Rocket Cafe, Kerikeri

By ELEANOR BLACK for canvas

A small town has never been so blessed with cafes as Kerikeri — not that they're all necessarily wonderful, mind you, but the Brunching Opportunities Per Capita quotient is impressive. Kerikeri is heavy on real-estate offices too, but that's another story.

Rocket Cafe, one of the first eateries you see as you approach the town, has got to be one of the best, and we can confidently report that their coffee ($3 each for a flat white and a cappuccino) is as good as you would find anywhere. The food is nothing to sniff at either.

Kenny's bacon and eggs with tomato and toast ($12) was a winner, although the advertised chutney turned out to be a thin, fruity sauce. But the bread, flecked with sunflower seeds, and the fresh, plentiful bacon more than made up for it.

My eggs benedict ($12), was a monster of a meal, with far more ham than I could handle. Mustard seeds in the hollandaise set it apart and worked well with the ham, which looked and tasted like what you'd be served at the Christmas lunch table.

The outside dining area was a particularly good example of what makes cafe eating such a joy. There was grass and a rocket-slide for children to play on, a shady canopy to dine under, and fruit trees to divert the eye between bites.

Treats under glass at the counter — a range of very naughty cakes, rolls, muffins and quiches — looked so good they warrant another visit.

Ambience: So laid-back you could almost fall asleep at the table

Service: Fast and friendly

Parking: You're kidding, right?

* 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.