A new addition to Mount Manganui's cafe scene has raised the game.
Set up and site: Next to a main road, opposite a large construction site, Eddies & Elspeth is a short drive from the main stretch of Mt Maunganui shops. The bakery (the 'Elspeth' part of the name) recently expanded to include a full cafe service (Eddies), on a corner where parking is in hot demand. We secured one then dashed through the rain only to find the venue's cosy, heated indoor seats were taken. Then our luck changed: the sun came out, and our outdoor table under an awning with a fresh spring breeze became the perfect place to be. Many others thought so too, judging by the constantly revolving front door. Clearly, word has spread about what a good start Eddies & Elspeth has made.
Sustenance and swill: The menu is strong, so strong we spent a full 15 minutes choosing what to order. The kids settled on a mousetrap ($6), which came with gooey cheese and a salty spread of miso, a plate of beautiful waffles adorned with berries and cream ($8.50), a coconut milkshake ($7.50) and berry kombucha ($5). The adults over-ordered with bacon and egg and fried chicken baos ($14), the sweet potato pancakes ($17.50), and kimchi waffle fries ($12). Everything came with extras, from the crunchy granola on the pancakes, to the crispy radish and sprouts on the baos. The standout dish was the kimchi fries: freshly fried crinkle-cut purple kumara crisps with homemade kimchi, chillis, greens and a smear of aioli. It was good, so very, very good that a fight nearly broke out over the last few bites. The chai ($5) was decent and the coffee ($5) was strong, punchy and landed on our table before we'd finished ordering. You've gotta love that.
