GIBRALTAR WOOD FIRED PIZZA CAFE!
How can you go wrong with a name like that? This is the place we took the kids out for breakfast on the drive out of Auckland. We decided we'd just head out of town and stop at the first place that caught our fancy! This can be risky in NZ because once you leave town, you can literally starve to death on the road. Worse yet, you'll have to deal with three teenagers cramped into the back seat of a rental car, each suffering from hypoglycemia! [I'm hungry! How much further?] You know the story.
Matt is the one who noticed the sign and decided to check out this place. It is very cozy and too cold to eat outside. Besides, there were intermittent showers that morning. Inside, the kitchen had an Italian wood fired style open oven. One similar to the one Federico and I were planning on building up at the Stone Duck! Although famous for their pizza, I quickly noticed a good quality espresso machine behind the counter and buckets of dough rising in the corner. They make their own bread dough, can't be that bad. I had the scrambled eggs straight. Laura went for the bagel and lox. Matt & Colleen tried out more fancy fairs. Blueberry pancakes for Matt. Heather went for the omelet. We each ordered the obligatory cappuccino, flat white or latte. It seems we've each developed our own taste and each have our own favorite! The breakfast breads were baked in the wood fired oven as were the toasted bagels and omelet.
The coffee made the perfect compliment to the meal. Not too strong to over power the eggs but enough of a rich flavor to help jump start the morning. Sitting in the little cafe, crowded against the other patrons, watching the rain start and stop through the slightly hazy windows gave a real European feel to the experience. I know I'm going to miss the ability to just walk into a little cafe and order up a cuppa and breakfast anytime during the day and sit in a small intimate setting. That seems rare in North America. I am beginning to get a bit concerned about the level of experience the kids are having. Getting good coffee back in NA is going to become the daily challenge while traveling.