Herald rating: * * * *
What: Luscious Cafe
Where: 165 Onehunga Mall, Onehunga
KEY POINTS:
We came here because we'd heard good things from a friend who works nearby. Parking was very scarce on Onehunga Mall but easier on the side streets and in the nearby Dress-Smart car park.
We walked in and immediately thought where are we going to sit? The entrance was bustling and even the extra seating upstairs was almost full. Glitz-free Luscious is obviously a welcome addition to Onehunga.
The most unusual thing on the menu was Luscious mince braised with red wine and Italian herbs served with toast or sauteed potatoes ($11.50). For breakfast.
We ordered the mince for me and for Hannah, corn fritters with mushrooms, grilled tomatoes and sauteed potatoes topped with pesto and poached eggs ($15.50). My mince was surprisingly light, strong on tomato and came in a cute pot with pesto. Like your mum might have made in the 80s, had she known about pesto. Hannah was impressed by her vegetarian fry-up, though the toppings were so generous she said she could have done without the corn fritters themselves. A big thumbs-up for the creamy mushrooms.
The service was functional. A smile wouldn't have gone astray.
The coffee was very good - even the decaf tasted like real coffee. We liked the friendly woman behind the machine, too.
We recommend if you come here you try the lunch offerings as well. There are some hearty-looking salads in the cabinet.
Overall, we thought the downstairs seating area was a little bit shabby, but the Saturday crowd didn't seem to mind - probably because Luscious gets the important things (food and coffee) right.
