Strata Postgraduate Lounge and Cafe, University of Auckland, City

The BIGGEST muffin I have ever tried with the BIGGEST muffin top ever and the BIGGEST failure of a muffin too. Here’s the heads up: stick to the date and orange scone or almond croissant!- they are BIG and tasty.

Baking: Now, Strata is generally pretty good all-round for baking. The muffins and mini pseudocakes, almond croissant and chocolate brownie served me well on many occasion last year and rarely disappointed. I decided to nip in the other day for some baking whilst on City Campus. Admittedly it was Uni break, but I was still greatly disappointed by the baking selection: no croissant, no pseudocake, no gluten-free orange cake, no date and orange scone, and no brownies awaited me. Instead there was the choice of a few apple muffins (not the best when one is wanting a truly sweet-kick), a chocolate cake that looked a bit stale, and the BIGGEST muffin I have ever seen. Not surprisingly, and despite my cake-intuition telling me big is not always better and that the giant muffin did not look overly tasty, my gutsy self decided to try the BIGGEST muffin I have ever seen ($4.00). Yes, it did also have the BIGGEST muffin top I have ever seen, but no, it was not the slightest bit tasty- it was dry, stale even, perhaps even yesterday or the day before or the day before that’s muffin (it was a Monday, so it could possibly even have been Friday’s muffin!). The alleged “berry and cream cheese” variety consisted of one berry and about 1/4 of a teaspoon of cream cheese…which doesn’t amount to much especially when you are talking about the BIGGEST and DRIEST muffin you have even seen. So anyway, the long and short of it is, I used to quite like the baking at Strata and undoubtedly I will return to see if this muffin was just symptomatic of a bad day/uni holiday low. I hope to return with better tales of better baking. The lesson of the story is this though: if you know your baking intuition is good, stick with it and don’t be distracted by BIG cakes or muffins. They are capable of distracting us from true muffin greatness, just like the shadows in Plato’s cave. If you are so lucky as to come across the almond croissant though, it is probably still the best baked item offered here and the date and orange scone, was my favourite in town for a good while last year.

Gluten Free Options: Orange and almond cake

Opening hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am-5.30pm
Temperature & Sunshine factor: Very nice and light and sunny. It is generally pretty warm too.
Table size: Nice square tables and some sofas with coffee tables.
Ambiance: The academic/uni student scene but comfortable. Unlike some of the other university cafes, Strata does not make you feel like you are on campus.
Eggs: TBC
Brunch: TBC
Coffee: It has been a while since I’ve had a Strata coffee, but I remember it to be fine.
Service: Just your Joe Bloggs service. Nothing especially good, nothing bad either.
Bathrooms: University bathrooms…mmm…
WIFI: Yes- for Auckland University Staff and Students. It is quite slow however.
X-factors:
Cons: Often a big queue

Location: 4th floor Kate Edger IC, University of Auckland, Symmonds St
Ph (09) 375 0030

Brickhouse Espresso Bar, Grafton

Brickhouse’s date scone. It is substantial but lacking in dates. If you can get there in time for the simple, yet wonderful, blueberry muffin, DO! It is sweet , but not too sweet, with a strong vanilla flavour. This is a personal favourite and goes with what is perhaps the best coffee in town!

Baking: Whilst my pic above is of Brickhouse’s date scone ($3.00), the true delicacy here is the blueberry muffin ($3.50). It is unpretentious, small, and vanillary. I’m not sure what it is I like so much about this muffin, but I probably consumed about 50 of them last year. They have a good consistency that is satisfying and have good crunchy tops. Unlike much of Brickhouse’s baking, these muffins are made in-house and are hot-in-demand, most days having been swept off the cabinet by 10.00-10.15am. Brickhouse take care of their regulars, and last year my muffin companion and I discovered they were saving a muffin for one particular customer. We frequented the cafe most days, and whilst I did get the “you can pay tomorrow” status, when I would accidentally leave my wallet at home, neither of us could figure out how long it would take to reach saved-muffin status. The almond croissant is ok, but doesn’t beat the muffin. The date scone, is quite bready and fills the gap, but it could do with some more dates. The little chocolate tart is yummy, but is not a muffin, as are the danishes, biscotti, and the gluten-free almond cake ($4.00).
Gluten Free Options: Gluten-free orange almond cake.

Opening hours: Monday-Friday 7.00am-2.00pm
Temperature & Sunshine factor: Warm. The seating is around the back hidden from the breeze of the door. It can get sunny in there, but the sunniest seats are outside.
Table size: A little small, but given this is supposed to be an espresso bar they are ok. They are not so good for reading the paper or doing work.
Ambiance: I love Brickhouse. It is somewhere that is so welcoming and warm it just feels like a big bear hug from an old friend. There records and crazy old little knic-knacs on display, a tasteful interior, and you will undoubtedly be surrounded by academics having informal meetings. The odd job interview/peer mentoring session also finds its way to Brickhouse morning coffee. Without a doubt, there is never a dull moment. The same CD plays over and over during the day, which has been the same for over a year now.
Eggs: TBC
Brunch: I haven’t tried it but looks good. There are freshly squeezed juices served here too.
Coffee: One of the best in town. Allpress. I recently started going back to Brickhouse on a regular basis and was reminded at how well they do coffee. The regular flat whites are little and strong….Wellington strong! The lattes are big and strong and are served in a glass, but are worth it $4.50. Large flat white ($4.00)- a little weaker.
Service: Lovely! I don’t know what else to say. The baristas always ask me how I am, how my friends are, they have let me pay the next day if I have left my wallet behind, let me store my bag there when I had to run around and see where I might have left my wallet and are always smiling. I think this is a family-run business.
Bathrooms: Very clean. A high toilet so your feet never touch the ground. Kind of makes you feel like you are 3-years-old again.
WIFI: Yes-unlimited. A recent addition to an already fantastic cafe.
X-factors: Almost everything! (see below). I Brickhouse!
Cons: Tables are a little small, sometimes they are full (usually at 10.30am cake o’clock) and the muffins run out.

Location: 84-86 Symmonds St, Grafton
Ph: (09) 3093720

Circus Circus, Mt Eden

My muffin was not so hot the day I went in to take its picture, so I opted for a pic of the Circus Circus special cake-only cabinet (taken at 1600iso, 11pm, zoom lense- please excuse the fuzz!). Despite the poor picture quality, these cakes represent part of a fine collection. If you are lucky enough to be buying a whole cake, you will be served from this cabinet which is not subject to the shortfalls of the cosmopolitan-cake-cabinet-life of the single serves.

http://www.circuscircus.co.nz/

Baking: Oh Circus Circus, for a time there you were like my second home. A fantastic place to find baking almost 24/7 and a cosy place to do so. The baking here is affordable and big, and generally most pleasing. The real trick here though is to order a proper dessert. Why? Unfortunately, whilst this cafe makes some fantastic cakes, they have a cabinet problem. What do I mean by a cabinet problem? They have a cabinet that keeps their food cool, but unfortunately the cakes share their spot with the savories, and the savories share their flavours/odours with the cakes.  So the cakes become tainted. The tainted twinge reminds me somewhat of when I was served my lunch in a lunchbox. No matter what I used to put in my sandwiches, they would always end up tasting of every other sandwich that had ever been in my lunchbox. This is a truly sad but true occurrence.
This is even sadder because Circus Circus is home to a pretty tasty blueberry or white chocolate and raspberry muffin ($3.60). It also boasts a number of cakes: chocolate, carrot and gluten-free orange almond cake. These cakes are a little dry, but big and will fill you up nicely for $5.90. They are definitely best earlier in the day.
If you are feeling particularly wealthy, there is also raspberry cheesecake, banoffee pie and creme brulee to be tried ($9.90). I remember at least one of these to be particularly good, but it has been some time since I have had a real dessert here so for those risk-takers out there, it may have to be a gamble.
Gluten Free Options: Orange almond cake (yet to be tried)

Opening hours: 6:30am-11:00pm, 7 days
Temperature & Sunshine factor: A wee bit of sunshine during the day, nicely candlelit and heated by night. There is a fireplace and multiple outdoor gas heaters.
Table size: Excellent. Some round and small, some round and big- for people who have several friends. Some square ones.
Ambiance: I definitely prefer this place in the late afternoon/evening when the lights are dimmed and one can enjoy cake by candlelight. During the day it feels a little large and on the weekends is very crowded for brunch (this is not surprising given the brunches are huge, look delicious and there is a 2 for 1 voucher in the Entertainment Book). There are different settings to try in this cafe as it is a large house. It is also probably the only NZ cafe I have seen for a while which has an indoor smoking area (mmm tut tut). This, however, is completely segregated from the main cafe.
I guess you can’t but mention under ambiance the all-encompassing circus theme…
Eggs: TBC
Brunch: Big and yummy. 2 for 1 in Entertainment Book.
Coffee: Very good. A highlight of this place is the bowl lattes and bowl hot chocolates. They do them so well- they are strong and are generous on the froth. The regular coffees are $4.20 and the bowls are $4.80, so there is not much in the price either. I did have one unpleasant experience with my coffee a few months back, which seems to have been slightly traumatising as I have returned very little since. That is, a new staff member was put in charge of refilling the sugar shakers and accidentally filled them with salt. I only discovered this after having added my “sugar” to my coffee. On telling the staff what the story was, they initially would not believe me. When I spoke to the manager though, they knew exactly what was going on and promptly replaced all the sugar shakers.
Service: Good. Very attentive…could be too attentive for some. I guess it depends on what you like. Sometimes they are a little rushed which can create a little bit of anxiety for the relaxed cafe-goer.
Bathrooms: Let’s just say interesting?…unique…?
WIFI: Limited 30mb/30 min Auckland free WIFI
X-factors: The bathrooms….interesting…Circus theme.
Cons:

Location: 447 Mt Eden Road, Auckland, New Zealand
Ph: +64 9 623 3833

The Fridge, Kingsland

Carrot cake from The Fridge in Kingsland. They claim to have Auckland’s best carrot cake…and I tend to agree!

Baking:  The highlight at the fridge is definitely the carrot cake ($7.50). It is the most expensive in Auckland, they claim it is the best, and I tend to agree. It has many layers, you can taste that twinge of baking soda, and it is just an all-round sturdy cake. It is also big enough to share, that is if you happen to be a social cafe socialite. The muffins are really big, but not amazing in flavour- good tops though. The cabinet here has a good range of cakes and slices, and they even stock lammingtons on a regular basis (not a common specialty around town). The pseudo-cupcake/cakes are a little pricey at $5.50 a pop. The carrot cake is pricey, but worth it for a treat. Muffins and scones are all$4.50.
Gluten Free Options: Orange and Almond Cake.

Opening hours: Mon – Fri 7.30am – 4.10pm, Sat – Sun 8am – 4.10pm
Temperature & Sunshine factor: Excellent! Sunny spots inside and out. I have never felt cold here, possibly because the doors are far from the entrances.
Table size: Great. Nice and big.
Ambiance: I like it. The 1970s retro room and wooden sun-room are nice and homely.
Eggs: TBC, but recycled paper napkins.
Brunch: Very rich!
Coffee: Excellente! $4.00 Flat white, $4.50 Large or Latte. The cups are funky red.
Service: Very good when you are indecisive about what to order.
Bathrooms: I think there is just one for a pretty big cafe, but it is very nice, just like you’d have at home. I feel there may even be a shower (but don’t quote me on it). Only issue is the glass on the door- although it is textured, it does not make for the most private of bathrooms.
WIFI: Tomizone free 30 mins/30mb limited.
X-factors: Homely ambience and carrot cake.
Cons: A little more pricey cake cabinet than average.

Location: 507 New North Rd, Kingsland
Ph: 09-845 5321