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.

The New Zealand Coffee Festival is on this weekend in Auckland at the old Alinghi Base. That’s 135 Halsey Street, Viaduct Harbour, Auckland. The festival starts on Friday 6 June and runs through to 4:30pm, Sunday 8 June.

This is a great place to sample various coffees and beans, talk to roasters on how to attain the perfect brew, and view or purchase various coffee or cafe accessories.

See you there .