CafeBlog

I visited the Oxford Cafe in Tirau the other day; it was once just about the only decent place to get a tea or coffee in Tirau, but this is no longer the case. There are many great cafes in the township, and the Oxford is definitely not one of them.

Little has changed with the Oxford Cafe over it’s long life. It still looks like a classic old NZ tearooms. Upon entering, I checked out the cabinets and chose a mince and cheese pie as it was a cold day and the other fare looked reasonably unappetising. I tried to order a soy mocha, but was told they don’t do soy milk, so opted for trim instead. Alas, instead of just saying “No thanks” and trying elsewhere, I continued on.

I’m almost certain the pie was not made on the premises, it was predominantly pastry - and a very yellowish pastry at that - and little filling. The coffee was certainly hot, and although supposedly trim I have the feeling “light-blue” trim milk was used rather than green. There was a very overly milky taste to it - the kind that you get if milk has been left in the sun, or is not at it’s best. I could not finish the coffee (which is unusual - even a bad coffee generally gets completely consumed), so that gives you an indication of it’s quality.

With so many other good cafes in Tirau, I would not recommend visiting the Oxford.