Herald rating:
The menu had us from the word go, when we spotted the instructions, sweetly cheesy, to "brunch and relax" or "best ugly bagel and smile". How could you not want to read on and do as you're told?
The look is Swedish-meets-hipster cafe. It had us intrigued as we'd pressed our noses to the window during its rebuild. Sure, it has the usual blackboard, fair trade coffee sacks, recycled wood and industrial/schoolroom chairs, butcher paper menus, but it feels fresh and neighbourly, with a great view of the kitchen. The name Fika is one of those wonderful Swedish words that means more that it sounds (coffee break) but really it's about being sociable, catching up with folks, always with food.
The food was jump-off-the-plate fresh. The cornbread with avocado, salmon, poached eggs and a spicy salsa ($17) was full of fresh corn and zingy. I can never go past creamy mushrooms ($17) - these came with chorizo and parmesan and were meaty and perfect.
The menu mysteriously didn't note that there were other homemade wholegrain breads to choose from - shame, as they looked great in the cabinet. We liked the low food miles on the small goods - the sausages and bacon are made by the butcher half a dozen shops up the hill. Sadly, we had no room for the hoped-for pastries or cookies.
