KEY POINTS:
Herald rating: * * * *
Address: 38 Ponsonby Road
We came here because a friend recommended it as a hidden gem of the Ponsonby brunch scene. "Hidden" being the operative word - we'd passed this spot every week for the past two years and never realised there was a cafe here.
Parking is surprisingly easy as Cafe People stands away from the main drag, up near K Rd.
We walked in and immediately thought how did we never know this was here? It's stylish, spacious and has a heated outdoor courtyard. Everything we like in a cafe.
The most unusual thing on the menu was the savoury mince on toast.
We ordered Potato and ricotta hash cakes with bacon, poached egg, field mushrooms and hollandaise sauce ($16.50). The eggs were perfectly cooked and the bacon crisp, but the hash cake was bland and floury.
Ever a law unto herself, Josephine ordered eggs benedict ($16.50) with scrambled eggs instead of poached. Despite looking like a mountain of yellow mush, she assured us it was delicious.
The service was warm and friendly, though the kitchen end of business seemed a touch slow.
The coffee holds its own against the neighbourhood's high standards.
We recommend if you come here grab one of the cafe's many papers or magazines and catch up on the world's events while you wait for your meal.
Overall, we thought, it was a great find.
