Beaches Cafe, Mt Maunganui

By BRENDA WARD for canvas

Forgive me for being a tragic, latte-drinking, showy kind of a tourist, but yes, I like to sit out in front of one of Mt Maunganui's landmark high-rises, sipping coffee in the sun and watching the sea glimmer across the road.

And yes, I know there are cheaper brunches to be had in the Mount than here - $7 for two eggs, a sausage and a pile of bacon you can barely hold a conversation over, at an undisclosed location down in town - and there is probably better coffee to be had, but, dammit, I like it here.

And I even like it that every boy racer in town will cruise past in a burble of exhaust, subwoofer pounding painfully, chrome gleaming and passengers hanging out the windows the better to check out the bikini babes.

But because I like it there and everybody else does too, there is a penalty to pay. You may not find a seat outside on a sunny Saturday morning - and, when you do, you will probably have to wait for your food.

We were told 45 minutes and took a deep breath before agreeing - but we were in no rush and, hey, it turned out to be only 25 minutes. Undersell, overdeliver. Works for me.

A junior Ward had the jam and cream pancakes ($5), while I lingered over the bacon, banana and maple syrup pancakes ($9.50). Bruce's ultimate french toast looked amazing ($10) and was as satisfying as it sounds. I like that the last member of the team could pick his own boxed cereal ($1.60), served with milk.

The only anomaly was that after we'd eaten and checked the receipt, we found the item "$2 drink". Price? $2.40. Oh, well, we're tourists.

Parking: Plentiful but highly sought after

Hours: 7am-4pm daily

Ambience: Casual, touristy, beachy

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, party places and entertainment in canvas magazine, part of your Weekend Herald print edition.