CafeBlog

The Kings Plant Barn on the corner of Forrest Hill Road and Wairau Road houses Kings Cafe. We visited around lunchtime on a weekend and I was surprised to find the cafe reasonably empty. However, on reflection, it may just be the impression one gets when first arriving here. The tables are spaced reasonably far apart, which gives an air of roominess.

Our smoked chicken salad was good, but the icing on the cake was the coffee. This is the best coffee I have had from a cafe in a long, long time. The milk in my soy mocha was frothed to absolute perfection making the coffee exceptionally smooth. Heat and strength were also spot on.

So, if you’re on the Shore and are wanting to experience a decent cup of coffee - this is the place to go.

We visited Espresso Garden during the weekend for a spot of lunch. It wasn’t all that busy, but the food and coffee were both good.

For food, we had the Moroccan pilaf and a gluten-free chocolate cake slice. Both were tasty, although the chocolate slice was almost on the too sweet side. For coffee, we had a soy mocha and trim latte. These were both very good; hot and of reasonable strength.

A nice touch is the TV in one of the corners that is connected to a camera overlooking the adjacent kids’ playground. You can let your younger ones play to their hearts content while you can sit back and relax in the cafe while still being able to keep an eye on them.

Espresso Garden is located in the Mitre 10 Mega building, just off Wairau Road in Glenfield.

Ack, what a disaster this was. Visiting Shore City on a weekend, one expected crowds - but I guess everyone is going to the new Albany Westfield. So it was fairly quiet, and yet Muffin Break were so unorganised it was unbelievable. The barista and the counter person seemed to have no idea what the other was doing.

The coffees were ok, but nothing outstanding. Basically the whole experience was pretty average.

Avoid. There are so many other cafes in Takapuna, that you should only patronise this cafe if you were on the brink of death from thirst - and even then I doubt you would get your order in time.

Located at the northern end of Helensville, in the old Railway Station is Ginger Crunch Cafe.

We arrived just after a group of vintage car enthusiasts and the place was humming. Although we had ordered from the kitchen and were warned that there may be some wait for the food, it arrived inside 15 minutes - quite good I thought, considering the influx of people who had walked in the door about 5 minutes before us. The food was delicious.

The coffees were of above average fare, and came with a piece of ginger crunch (hence the name). The ginger icing was smooth and drool-worthy, the base was less crunchy and more chewy. This probably suits a lot more people (such as myself) who enjoy a chewy biscuit base far more than a rock-solid tooth-breaker. Great stuff.

This cafe seems to be much better set out than many cafes that have taken over old railway buildings, and is well worth a visit.

First of all, Westfield malls need to sort out their carparking. I mean if it wasn’t for the rest of the family wanting to visit here, there would have been no way I would have spent 20 minutes searching for a carpark.

Anyway, Espresso Cafe is beside New World, and at the opposite end of the mall to the foodcourt - a good thing. We walked past the foodcourt, it was a mess of people and too much sound. In fact, you can’t get coffee at the foodcourt.

The coffees and food were good, in fact they even re-opened the kitchen just to make the wedges we ordered. But the fact remains that spending so long just trying to get into the place put a serious dampener on things.

So, if you’re one of the mad horde already at Westfield Albany, Espresso Cafe do fine food and coffee - but the experience isn’t worth the effort if you’re not already there.