212 Jervois Road,
Herne Bay,
Herne Bay
Auckland,
(09) 378 6156
The ViewAuckland Review
When you eat alone, sometimes you're unwittingly inviting other solo diners to interact. This happened to me recently at Dellows Kitchen. The guy I sat next to would talk away loudly on his mobile, hang up and then comment out loud (I presume to me, as I was the only one near him) about the lycra-clad runners on the other side of the road. If I remember correctly, the line was something like 'Phwor... you never saw runners like that in my day'. Erm... you're probably right. Now please shut up..
But hey, one loudmouth didn't detract from the location, a cute little cafe tucked away on Jervois Rd. Dellows Kitchen on first sight looks more like a takeaway deli than a cafe. But cafe it is, and not a bad one at that. In fact, it's really rather cute. I like that it's almost a bit hidden - it doesn't shout out at you from the road or footpath, but once you're inside, you realise that this is a nice little bit of calm on Jervois Rd. The staff are friendly on first arrival, which in this epic journey of travelling the alphabet of cafes is becoming more and more appreciated.
You've got to love a cafe that has the fact that their eggs are SPCA approved splashed all over their menus. And what eggs they are. Stunningly cooked in the Eggs Bene with Salmon that I ordered (as in golden runny goodness), they were only let down by what sandwiched them - a slightly too tough bagel and an underwhelming hollandaise sauce. A squeeze more lemon and a dash more seasoning would have brought this up to greatness. The coffee was smooth and easily disappeared.
Not sampled, but definitely ogled was the fantastic array of cabinet food that was on offer. The sandwiches, savories and cakes did all look amazing, but probably best that I steered clear with a stomachful of Eggs Bene. Wish I'd taken some home for later though.
Oh and extra marks for having a good stack of papers seemingly with all the crap pages removed (another D that is good at this is Dizengoff).
The details: 212 Jervois Road, Herne Bay. Phone 09 378 6156
A Flat White costs: $4
Must Try: Poached eggs - perfect and kind (see above)
Dellows Kitchen has been reviewed by 1 users