A little while ago, I made a decision in relation to this blog. I'd written about a few cafés and their brunch offerings, and to be honest I was running out of things to say about eggs benedict, french toast, pancakes and coffee, great though all these things are. So I've decided that rather than turn out an identikit review of every identikit café I visit of a Saturday or Sunday, I'm only going to write something in response to something unusually good or bad.
And so we come to Byzantium, a fairly unpreposessing place towards the K Road end of Ponsonby Road, more or less, nestled in among the antique shops. First impressions count for a lot with me, and within about 15 seconds I'd decided that no review would be forthcoming as I asked for eggs benny and a flat white, an order as mediocre and predictable as I was sure the food would be.
And by and large, it was. With the exception of a truly incredible and unusual hollandaise sauce, which was not only fresh as a daisy, but bright, lively, citrussy and zingy, lifting the whole dish and basically giving me something to write about. Coffee - fine. Bacon - fine. Eggs - fine. Muffin - present. Sauce - currently holds the No.2 position, second only to the tremendous Landreth & Co a little way up the road.
Fair brightened my whole day, that did.
Byzantium Café
80 Ponsonby Road
Auckland
+64 (0) 9 376 3695
Showing newest posts with label brunch. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label brunch. Show older posts
Sunday, 7 June 2009
Friday, 3 April 2009
Landreth & Co, Ponsonby
Brunch is a tricky meal. It's one of those liminal gastronomical spaces; neither breakfast nor lunch, offering choices spanning from a cheeky piece of fresh fruit to... pretty much anything, really. This lack of constraint also offers both the widest opportunity during the day for severe food envy, and a yawning chasm for the average restaurateur to fall into.
Fortunately for those within striking distance of Ponsonby, John and Jason at Landreth & Co are anything but average. It stands out a mile on Ponsonby Road, being characterful, charming and genuine, with the focus firmly on the core product - excellent food, deft service, and a great-looking wine list. Inside and outside, it's decorated with a finely-tuned air of studied carelessness, hitting the spot with a reasonably accurate replication of any of a million small, comfortable French cafés. One wall hung with antique mirrors dapples the room in sunlight whilst giving a sense of spaciousness.
Service in general is only worth commenting on when there's something wrong with it - it should be practically unnoticeable, and here it certainly is. The brunch menu is superb, if arguably a little overly elaborate, with everything from a beautifully-presented fruit salad to 'meat loaf' (in reality a terrine of duck confit, pork, beef and bacon - a stretch for brunch but it's definitely on my 'must try for lunch' list). Staples such as Bircher muesli and eggs benedict are also in play.
So, if a good hotel is judged by the dry martini at the bar and the club & fries in the room, so is a good cafe by a flat white and eggs benny. The coffee was absolutely spot on, punchy, rich and darkly aromatic with just a touch of bitterness. Rather than the hot coffee milkshake these drinks can be, it was thick and superbly constructed, and the perfect temperature from the moment it arrived.
And the eggs. People I know are in the quest for the perfect eggs benedict, and guys, if you're reading this, I have found the mother lode. This is a serious business, and I know you'll want detail, so I feel I should deconstruct it bit by bit:
Muffin
English. Semi-toasted. Doughy, yeasty and slightly sour, a little wider than usual, which was great; held the admirable portion well.
Bacon
Back, from the look of it. Lean, but with enough fat to lend a ton of flavour. Crisp around the edges but still juicy.
Eggs
Perfect. Not a single fault.
Hollandaise
The best I've had to date - silky, light but richly flavoured with every ingredient in perfect balance. Someone back there really knows what they're doing here.
Garnish
A few sprinkled chopped chives and (offered, accepted) freshly ground black pepper.
Needless to say, I will be going back. If only to try some of the Sicilian blood orange juice they've got in at the moment (why is this so hard to come by over here??). Very highly recommended, whatever time of day you fancy dropping in. As for the food envy, I definitely clocked my muesli-eating companions eyeing up my benny. Hands off.
Landreth & Co,
272 Ponsonby Road
Auckland
+64 (0) 9 360 7440
http://www.landrethandco.co.nz/
Fortunately for those within striking distance of Ponsonby, John and Jason at Landreth & Co are anything but average. It stands out a mile on Ponsonby Road, being characterful, charming and genuine, with the focus firmly on the core product - excellent food, deft service, and a great-looking wine list. Inside and outside, it's decorated with a finely-tuned air of studied carelessness, hitting the spot with a reasonably accurate replication of any of a million small, comfortable French cafés. One wall hung with antique mirrors dapples the room in sunlight whilst giving a sense of spaciousness.
Service in general is only worth commenting on when there's something wrong with it - it should be practically unnoticeable, and here it certainly is. The brunch menu is superb, if arguably a little overly elaborate, with everything from a beautifully-presented fruit salad to 'meat loaf' (in reality a terrine of duck confit, pork, beef and bacon - a stretch for brunch but it's definitely on my 'must try for lunch' list). Staples such as Bircher muesli and eggs benedict are also in play.
So, if a good hotel is judged by the dry martini at the bar and the club & fries in the room, so is a good cafe by a flat white and eggs benny. The coffee was absolutely spot on, punchy, rich and darkly aromatic with just a touch of bitterness. Rather than the hot coffee milkshake these drinks can be, it was thick and superbly constructed, and the perfect temperature from the moment it arrived.
And the eggs. People I know are in the quest for the perfect eggs benedict, and guys, if you're reading this, I have found the mother lode. This is a serious business, and I know you'll want detail, so I feel I should deconstruct it bit by bit:
Muffin
English. Semi-toasted. Doughy, yeasty and slightly sour, a little wider than usual, which was great; held the admirable portion well.
Bacon
Back, from the look of it. Lean, but with enough fat to lend a ton of flavour. Crisp around the edges but still juicy.
Eggs
Perfect. Not a single fault.
Hollandaise
The best I've had to date - silky, light but richly flavoured with every ingredient in perfect balance. Someone back there really knows what they're doing here.
Garnish
A few sprinkled chopped chives and (offered, accepted) freshly ground black pepper.
Needless to say, I will be going back. If only to try some of the Sicilian blood orange juice they've got in at the moment (why is this so hard to come by over here??). Very highly recommended, whatever time of day you fancy dropping in. As for the food envy, I definitely clocked my muesli-eating companions eyeing up my benny. Hands off.
Landreth & Co,
272 Ponsonby Road
Auckland
+64 (0) 9 360 7440
http://www.landrethandco.co.nz/
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