CafeBlog

There are some cafes which are more restaurant than cafe, and Cafe Massimo comes into this category. We arrived around lunchtime wanting only coffee and cake, and as we neared the counter we were approached by two waitstaff asking us to take a seat and order from the menu. Hmm.

Our soy mocha and latte came out in due course along with the cake - a gluten free chocolate cake fulled with almonds. To be honest, the cake was the best of the whole experience, it was rich, but not overly so; just perfect. Unfortunately the coffee was just ok, nothing amazing here.

What really turned us off was the fish. Yep, you read that right. The fish.
We didn’t  order fish, but someone else did, and as soon as it came out of the fridge / freezer / coolroom or wherever it was stored, you could smell it - and not in a good way. Think of dead fish, baking on a wharf in the sun for three days and you would be coming close to the smell. Even after it was cooked and delivered to the table over from us it still had that horrid “I’ve been rotting in the rubbish sack” smell, so we left pretty quickly. Fish should never, never smell like that; and it’s unlikely we’ll be returning.

I’m not really keen on the decor of the Coffee Clubs’ - they seem a bit too dark and old-fashioned looking; but the coffee and food at the one in St Lukes mall is really, really good; and makes up for it. Also, being away from the rowdy food court gives automatic points.

We had a Chicken Burger and Marco Polo Grill - one word, yum. The mocha was good too - not the best I’ve had, but not the worst either. It was pretty quiet so the service was prompt as one would expect.

I rate the Coffee Club as being the best cafe in St Lukes mall at the moment.

We stopped by here yesterday on the way home from Morrinsville. We had been out all day and the only decent coffee we’d had was at home with breakfast, so by mid-afternoon I was in serious coffee-drought mode.

Fortunately Firepot Cafe came to the rescue. A soy mocha and trim latte came to $8.50 and both were served in generous cups (well, more generous than the average Auckland cafe - if you require something the size of a bucket you will be disappointed). Both were piping hot and quite strong, and the mocha came with a chocolate fish and two marshmallows. Yep, those of us with a sweet tooth are well catered for.

For those travelling on State Highway 1B between Auckland and Cambridge and in need of a decent coffee, Firepot Cafe makes for a perfect half-way stop.

I got the usual soy mocha from here today. Oddly enough, McDonalds didn’t seem to be too busy for a Friday lunchtime.

I tend to find that coffees from a McCafe have much variability between each cafe, but seem to be quite standard at the same cafe across a period of time. So for example, McCafe Greenlane might always have strong and hot coffee, but Manukau’s may be cold (I’ve never been to the Manukau one - but I do have to say that Greenlane is slowly and steadily improving. They used to be atrocious).

Anyway, the standard at Lincoln Road is for a very heavy hand on the chocolate syrup, and there was no disappointment in this respect today.

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.