KEY POINTS:
59 Victoria Rd, Devonport
Herald rating: * * *
We came here because Minstrels is only a few months old and we wanted to check it out.
Parking was easy in central Devonport. Maybe the rain was keeping sensible people at home.
We walked in and immediately thought we were in a snug, European-style cafe. But that was before we walked through to the strange, covered-in courtyard that has most of the seating. Maybe it was the rain, but there's something about seeing outdoor furniture indoors that ruins all illusions of cosiness.
The most unusual thing on the menu was the huge array of coffees. Minstrels boasts a whole page of different varieties that can be brewed any way you choose. If you can't decide, they offer a "house" coffee that's both fair trade and organic.
We ordered a traditional breakfast (a whopping plate of sausages, bacon, baked beans, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggs, black pudding and home-made hash browns, all for $16), a vegetarian breakfast (basically a big breakfast minus the meat, $12) and a bowl of fresh fruit and yoghurt ($6). Our only complaint was that we'd have preferred the poached eggs runny.
The service was restaurant-style table service. Our apron-clad helper seemed a little nervous, maybe because Minstrels is still in its infancy.
The coffee was very good. We tried the Milano and the Zanzibar beans, both as flat whites, and kidded ourselves we could taste the difference. We recommend if you come here you sit in the "jazz lounge" behind the courtyard. If you don't mind the low tables, the rocking leather seats are pretty comfortable.
Overall we thought we don't know about lunch and dinner time, but Minstrels is still finding its stride with the morning crowd. Worth a visit for the coffee menu, though.
