Cream – Sunday at 10 O'clock

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.

Main Street, Upper Hutt

This week we are back on track with visiting our local cafe hotspots, and after a week of gastro and long hours of work at our place, decided to pick somewhere close to home. Our thoughts turned to Cafe Rome, a previously much loved coffee stop for the two of us.

When we first moved to Upper Hutt, Cafe Rome was the first cafe we tried, and we loved it so much we went there almost every weekend for about 12 months. Unfortunately, one evening we decided to pop in for a quick bite to eat (back in the day, when they had a dinner menu), and unwittingly gate crashed an expensive, black tie, private event. Let’s just say the background saxophone, quiet murmur of stock exchange convo and chink of champagne glasses abruptly came to a halt. The owner took one look at our jandals, shorts and singlets and politely asked us to either pay the $200 admission fee or leave. It was 50/50 which way we would go, but in the end we decided the wine list didn’t match the menu too well, and we were best to hit up Fishtown around the corner.

Anyway… back to today… We decided the humiliation of previous experiences was well behind us, and it was time to venture back. Full of bravado and suitably attired, we pushed open the door of the cafe, loudly announcing our arrival with a round of cheerful hellos and beaming smiles, to be greeted with … silence. Two disenchanted cafe staff stood behind the counter, while a third raised a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, projecting silent pity towards our lame entrance.
If we thought our days of looking like a pair of awkward third former’s were over, we were mistaken. Suddenly, we felt like one of those kids that turn up to a pajama party, and didn’t get the memo everyone else would be wearing black jeans and a hoodie.

The awkward silence stretched on while we made a bit of a show of looking at the cabinet food, hoping like heck someone would take pity and rescue us from our painfully awkward entrance. Finally our knight in shining facial piercings came out from behind the counter and offered us a seat. Phew!

Now for the menu. Bacon and eggs have been a bit of a theme for the last 20 weeks or so. You may be getting sick of hearing about them, but not as sick as Rachael is of eating them. So, in a break from tradition, it’s pancakes with berries and cream for Rachael, and French toast and bacon for Andre.

Our EB tea and flatwhite beverages arrived within seconds (there was a wine list we could choose from too, however, we decided we were messy enough without adding 10am alcohol to the mix).

Our food arrived in reasonable time, and seemed to accurately match the description on the menu board. Andre was happy with his fodder (what can we say – he is pretty much a happy kind of guy). Rachael (of course) was a little more dubious. Let’s just say, the tinned strawberries and cream from a can were probably less imaginative than an impromptu date night, and the rubbery pancakes were even less desirable.

We would describe Cafe Rome’s decor as ‘eclectic’. The art work ranges from hand painted canvases, to tin flowers, from wooden bull sculptures to Disney cushions on a leather couch. There is little room to get around the tables and the cafe is incredibly dark, with lighting so low, it’s the perfect place to come if you’re worried your foundation doesn’t quite match your skin tone – no one will ever notice!

It may seem as though this reviewer is a little disgruntled, and you may be thinking we are holding onto past embarrassments from our unceremonious eviction from a swanky dinner party. Please be reassured we went with high hopes and no hard feelings, however, Cafe Rome failed to impress this time round.

We are nothing if not fair, and feel it is only right to mention the service from the sophisticated young chap who served us, which was faultless. Let’s face it – anyone these days who still refers to an older gentleman as ‘Sir’ gets a big tick in our eyes. This guy added an extra star to our rating for sure!

OVERALL: 3 Stars.