Preparing the perfect coffee at Toasted Espresso

When I simply want a great coffee, Toasted Espresso is probably my favourite spot. These guys are seriously good baristas and Toasted Espresso consistently produces award winning roasts. Their beans are used by a lot of local cafes and restaurants.

Toasted Espresso started life a bit further down Barry’s Pt Road Takapuna, but they moved into their current premises at number 42 a few years ago and have recently extended the cafe. I guess it’s more evidence of their success as a great local business that’s stuck to its core values. You can get a bite to eat – there’s a variety of sweet and savoury counter foods – but this place is really about drinking damn fine coffee. They sell coffe machines and all sorts of coffee paraphernalia.

The interior design is loungey, with collections of retro chairs and couches and the odd table. There’s usually some good local art work on display, good magazines to read, and the music is always groovy. Oh, and you can buy your beans here, too.

That little block of shops at Rothesay Bay is a smorgasbord of eateries from Indian to organic. One that we seem to keep going back to is The Internationalist, a bistro and wine bar for grown up people, right on the corner of Beach Road & Lyons Ave. There’s a well stocked bar (they specialise in imported wines and boutique beers), a large indoor dining area, a big deck with views of the Hauraki Gulf, and a lounge area complete with comfy couches, piano, magazines and books for car enthusiasts. The owners hail from Montreal and Sth Africa, used to own Toto, and know how to run a lively operation.

Open 7 days, there’s something special on offer each day. Monday night is boys’ movie night (girls are welcome) – $20 gets you a burger, a beer and a movie at dusk. Tuesday is two-for-one main meal night. Wednesday, you can enjoy live music or art-house movie. Two pizzas for $25 has gotta be a great deal on a Thursday night. Friday lunchtime you can have a 3 course meal and house wine for $24.50. Saturdays, the kids eat free when there’s 2 big people eating. Sunday afternoons are for cruising with some live jazz. There’s also a happy hour (2 hours actually), 4-6pm everyday. Fri, Sat, Sun The I opens at 11am.

Check them out on Facebook to see what movies are coming up and any other newsy bits.

Recently opened in Milford, where a couple of incarnations of Indian restaurant used to be, Boss Yakitori & Bistro is something new and exciting for the area.

It’ll be a terrific place for  sitting around on a sunny Friday evening after work, enjoying a Sapporo (on tap) and chowing down on the delicious assortment of skewers, tempura and other Japanese culinary delights (just need to encourage them to get some outdoor seating). The edamame beans are superb, and their Chef’s Selection of 8 skewers is a good way to try a variety of tastes from the menu.  Good as a quiet place to go with your loved one, or for a group of friends and family. The service is excellent – very attentive and friendly in that inimitable Japanese way. They’re running a special deal  from 18 – 24 December 2010: Free glass of tap beer orhot sake with your meal. Go there. Quickly!

Visit Frank Sargeson’s cottage at 14A Esmonde Road Takapuna where the renowned writer lived from 1931 until he died in 1982. It’s a simple fibrolite bach which retains some remnants of the life he led there, often entertaining and mentoring other local writers such as Janet Frame. As a child, I often saw Sargeson (black beret on his head and a sack thrown over his shoulder) walking between his home and the shops at Takapuna. Young as I was, I was completely unaware there was anything significant about this odd little man yet I grew up to love and admire his writing. The house is opened on certain occasions (like the North Shore Heritage Festival in September each year), or you can arrange a private viewing through the Takapuna library in The Strand, Takapuna.

covered deck out the front of bungalo cafe

Great name for a cafe that’s housed in an old brick bangalow (cute spelling too) in Birkenhead. These guys used to have Villa in Birkenhead Point and they’re still doing great stuff. The coffee’s worth a drive across town for, and they know how to cook! (is that Mum in the kitchen?). I have a friend who calls in every morning on his way to work for a coffee and a cheese scone – says they’re to die for. Personally, I think the spicy apple bran muffins are divine. Plenty of seating, with a big, covered deck out the front and big tables. Friendly, prompt service-with-a-smile. Located at 96 Mokoia Road, open every day (8-3:30 weekdays, 8-3:00 weekends).

Child's view of Kennedy Park

Spent a few hours wandering around the much improved Kennedy Park with its fabulous climbing rope adventure playground, and brand new steps leading down to the Castor Bay back beach. Formerly known as Red Bluff,  the park has superb views across the Hauraki Gulf, and you can walk along to Rahopara Pa, where you can still see evidence of gardens and kumara pits dating back to the early 1800s. There’s a petanque court on a lower, sheltered part of the park, new members welcome!

The observation post has been upgraded and is regularly used by local clubs and for community events such as the “Memories of Castor Bay” display for Heritage Week. The history behind this area is vast and interesting (both European and Maori). The gun emplacement was disguised as a holiday home when it was built in 1942 – they didn’t want to attract the wrong kind of attention. The WWII battery tunnels have also had a makeover recently and are now open for public tours (1-4 pm on the second Sunday of each month, starting from 15 November 2010 – contact John Crews for details on 550 8391). Campbells Bay Primary students have created a website about the history of Kennedy Park and Rahopara Pa – click here to read all about it.

The beach below Kennedy Park

Busy lunch crowd at Jam Organic Cafe

I reckon if I were to open a cafe in Takapuna, it would just about look like Jam Organic Cafe in Hurstmere Road (behind Movenpick). We’ve had to follow owner Jules from her previous cafe in Milford, but it didn’t take long to find her, and her trademark blackboard menu, big pitchers of water brimming with chunks of seasonal fruit, and some of the best looking cafe food you’ll find on the Shore continue to draw a loyal following. Jam’s MO is to use organic and locally sourced produce where possible, and they don’t compromise on quantity, either. The Jam burger is massive (I could probably manage a half), packed with avocado, beef patty, bacon, lettuce, horseradish sauce, tomato, aioli (I think I got it all) – I’d defy anyone to get their gob around one of these monsters – Knife and fork required!

Jam has a liquor license and a fairly comprehensive range of wines (including some organic wine) and beer. The coffee roast is one of the best around (Toasted Espresso) and they have baristas that know how to do a good extraction. I have yet to be disappointed with a coffee from Jam.

This place is well patronised, especially by the road biking fraternity in the mornings. There’s plenty of seating, inside and out, including a big communal dining table with arty/foodie books to browse. Lots of fun, quirky details that will amuse, like getting a jar of jam to identify your table order, rather than a predicable old number.

Located in an old factory at 28 Clarence St, Devonport, the Depot Artspace is a vibrant, dynamic community project supporting local artists of all persuasions. Open every day, the gallery is bound to have at least one exhibition to inspire and challenge you. Exhibits might be of paintings, drawings, sculpture or even textiles, and the artists might be well seasoned or complete newbies. The great thing about the Depot is that they are all inclusive and they’re always initiating new projects. As well as being an art gallery, the Depot has a recording studio, an on-line magazine giving artists voice, a community radio station and a regular forum for artists, writers and musicians. Check out all the amazing things they’re doing, including upcoming exhibitions here.