Brunch: Geeks on Sainsbury, Sandringham

Geeks On Sainsbury, 1/55 Sainsbury Road, Sandringham. Photo / Greg Bowker

Address: 1/55 Sainsbury Rd, Sandringham
Herald rating:

The cafe is on a quiet street on the Morningside border. Next door is a row of bleak grey shops and offices, but walk around the corner and there's a lovely reserve, which the cafe spills out on to.

The food is very good. There is lovely counter food - amazing cheese scones, cupcakes, slices - plus an extensive and interesting menu ranging from banana and granola waffles with icecream and maple peanut butter ($15) and eggs benedict with bacon, salmon or tofu ($10/$18) to a variety of Best Ugly Bagels and toppings ($14-$16).

We ordered the petite-sized eggs benedict with bacon which came with a poached egg, sauteed kale, beetroot puree and hollandaise on top of layered potato instead of the usual hash. The presentation was beautiful, and it tasted great, although the potato was slightly undercooked.

It was so delicious we ate it anyway. We also tried the wasabi tuna jalapeno bagel ($14), which had the right level of kick from the wasabi.

The service is all at the counter and very friendly and patient. And the waitstaff are very good at clearing tables quickly.

The coffee is what you should come for. The lattes and long blacks are among of the best we've had in Auckland. The folks at Geeks pride themselves on their coffee (using beans from Wellington roasters Red Rabbit) and well they should. They do a good smoothie and iced chocolate too, served in cute glasses.

Overall, Geeks is already proving popular - it was packed on the cool, drizzly Sunday we visited. But we're sure it's only going to be more so come spring and summer - a cafe serving top-notch coffee and good food, opening out to a lovely reserve for the kids to run around is a sure-fire hit.

- Canvas