If you are after a hearty bowl of soup for lunch head straight to Adam and Eva's Cafe and Food store on Donnelly Street in Havelock North or Six Sisters, Marine Parade, Napier.
The Bay Expresso's Winter FAWC! By 5 menu is simple, delicious and satisfying.
For just $5 you get a regular bowl of soup of the day. For another $5 add homemade brown grain garlic bread (gluten free available) and coffee.
Soup of the day, delicious brown grain toast made on site and a coffee for $10.
That's a healthy and yummy lunch for $10. The day I visited I was served Minestrone soup which was "herby", full of flavour and had a really nice consistency. It was neither too thick nor thin and had delicate bits of pasta in it. As nice as it was I have to say the bread, and I don't eat a lot of bread, was the winner on the day for me. Cooked onsite this beautiful toasted bread was lightly covered in garlic butter.
I could taste the crunchy grains and enjoyed spooning my soup onto it before devouring every last crumb. I actually asked if they sold it in the store because I wanted more. Unfortunately they don't. Oh well I'll just have to go back and have some more soup.
There is also the option to add the daily dessert in a jar for another $5.
However, that's not all Bay Expresso is offering on its FAWC by 5 menu. At the stores in Taradale, on Karamu Rd, and in Havelock Village you can have any coffee and a FAWC cookie for $5 and bacon, eggs and toast for $10, or fried poached or scramble eggs for $10. That's really good value for money.
Owners of Bay Expresso Chris and Jonelle Jarvis have been in business for 11 years and have seen a huge change in the way people "eat out".
"People would go out for a coffee and that was about it," Chris said.
"These days cafes are meeting places for all sorts of people. I've seen divorce papers signed, people conducting business meetings, all sorts of things."
He said one of the key areas to a successful business was having staff who are "engaged" . "Great food too of course."
This is the second year Bay Expresso has been involved with FAWC by 5 and Chris said he wanted to keep the cost down so people would come out on a cold winter's day and get themselves a bargain lunch.
And it is a bargain. The day I was there by the time I left there wasn't a seat to be had. Staff were cool under pressure, friendly and chatty.
-For the entire month of June, an array of Hawke's Bay's finest restaurants, cafes and bars will be serving special Winter F.A.W.C! menu selections. These will come in $5 offerings.
