First Fluffy, First Birthday

Its official this blogger can now get into some serious fluffy reviewing. I'm One now so now I can drink cows milk! On Friday I went to my favourite place for my very first fluffy. MMMMMMMMMMillers. There was only ever going to be one person to make me my very first fluffy, my Uncle Jayren. The waiting was finally over. 

Mamma and Dadda set up my flat pack highchair (This alone needs its own review). Uncle Jayren delivered the goodness and it was on!

 Yum!

Mamma why doesn't your milkies come with chocolate sprinkles!

There's more than just chocolate sprinkles in there uncle Jayren does a 50/50 mix of chocolate and cocoa 

I'm in a state of fluffy Euphoria

Keep it coming dadda!

MMM it was so worth the wait even though it means I am going to have to go back to all the cafes Ive reviewed to give you the fluffy lowdown.

Happy Birthday ..... indeed it was!

Tiny Thrills........... Yes Please!

My friend Haeata & her Mum have one of the coolest blogs out its called Tiny Thrills. Its the best Gig guide for cool parents and their kids. Now we may not quite realise the lifestyle our parents used to live before we completed/fully changed their lives. They used to go out and see amazing music and films and generally have a pretty choice time! Parenthood doesn't need to completely strip them of these things and Tiny Thrills provides an insight into how to still do the kind of things they used to but now with us in tow!Rebekah & Haeata seek out whats happening so your parents can be in the know too when they are feeling out of the loop.

Alleluya

In the weekend when in need of some Millers its all good as there a place in our hood called Alleluya!

Its a K'Road (Karanagahape Road) Institution. Hidden away in St Kevins Arcade you will find Great food, Millers coffee and the staff are amazing. Not to mention its inside, sunny and warm on those winter days. 

We wandered up for breakfast last Sunday. Well I took a ride in my pushchair but you catch my drift. 

However I should mention I am fully walking now! 3 weeks in and its a whole new world!

There is lots to look at in this place! Let me point a few things out for you.

Firstly check out this cool high chair!

These great chairs and tables, patterns on the ceiling and the sunlight streaming in and the plants!

We were here for breakfast so you may as well take a peep at the Menu.

Dadda has the Eggs Benne with spinach and Mamma the K'Road Breakfast and I seagulled in on both.

I ate scrambled eggs, toast, mushrooms and Potato washed back with some delicious feijoa juice!

It was all so good.The olds both had coffee. 

This place really is a treasure trove of beauty. 

Peter who owns and runs it is so lovely he always takes time to stop and smile and see how I have grown. 

Oooopsy almost forgot to show you the goodie cabinet!

Alleluya is one of my favourite places to go. Im sure I will be coming here for many many years! 

Thanks for creating such an amazing place Peter!

Apologies ..........

I am so sorry for my terrible slackness. No posts for quite some time. I am growing bigger everyday and have so many things to do! I Turn 1 next Friday so I will be doing a special blog post on my first fluffy! I'm having a fluffy party for my birthday wooooohoooo! xxx New Review up in a minute.

Standing Room Espresso

Yesterday we went back to the North Shore to Birkenhead where Mamma grew up. At the top end of Hinemoa Street (Highbury shops end) there is a little unsuspecting gem of a cafe. Its called Standing Room Espresso.

 Its a tiny little space hence the name, there are however seats. First up I must make note of the Cheese Scones. They were off the hook! Take a look for yourself.

 Potato Scones with caramelised onions and danish Feta. Mama was calling best ones she had ever eaten. I even got a try of the crust! It was good. I was looking round for more but all I saw was an empty plate.

They serve allpress coffee here and boy do they serve it well. I don't know what disappeared faster the scone or the coffee. A word of advice from my Mamma "If you come here DO NOT share the scone! It will leave you wanting that other half for the rest of the day".

At Standing Room Espresso they bake all food on site fresh daily, Id suggest you get in early to get into one of those scones- Do it Now!. I have no doubt we will be back again very soon.

The Shakey Isles

We went to meet Dadda for a coffee one day and met him at The Shakey Isles in Kingland. Wow! Pretty much as soon as I walked in the door with Mamma one of the staff walked over and gave me a cool Toy to play with! Its hard to fault somewhere when you are made to feel special and welcome straight off the bat!

Dadda had a coffee they serve Cafe L'affare Coffee here and Mamma had a Juice! I just had a great time playing with the toy and looking at all the pictures on the wall. The staff were amazing!

Check out the cool paintings on the wall and again the hanging lights! This was a bit of a coffee dash review as we were in and out so fast. I will endure to return to review in more depth soon............

Agnes Curran

Once a month I like to have catch up cuddles with my Aunty Lucy its usually in a cafe for coffee with Mamma and Dadda so I get to kill two birds with one stone so to speak. I'm overdue for a catch up with Aunty Lucy again so I though I'd best stop slacking and get the review up from the last time we caught up.
Agnes Curren is a great little spot, its always buzzing with people getting their fix of coffee and tasty treats from the cabinet.

We sat inside today there is a great communal table in the middle and we sat there. Its perfect for sticky beaking on peoples conversations without it being really obvious. Not that I understand what they are saying but I like to take a good look at whats going on! If its a sunny day you can sit out side in the court yard. Its in Ponsonby so there is a good chance someone will have their dog tied up outside to the little gate. I'm obsessed with dogs so this is a highlight for me.

The coffee must have been good as it was gone before I could take a photo! The food looked good too. Mamma spent allot of time pondering at the cabinet before she made a decision.

I've noticed that allot of cafes have interesting lights handing from the roof so I've decided to start adding photos of these as well.

Agnes Curran is on the corner of Ponsonby Road and Franklin Road (With the entrance up a small flight of steps on Franklin just back from the corner). So its busy but get in there and find a spot! There is loads of stuff to look at it almost feels like you are sitting at the kitchen table in an old farmhouse. Cosy and lots of good smells!

New reviews coming soon.........

Due to the inevitable growing up I have been doing lately  I haven't been posting much. I'm sitting on a few reviews so will post them soon! I have been moving into my own room now! I'm not alone though I have my roomies Sprocket Dog, Mrs Moo and The candlewick Monster to keep me company. New post up by tonight....... I pinky promise!

The Fridge

Lately I haven't been here as much as i did in utero. You see they do the best scrambled eggs and when Mamma was pregnant she was not aloud runny eggs so well cooked scrambled were all she could eat. At least once a week we would come here! Now that I'm no longer confined to her womb I can see what they are eating and drinking! I'm big enough to use a high chair now (with a cushion underneath me).

Apologies but I cannot show my face in fear that if Cafes see me coming they will lay on the service to get a good review. The high chair was great it was clean and comfy. The food looked good from what I could see disappearing down the oldie's mouths. No scrambled eggs for Mamma now as she can have them runny. They both had Eggs Benne on hash cakes and Coffee as always! They also use Supreme Coffee here and it wasn't looking too shabby but you can judge for yourself.

If you are bringing your whole posse they have a massive table too.

This place is also known for its pies.  They live in the warmer by the door.

You will find The Fridge in Kingsland, not the greatest for parking so ask the parking fairies to be kind if you are heading there.

Conch

My Mamma and Dadda have another love more deep than Coffee but its no where near as deep as their love for me. They love shiny black round things called records available in 2 sizes 12's and 7's. They magically hold tunes which they both cannot be without as they are "Vinyl Junkies and DJ's". Every morning from 8-10am you can hear my Dadda serving up "Beats for Breakfast" on KFM radio. I'm getting a little off track here (pun intended) but building a background as to why Conch is like a semi heaven for them and no doubt with their blood filling my veins for me too!

At the front of Conch Record store there is a place for them to also get their coffee fix. Saturdays are a treat to be had. Jimmy holds things down here in the weekend taking over from the weekly barista the lil Brazilian more famously known as Bobby Brazuka. Jimmy makes damn good coffee and will even slide you a free straw to suck on while Mamma and Dadda consume their coffee.

                                          This is Jimmy                                            

  This is the goody cabinet

 This is my favourite thing to look at apart from the goody cabinet when we sit inside.

Jimmy passes the coffee out the window when you sit outside

All the outside seats are painted and so cool!

When the coffee consuming is done. The lure of records becomes too strong for Mamma and Dadda so we venture into the record store where they take turns digging and passing me back and forth. 

I don't mind as one day those records will be mine! 

Check out the conch website here Conch

Hinemoa Street Organic Cafe

We don't get to the shore often. But this was worth the drive. Mamma was catching up with a friend who had returned from London on holiday so they met up in their old hood Birkenhead.
Ok so first impressions involved starring at the wall.They have great wallpaper its shiny and patterned great for little eyes to look at. Speaking of things to look at once again the tempting goodie cabinet in clear view.

The staff were really cool as we sat and waited for Mammas friend, attentive but not pestering "with when will we be ordering?". The menu looked good not that I can read but there was much discussion by the old's as to what they would choose.

I know what I would have ordered ... one of everything in that goodie cabinet. Luckily they had a cool light fitting for me to gaze my goodie wanting eyes at.

 They have a high chair that Mathilde tried out. It did the trick! Hinemoa Street Organic cafe serve Supreme Coffee too. A nice relaxed place to go mid week but I'm sure it gets packed with locals in the weekend. Worth the trip over the bridge and looking forward to going back for goodies one day soon.  They have a great toy box too!

Good One

With a name like Good One it already has allot to live up to....... But it totally did and not in a "Yeah, Good One" kind of way.  

Off the beaten Ponsonby track this lil cafe knows how to do things. There is a ramp up to the cafe so getting your pushy in is easy peasy! There is so much cool stuff to look at. Luckily for them its up high on shelves as these little hands would have a field day smashing stuff. Upstairs in the main part of the cafe there is a huge communal table with loads of great little stools. The table is great Ive even see a bubba sitting in a Bumbo up on that table. There are even coloured pencils in a jar on the table I cant wait to be able to draw (on paper and on Mamma's walls). The coffee looked and smelled good. You know its fresh as too! Good One is a Supreme Coffee cafe so they will serve you their finest. If its a sunny day you can sit street side and enjoy the sunshine.

 Its like a coffee laboratory in there. 

 

Loads of crazy coffee making gadgets.

 

No review would be complete without a shot of the goodie cabinet. This was at 11am and it had already been mostly gobbled up. Mamma scored the last Donut!

 This is the machine from which the goodness flows.

Gimme Coffee-Mott St between Prince and Spring. -Izzy-the Fluffy NYC correspondant

My daddy likes a good cappuccino and my mommy likes a decaf. I just like taking a walk around the neighborhood. The space is a sliver of real estate and there's no place for us to sit at Gimme except on a bench outside in nice weather, but,  I don't mind. Mommy is a pushy New Yorker and usually finds a way to secure a space on the bench. We sit there while I watch the world and mommy and daddy sip their cappuccinos. They really seem to like them. The decaf Americano that comes free with the purchase of a lb. of coffee mommy doesn't like so much, but, oh she really likes that cappuccino. I guess the 'design' of the place is 'cool' and 'sleek'. Of course a bit hipster as these coffee places usually are these days, but, the coffee is what keeps 'em coming back. Consistent quality and baristas who know what they are doing. Like I said-I'll just sit in my stroller and observe while mommy and daddy enjoy……They seem to like it.

New Reviews up soon

Apologies for the lack of reviews I have 4 to complete but have been so busy learning to stand up on everything and climbing that I have slacked off on the blogging...... But in other news I am 4 and a bit months off actually being the legal age to try a fluffy. Stay tuned the next review will be up by the end of the day, but for now I must nap xxxx Ella
P.S My New York City Correspondent Izzy's first review will also be up this afternoon! We going global!!

Mr Dix Coffee Cart

So when the weekend rolls around and Mamma and Dadda can't get a taste of Millers from their local but all is not lost! You see Uncle Jayren aka Mr Dix can supply them a fix (Yes Dr Seuss is sinking in) from his coffee cart down at the Wynyard Quarter. Its only Millers he serves so its a great place for a weekend mission for coffee.Its cash only so raid ya money box so you can shout ya Mamma and Dadda a coffee. They probably deserve one after the early morning get the hell up cries and a weeks worth of nappy changes not to mention the endless supply of milkie goodness that Mamma provides. Also if ya Mamma and Dadda get a coffee then you can get a fluffy for free!

Look for the Millers sign.

 Then look for the cart you cant miss it's cool Millers logo.

Then look for Mr Dix doing his coffee making tricks! There will be no chicks on bricks!

Not only does he make the best coffee but his artwork is just as good. Take a peep here Mr Dix




If you haven't checked out Wynyard Quarter its a must! Loads of lush grass to hangout on and there is usually something going on in the way of Music so you can get in your weekend dancing. The playground is way cool.

Rakinos

This place has been the joint since 91 that's 20 years more than I have been on the face of this earth! They are obviously doing allot of things right to be still holding it down for so long. This is far from my first visit to Rakinos in or out of Utero! You see the place where Mamma and Dadda went to peep at me in Mammas tummy is just up the road!. They would come here after and have coffees. However now I can see things with my own eyes here's my take on it!

Ok so normally we frequent this place on an afternoon where we sit on the balcony enjoying something called "Happy Hour" where they drink a cold amber drink or two. However on today's visit this was not the case. Coffee was the flavour of the day and it looked and smelled good!

Even though Im not allowed to drink a fluffy yet I got the lowdown from Josh at Rakinos that fluffy's are FREE! Yup you heard it here FREE fluffy's!!! If the look of their coffee is anything to go by then I bet the fluffy's are amazing too.

I love the staff here! When they are not run off their feet I even get cuddles from Aunty Kate! Josh and Sam always have a big smile for me.  We sat at a table today we normally sit up here at the counter!

The music is always on point morning, noon and night! I'm pretty sure this will still be the joint in 2029 when I will be able to enjoy happy hour without the old's cramping my style.
Rakinos

Little and Friday

No sleep for the wicked and coffee seems to be a must for my Mamma! Today we went to meet up with friends at Little and Friday. Ive been here before but not with my crew of bubba's and Mamma's and Aunties. We had a great position out the front in the shade as today was super sunny!

Plenty of room for all 4 bubba's, 4 Mammas and One Aunty to sit comfortably. I must admit I got serious food jealousy when I saw the older bubba's knocking back the donuts. They must have been good as Leo was licking his fingers. This place is set up for kids they even have massive sidewalk chalk so you can get your draw on!

After eating donuts its probably a good idea to burn some of that sugar off! Luckily for the Mamma's there is an amazing park down the road (take the first street on the right past L&F head towards the bottom of the cul-de-sac and take the path on the left hand side) It has possibly one of the best playgrounds ever. The main part is shaped like a pirate ship. There is even a flying fox and one of the fastest slides ever.  Even some shady grass off to the side for a picnic out of the sun. If L & F is packed then just get what you need to go and head down to the park. There is even a water fountain down there! These seem to be missing from allot of parks. Yes I know we have our Mamma milky fountains with us but hey sometimes you need to switch it a little!

So you don't need to be Little or for the day to be a Friday to get the best donuts in town! If the shore scares you you could always visit the Newmarket L&F and head to the Winter Gardens in the Auckland Domain to burn off that Sugar.


Little and Friday