Powder

By WARREN GAMBLE for canvas

What it lacks in size, Powder makes up for with a healthy Spanish twist on breakfast.

The small cafe near the Herne Bay end of Ponsonby Rd serves up an innovative menu inspired by chef Sarah Cinella's years in Barcelona and her Uruguayan chef husband, Gonzalo.

It's a perfect place to impress friends, and my mother, who was tempted by a change from the usual variations of bacon, eggs and hash browns.

On a grey Sunday morning we timed our run excellently, with two women leaving the otherwise full cafe as we walked in. One said, without prompting but portentously, that the food was very good.

My mother went for the panqueques ($8.50), small, light honey pancakes swamped in fresh fruit which left her feeling pleasantly full and virtuous.

I thought about trying the scrambled eggs and mushrooms with manchego cheese, a subtly flavoured sheep's milk cheese imported from La Mancha in Spain.

Instead I tried the torrijas - a cinnamon-coated, brioche-style French toast filled with peaches and blackberries ($8.50). It was a refreshing blend of flavours, which again left me full, but not stuffed. Enough to enjoy another of the excellent coffees.

The place was busy - even the high stools at the front overlooking the Ponsonby street scene were taken - but the service from an eclectic mix of staff was friendly and fast.

To give a sense of extra space one wall is covered in an intriguing black-and-white photograph of San Francisco sophisticates enjoying drinks in a glass-walled bar high up over the city.

We resolved to come back and try other dishes with mysterious twists, like the smoked salmon and bacolao (saltcod) cakes with poached eggs and hollandaise ($12.50), or the vanilla risotto with poached fruits ($9).

In short: Ole!

Parking: In the side streets nearby

Open: 7am to 4pm daily

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, party places and entertainment in canvas magazine, part of your Weekend Herald print edition.