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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

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Pacifica Cafe

Tara Road, Papamoa

This week we round off our journey North to the Bay of Plenty with a special visit to Pacifica Café located on Tara Road, on the outskirts of Papamoa. A bustling beach resort known for having as many retirees per square metre, as grains of sand along its sparkling coastline. Andre takes particular joy in this review as it was his mother Wilma’s café of choice for many years, and he’s looking forward to the trip down memory lane.

Pacifica is a well-deserved 5 star establishment. (Our regular readers will notice this early disclosure of stars awarded as a break from tradition where usually we conclude with a rating.)

From the moment we enter the spacious car park we find ourselves in a semi-rural setting with the café, a gift shop and a boutique garden centre all located on a sheltered site surrounded by what appear to be orchards. We quickly make our way inside and find it is busy but there are plenty of tables inside and out and we’re the only ones at the counter. The cabinet food looks inviting and there’s a wide selection of sweets to tempt the most discerning taste buds.

The lady behind the counter is friendly and efficient and even suggests a particular table in the outdoor area which she says is sheltered and comfortable. Our orders are placed, Andre a raspberry shortcake followed by a Moroccan lamb filo and salad, Rachael a chocolate caramel cake and for something a little less ordinary…scrambled eggs on ciabatta, all washed down with English Breakfast tea and a regular flat white.

The kind lady also points out the help yourself style arrangement of cutlery by the door, and reminds us not to forget to collect some as we make our way towards the egress. There’s a moment of stupidity as we both cannot seem to figure out how the serviettes are dispensed from a no doubt fiendishly clever Scandinavian style dispenser. After a moment or two Andre decides it’s time to make his ignorance a matter of public record, and takes the dispenser to the counter to ask for help. Having set his expression to sheepish, Andre is informed that the reason he can’t dispense any serviettes is because the dispenser has literally done the job and dispensed its entire load. In other words…it’s empty.

We find the table outside and the setting is marvellous. We’re right next to a magnificent display of lavender and we see what looks like an entire hive of bees busy visiting one flower after another. Our drinks and sweets arrive moments after we’re seated and the mains arrive as we eat our last mouthful of cake.

Rachael’s eggs are described as adequate although, given her impossibly high standards, we decide it’s more a case of “It’s not you…it’s me.” Andre declares his Moroccan lamb filo and salad an absolute winner, with which he can find no fault.

Once food and drink are consumed, Rachael takes a leisurely stroll through the gift shop while Andre plays with his new friends the bees and catches up on his social media commitments using the free wifi, provided courtesy of Pacifica.

We eventually take our leave and both agree it’s a great place to enjoy a leisurely afternoon. (a word of caution though…last time Andre was there with his dear old mum the road outside could best be described as “single lane country”. There’s now a four-lane highway so approach with care as traffic moves reasonably fast even in the slow lane!)

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Melbourne Medley

This week’s review takes on quite a different flavour to our usual foodie musings. Almost every guideline we’ve set ourselves for this blog has been thrown out the window on this occasion. If you’re hoping for a typical Rach and Dre commentary from the throbbing megalopolis of downtown Upper Hutt, this week may throw you into a tailspin!

Firstly, there are no less than FIVE venues rolled into one this week. Five times the thrill!

Secondly, these reviews are slightly beyond the borders of the Wellington region, and come to you from the hip and trendy streets of Melbourne. (Hopefully not too many readers make a habit of dining at the cafes we review the week after we publish – you may need a passport and a few days annual leave if you’re planning to recreate this culinary experience).

Thirdly (is thirdly an actual word? – it sounds quite funny after my fourthly jam donut – might be all that sugar) this is not a racey account of a romantic long weekend with the odd coffee thrown in. These eateries have been reviewed by Rachael on a girls weekend to Melbs for a very serious and important research project (shopping).

Please don’t expect any directions, addresses or general areas for any of these reviews. We have already previously established that I am completely unable to identify my left hand from my right, so all I can tell you us that each of the venues below are in Melbourne. (Australia. Not Melbourne in the USA or the UK in case there might be confusion)

TOP PADDOCK CAFE

I can tell you we caught two trams to this destination. One was a short ride and the other a little longer. That is the best I can get to where this cafe is.

This cafe was absolutely buzzing by 10.30, Friday morning. In fact this cafe was so popular we not only needed to wait to be seated, we needed to share a table with a group of strangers. Usually this would be on our no go list, however, we’re here to eat and shop so a collecting a few new friends along the way won’t hurt too much.

The menu was varied, catering to all tastes, and we were impressed to see gluten free options also available. We ordered a selection of delights ranging from blueberry and ricotta hotcakes to steak sandwiches and fries (apparently that counts as breakfast food when on holiday).

The cafe was fast paced, loud, busy, clean and full of Australians. The food was exceptional. The portions were a little on the large side but as we were planning to shop through as much of the day as possible we made short work of our delicious meals.

I really do need to mention the service at Top Paddock. Our waitress was probably the happiest person we have ever met. Even happier than Andre the day he married Rachael, so that’s saying something! (from Andre…NOBODY was happier than me that day Rach!)

OVERALL: 4 stars.

CAFE VICOLINO

After a couple of hours of wandering around the laneways and checking out the stunning graffiti art it was time to stop for a cuppa and a cake.

We found the cute Cafe Vicolino in one of the laneways and decided the cabinet food and smell of strong coffee was a good enough reason to stop here (funny that the coffee smell drew us in, as we all drink tea!) Small, dark, crowded. This cafe reminded us of the streets of Italy where you would pop in off the cobbled stones to a little tight space that seated only a few.

I have to admit we only ordered a cup of tea here. We had intended to order a cake but a cheeky side step into Hager’s Chocolate Shop for a free sample sated our desire for a sweet treat.

I can vouch for the service, however, and the tea was delicious. Relaxed atmosphere and great location for a cuppa and a natter.

OVERALL: 4 stars (hard to completely judge as we didn’t eat here)

THE LANGHAM

This is where our foodie review starts to level up. The main course so to speak.

High tea at the Langham Hotel.

Chandelier’s dripping with crystal’s, sweeping staircase, waiter’s in their formal black and white, matching china on the table, linen serviettes, subtle violin in the background, the chink of champagne classes and the chin chin of Melbourne’s elite.

Women dressed in their best, pearls, diamonds and jewels flashing, teetering on high-heeled Louboutins, and waves of heavy perfume competing with even heavier false eyelashes. (That was not us by the way – we were literally off the street looking for a sandwich and a dainty savoury to fill the gap).

While service at the Langham was a little sketchy, the food was delicious. Everything you would expect at an up market establishment, and more. I could spend hours describing each morsel but this review is getting a little long and I think the photos speak for themselves.

OVERALL: Four stars

THE LUI BAR

While this is not technically a cafe, I’m throwing the Lui bar into the mix. Mostly so you readers think we are a young and hip bunch of mums (I know we have mostly drunk pot loads of tea on this trip).

So we waited 40 minutes in the lobby before being called to the elevator. This exclusive bar is on the 54th floor. Like the Langham, the Lui Bar is filled with beautiful people (also teetering on high heels but probably mostly from the alcohol).

Ok. The details.

A cocktail costs $26. Yes – you read that. It’s not a typo. $26!! The seats are small and trendy (when I say small think sitting at your five years old parent/teacher interview, on their school chair!)

This place was pretty slick so I did level up my order and drank my sparkling water ‘on the rocks’. Yup, us mums can still cut loose when we want to!

OVERALL SCORE: 2 stars.

HOPETOUN TEA ROOMS

Our next destination brings us to Hopetoun Tea Rooms in the Block Arcade.

Think old English tea rooms with a Melbourne touch of class. The room is closely packed with elbow room only between each table which is no problem for us ladies who lunch, however, wheelchairs and pushchairs will be an issue.

We select our tea from a large list and settle in with lamingtons and vanilla slice (custard slice for our kiwi readers). If we could describe our treats in only three words we would say light, creamy and delicious.

There is no menu for the cakes as they change daily. Simply pick from the window (if you can!) then wait for the taste sensation to melt in your mouth. Hot tea, decadent cakes and superb service. What more could a gal need?

OVER ALL: five stars

Melbourne completely exceeded my foodie expectations. The presentation of meals, service and selection of eateries are absolutely world class. From street vendors to market stalls, from high street restaurants to arcade cafes, this has been my best food weekend ever! The only thing missing from Melbourne was my best mate, but I’m pretty sure this review will get him over the ditch soon enough.

OVERALL: Five stars.

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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/

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And so it begins…

Last Sunday, we were wandering aimlessly around the leafy streets of Upper Hutt, discussing our life goals. It was a deep and meaningful discussion where Rachael shared goals of travel, charity work, further study and building a ‘She Shed’ in the corner of the garden.

Andre shared his short term goal of wanting a flat white coffee and an apple shortcake and his long term goal of hoping to have katsu for dinner.

Discussions turned to which cafe to visit, and that there only ever seemed to be one or two that we frequented on a regular basis. In fact, generally on a Sunday morning for brunch. Change was needed! But where?

Well the short answer is…. we still don’t know.

This blog is about trying new places, having new adventures and sharing our thoughts with anyone who is interested.

Here are our guidelines:

We visit one cafe per weekend.
Every cafe gets a review from us with a possible five star rating.
This is not a critical review – it is simply our unbiased thoughts on the day.
We aim to visit every cafe in the Wellington Region.

We have absolutely no experience with blogging or cafe reviewing. But we do like coffee and carrot cake, and we LOVE Wellington and all it has to offer.

Our first review starts on Sunday 19 May. We are so keen to kick this off, we’re offering a free coffee to anyone on our Facebook friends list who turns up to join us.

Our first review will be at Espresso Garden Cafe, Mitre 10 Petone, 10.00am, Sunday 19 May.

See you there!

Rach and Andre xo