CafeBlog

I think I’ve commented before how the decor of the Coffee Clubs really doesn’t do it for me as they always seem so dark. Not so here. The Coffee Club at Botany Junction (on Te Irirangi Drive) is on a corner site and completely glassed on two sides, allowing plenty of light in.

We visited after 3pm on a Sunday afternoon with a group of people, and the place was very quiet. Even so it took quite a while for some orders to arrive, and some just never arrived. This is bad form.

My soy mocha was good; very hot and plenty strong. I did wonder if there was a chocolate shortage, but realised as I neared the bottom of the glass that the syrup had not been stirred in. Alas, my last mouthful was mostly chocolate syrup, blech!!

Coffee Clubs also have a sort of a strange arrangement with ordering and paying - I wonder if they are trying to target the older (read “senior citizen”) market. You sit down, a waiter takes your order, and you pay as you leave. This sort of thing is fine for a restaurant where you are ordering off a menu, but in a cafe you never get the opportunity to peruse the cakes, muffins, etc in the cabinets. Granted, they also have a menu - but this is more for meals. If you’re visiting just for coffee and cake, the whole thing seems really rather awkward.

Drive about a minute past Kumeu and you’ll come to the architecturally designed building that is Bees Online. Aside from being a cafe Bess Online is also a premium honey producer, several hives are on site - one with a glass viewing area from inside the building. Although there are hives on site there never seems to be any bees floating around your food or the cafe area, so there’s no need to worry too much about being stung or annoyed while you’re trying to enjoy yourself.

The food here is always delicious and focuses on using honey as an ingredient, but this visit was just for a coffee. My soy mocha was just as good as the food, and couldn’t be faulted. If you’re looking for a place to take your Mum on Mother’s Day, then this would be it. A reminder though to phone and book at least a week before. This cafe is often packed on weekends, and there is a good chance that without booking, there will be a long wait for a seat.

Bees Online also has a comprehensive website where you can view the cafe menu and order their products, along with other information about the business.

Recommended.