Brunch review: Duck Duck Goose, Rosedale

The chicken burger. Photo / Doug Sherring

Address: 6/56 Apollo Drive, Rosedale
Phone: (09) 940 4704
Open: 7am-4pm weekdays, 9am-4pm Saturday and Sunday
We spent: $43 for two

SET UP & SITE

On a sunny little slope between Rangitoto College and the Northern Motorway you'll find Duck, Duck, Goose. It's a little corner of optimism in a row of entrepreneurial optimism: where brave souls set up unusual little businesses that seem to become medium-sized businesses and bring a things-are-happening-around-here buzz to light-industrial nooks of tilt-slab factory and office boxes. You kind of have to know where you're going to find the place but there's plenty of parking in front. Inside there are clean lines, white walls and an Escher-esque painting of a duck, duck, duck, etc ­- and a goose.

SUSTENANCE & SWILL

The man at the counter tells me they're trying to offer something different for the office-worker and weekend crowds and are constantly adjusting their menu. Certainly the first thing I noticed was the lack of bacon on the menu - it's offered only as a $7 side. Technically you could put together bacon and eggs and a hash cake from the extras menu for $18 but we were inspired by the give-it-a-go attitude of our surroundings and ordered the chicken burger with kimchi salad and twice-cooked fries ($24), and the omelette with chipotle sauce and crispy shallots ($19). The chipotle added a mouthful of heat to the slightly overdone omelette, which came covered in greens but with a hardish skin on it. The daughter devoured the burger but was suspicious of the kimchi. The Korean staple may be an acquired taste but ups to Duck, Duck for introducing North Shore conservatives to a new taste. The taste education continued on the beverages menu, where I couldn't go past the turmeric coffee ($5). It had a more ginger flavour to it but was so good I'm planning a return visit to try the beetroot coffee.

6/56 Apollo Dr, Rosedale. Photo / Doug Sherring

SERVICE & OTHER STUFF

The waitresses have a small space in which to bustle about but manage with an abrupt efficiency. A glass of water plonked on our table without a word offended my companion but the meals and drinks came quickly. I notice the hygiene rating is "pending" so I hope the inspectors have a word to the waitress about using her fingers to scrape leftovers off a plate into the bin, then using the same hand to open the curtain between the kitchen and the dining area and bringing us our cutlery.