Brunch

Brunch @ Drexels

I had the good fortune to visit Drexels for brunch yesterday with Jen. We chowed down on french toast and waffles, along with hot chocolate and grapefruit juice.

Drexels is a longtime favourite of mine and is a bit of an institution among the Christchurch community at large - it is always packed and you usually need to book a week in advance to get a decent table!

Another time I will write in more detail about the place, but it has a fantastic bustling atmosphere and they serve excellent American-style breakfasts.

Brunch @ Beauvais Cafe

About a week ago, a Nicky and I had an impromptu brunch at Beauvais Cafe. We were looking for something new and glancing through the Entertainment Book listed their name with a decent discount. So we decided to give it a try.

It’s a little out of the centre of town and in the suburbs, but when we arrived, it was pretty full. The staff were very polite and very promptly found us a table. The decor was pleasant but there were little details, like really roughly finished paintwork, that looked a little incongruent with the rest of the building.

Brunch @ Yaza

This morning, in addition to a number of errands in town, my mother and I visited Yaza for brunch. It fronts out onto the famous Nelson Saturday market and by 10am is always packed - luckily we got there early enough to find a good table!

Yaza is a bit of a Nelson institution - they are famous for their cheese scones, which are consistently warm, cheesy, and totally addictive. In addition, they are served with a over-sized wedge of butter - what better way of indulging? We have been coming here for years.

Brunch @ The Apple Shed

I’m on vacation in Nelson this week. This morning I had the pleasure of visiting the Apple Shed, a well appointed cafe on the wharf at the Mapua estuary.

This place has a fantastic atmosphere - outside roughly hewn tables sit along the water front, the cafe itself sits out over the estuary and large windows look out over the stunning vista - sea birds, boats at anchor, and picturesque marshes in the distance.

Brunch @ Portstone Garden Café

Being on the east side of Christchurch, starving, and in need of brunch and a strong coffee - we eventually found a place to relax last Sunday morning.

The Portstone Garden Café looked really promising - full of people - all of the right age and dress to have good taste, fairly nice decor - with a sort of rustic garden theme that fit in nicely with the garden centre it was attached to. There was even a couch or two and some well padded booths that were unfortunately already in use. This looked like my kind of place!

Brunch Reviews

Hey everyone!

I’m planning to use this blog to write a few reviews on restaurants and cafes that I have had the good (or mis) fortune of visiting.

For the most part these will be centered around brunch. I absolutely love going out to brunch - chatting about the week ahead, politics, science, and enjoying excellent food in a comfortable setting

However, while a lot of my past brunch experiences have been amazing, such as a visit to the fabulously upper class breakfast restaurant - The Wolseley in the center of London, some have been distinctly disappointing.