Charlie and George Cafe

Charlie and George is a very cool new cafe in the Auckland suburb of Stonefields. The cafe is owned and run by the very lovely Rebecca McRobie and is named after her sons. The cafe manages to strike the balance of being trendy while still being a child friendly place to eat. I loved the terrariums on the tables, I’m inspired and thinking of making my own for our dining table at home.




Shane, Max and I popped along on their first Sunday open a week and a half ago and word of mouth about this place had quickly spread – we were lucky to get a table and that is saying something as seating options are ample. Charlie and George have both indoor and outdoor seating, there’s tables for couples/small groups, communal seating on large outdoor concrete tables with a variety of herbs potted in terracotta pots through the middle as well as some larger tables inside - great if you want to meet a group or have a big family.




Charlie and George have a great selection of wholesome and filling meals on their menu as well as a selection of cabinet foods – the cabinet baking was so popular on the day we were there that it was almost sold out. But, I was told by another patron that the baked goods she selected were to die for. They also serve Kokako coffee in the cutest moustache mugs, the bagels are supplied by Best Ugly Bagels, and the bacon and eggs come from Freedom Farms.  They also stock Nice Blocks and have an excellent selection of preserves for sale at the counter!



If you are in Auckland and want to check out this great new cake you can find them here:
Charlie and George
Stonefields Ave
Mt Wellington, 1050
You can also check them out on Facebook

Remember that you can follow us on Facebook too and if you’d like sneak peeks of what Mel and I are up to in the kitchen (or what cafes we are visiting) you can follow us on Instagram as well!

Bread & Butter Bakery and Cafe

I was scrolling through instagram the other weekend and spotted a friend of Mel and mine had been at Bread & Butter in Grey Lynn. The food looked delicious and the place looked funky so I had to check it out! I was not disappointed, we were lucky enough to get a seat in ‘the plate room’ (I am so in love with the wallpaper it is verging on obsession, Shane isn’t convinced but I am certain it would make a fab feature wall in our kitchen area), the food was fantastic, there were five of us so we got a selection of brunch and lunch and Max (2) was catered for on the kids menu and entertained by the selection of kids books and colouring activities offered to patrons with kids.

Bread & Butter specialise traditional European and naturally leavened sourdough breads. All breads are made from certified organic ingredients – as you can see in the wall art that is right outside the door of the bakery. At Bread & Butter shops you will find a selection of traditional German sourdoughs, French crusty baguettes, wheat free sourdoughs, and seeded loaves. The selection is huge and the quality is top notch.

Their breads are baked directly on stone tiles, which gives them a robust and tasty crust that seals in flavour and keeps them fresh for longer. The cakes and pastries are displayed beautifully in the cabinets and made according to traditional recipes that place utmost importance on taste and original style. Bread & Butter don’t use any premixes, additives or off-the-shelf-filling and they strive to use as much local New Zealand produce as is feasible. Practically all the cabinet items are made on site - this is one cool cafe!

If you are in Auckland I would definitely check them out in person or on Faecbook:
Bread & Butter Bakery and Cafe
34 Westmoreland St. West
Grey Lynn
Ph. (09) 378 9111
Website: http://www.breadandbutterbakery.co.nz

City Works Depot

Yesterday for lunch Simon and I headed into town to try out some of the offerings at Auckland’s newest hot spot, the City Works Depot. 

It was a grey rainy day (so the photos on this post aren’t the best – that, and I was using my phone) but that didn’t put people off coming here; when we turned up people were queuing outside the Food Truck Garage waiting for it to open its doors. 

The City Works Depot is located on the corner of Wellesley and Nelson Streets in Auckland city.  Here you will find Best Ugly Bagels by Al Brown, the Food Truck Garage by Michael Van De Elzen, and a motorbike shop and cafe called Shed Five.  The vicinity is also home to Dry & Tea, a gorgeous salon that also serves a large range of delicious teas, and Brothers Brewery, who have set up their brewery, retail store and tasting lounge here.  The place looks set for further development and I am excited to see what else will join the already awesome places on offer. 

Simon and I grabbed a tasty bagel and coffee to share from Best Ugly Bagels.  Their bagels are delicious; we had their ‘Yodi’ bagel which was a sesame bagel toasted and topped with pastrami, swiss cheese and pickle.  Best Ugly pairs their bagels up with other artisan products to create something really special.  It was great to see the bagels being made fresh, right in front of you.  Also, once you’ve tried one and become addicted you can also buy packs of bagels to takeaway. 

After our bagel we headed over to the Food Truck Garage where we tried out a pork and apple dog and a chicken and leek dog.  Both were really tasty but I think we need to head back and try out a burger; they looked amazing coming out of the kitchen!  Despite the large numbers of people they had to cater for, the food was quick and the service was friendly.  I loved the enamel plates the food was served on and the big pictures of their food hanging on the walls – it made me want to select my fave pictures off the blog and do something similar at home, but we don’t really have the kitchen for it.  Anyways, if you are looking for a quick bite to eat I recommend you head along to the City Works Depot and check it out!

City Works Depot
Corner of Wellesley and Nelson Street
Auckland City

Plume Cafe Matakana

Last weekend Shane, Max and I headed to up north to check out the Matakana market and do a touch of sight seeing. After leaving the market we decided to find somewhere to have lunch, there are quite a few options in a smallish area but Plume Cafe caught my eye, the building had always been there but I don’t remember it looking as good on my last visit. Turns out Plume opened a little less than a month ago, just in time for the busy summer season. We were lucky enough to get there about 10 minutes before the lunch rush, not that a rush would be an issue as the staff were friendly and attentive and there is plenty of seating indoors as well as outside amongst the beautifully manicured lawn and garden (the outdoor area is coved by sails which provides the perfect amount of shade).

Both Shane and I had left home without breakfast and were tempted by the breakfast/brunch menu. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed our meals, they were fresh and summery and were delivered to our table promptly.

If the name sounds familiar it might be, Plume restaurant is also located in Matakana and has been a Cuisine recommended New Zealand restaurant in 2011 and 2012, the cafe is owned and run by the same group. I can highly recommend stopping by Plume if you are in the area, I think it would be a great choice if you have kids, the lawn area is perfect for a run around while you wait for food and the staff were very kind to Max. We didn’t get a chance to purchase any of the beautiful looking breads or pastries that are all made on sight, as we were all pleasantly full but they looked delectable!.

Plume Cafe
Open 8am – 3pm, 7 days
1335 Leigh Road, Matakana
Phone 09 423 0390
www.plumerestaurant.co.nz

Cereal Killa Café

This is one cool café .  I’m a little apprehensive to tell you about it because I still want to be able to get a seat when I visit!  I actually came across it when I was nerdily attending a sewing class at one of the shops on Dominion Road, just a few doors down the street.  The place caught my eye, so one weekend I made Simon come along to check it out.  While we were at Cereal Killa we called his mum and brother to come along too.  And now we all keep going back.  The photos on this post are from a bunch of different visits; a mix of camera and phone photos as it wasn’t until last weekend when I realised I hadn’t shared this great place with you and really should have by now!

Each time I come here I order the same thing; I love their omelette.  I’m one of those people when I like something at a cafe I tend to keep ordering it in case I regret my new choice.  I really don’t have to worry at Cereal Killa though.  Everyone else I’ve been here with has tried something different off the menu and loved their meals.  I’ve had tastes of big breakfasts, mince on toast, porridge, trifle, burgers, fudge… everything is delicious.

I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but Simon’s mum, Michelle, can and will vouch for the coffee here.  I like their fresh juices and hot chocolates, but I what I really recommend is ordering one of their Nutella banana milkshakes.  The milkshake can be found on the kids menu, but they will make them in an ‘adult size’ for any of you oversized children out there like me!

The staff at Cereal Killa are the right mix of professional and friendly and are very efficient too.  I reckon you should pop on in, grab one of the many magazines and a menu to peruse, pull up one of their mismatched chairs and try this place out.  I’ll see you there.

Cereal Killa
360H Dominion Rd, Mt Eden, Auckland
Ph: 09 630 8008
www.cerealkilla.co.nz
Find them on facebook or twitter