a few minutes to wander through Begonia House, attached to the cafe by a side door. The exotic plants and water features are well worth exploring.

Once you have walked off your lunch, we can highly recommend popping back into the cafe for a carrot cake and coffee!

We noticed several elderly people dining alone at this particular cafe. While this is not really unusual, what we did notice is one of the cafe staff sitting with some of these patrons, and having a quick conversation between clearing tables. This going above and beyond in our opinion, and one of the nicest things we have seen in a long time.

As a final note, we would like to shake the hand of the genius who left random cut offs of lino on the floor, in anticipation of the odd wobbly table leg. This is much appreciated by the person who generally tends to over fill their tea cup.

OVERALL RATING: 5 stars.

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Red’s Food Co and Cafe

Otaki

As surely as Winter follows Autumn so does one Sunday follow another, although admittedly with 6 days in between, and here we are again, with Rachael’s favourite daughter Summer in the back seat, on the road to our next cafe. We chose Red’s as we had business in the main trunk destination of Levin and on the way home we find ourselves in the provincial heartland town of Otaki on the stroke of midday. Upon instruction from our shrunken stomachs, we take a right just after the crossing lights in the centre of town and find Reds about 50 metres down on the the right hand side. Parking is extremely limited on the main road so you’re best to use one of the back streets.

It’s a cold and grey day and as we step through the door the temperature rises along with our appetites. The place is about half full and we are quickly at the counter after a few minutes of perusing the specials board. The counter service falls a little flat as part way through our order the waitress is interrupted by a colleague who mutters something to her about an issue with a previous customers order. She’s clearly flustered and unsure of what to do. Her colleague suggests she go and sort it and so we repeat our order to her replacement. We’re unsure if the staff are happy in their work as eye contact and smiles are few and far between, but that’s quickly forgotten as we look for a table. There are three distinct seating areas inside and we head next door to what looks like a bar area where you might hold a private function should you need to have one.

There are plenty of tables and we choose one by the window…it’s a lovely spot. Delicious looking pizza finds its way to the table next to us and Andre suggests we come back another day just to try a few of them.

Our drinks and sweets arrive in under 10 minutes and all looks appealing. Summer and Rachael both go on to highly recommend their cheese cake and custard square. In a shock move, Rachael has ordered the BLT for her main while Summer goes lite with fat chips and onion gravy. Andre, despite a choice of seafood dishes on the menu, is unable to go past the Asian pork belly on rice.

Everyone tries and “ooohs and aaaahs” over the onion gravy that came with the fat chips. It’s a winner alright! Rachael thinks her BLT is “quite good” although she’s not impressed by the marigold petals scattered liberally over everything. While we know they’re edible, there’s just too many of them and have to be carefully picked out. Andre’s pork comes in generous portions and he’s a happy camper from the first mouthful.

Andre’s flat white coffee is so hot and tasty he orders a second cup which gives the girls a great excuse to walk up town and duck into a few shops for some retail therapy. Andre thinks if shopping is as therapeutic as the girls make out those two must be amongst the most well adjusted women on the planet!

While we’re always looking for the perfect cafe experience and in this case Red’s is very good, there were a few minuses. Our table was dirty and hadn’t been wiped very well, plus it rocked alarmingly every time Andre cut into his pork. The condiments live on the table along with the cutlery and we’re not fans of this arrangement. The toilet, although in the same building, is actually next door and you need to ask for a key. (That’s the green ring photo.) If you’re a germaphobe you can see the issues around this arrangement!

All said though, we enjoyed our visit to Red’s and everyone agreed it’s a well deserved 4 Stars.