Mr Milton's Canteen

127 Alexandra St

Hamilton CBD

Walking into Mr Milton’s Canteen is like stepping into an Easter-themed cafeteria with nice lighting and waitresses wearing floral skirts. The walls are pastel green, the coffee cups egg shell blue and banana-rama yellow. Even the customers, and there are many this Friday morning, have somehow managed to match the friendly décor.

My friend orders the Mr Milton’s breakfast ($17.50), which comes with a soft boiled egg, toast, preserves, yogurt, orange juice and the coffee or tea of your choice. It arrives on a pretty wooden board and our only complaint is that the egg is slightly under-cooked, with some white bits still gooey. The menu also didn’t specify that it was soft-boiled, which some people might take issue with.

I opt for the bruchetta with mascarpone, feijoa jam and rhubarb compote ($7.50). Somehow, the toast tastes like a croissant. I don’t know how they do this, but I must find out how, as it is divine: flaky and buttery and perfect with cream-cheesy mascarpone and the feijoa jam, which is the best jam I’ve tasted in yonks. I ask the waitress where they get it and she tells me that all preserves are made in-house. I make a mental note to bribe the chef for the recipe at my next visit.

The coffee here is nice, but not as good as at sister café Hazel Hayes. My friend’s flat white isn’t quite hot enough, and my long black ($3.70) is touch over extracted. Still, the well-priced, well-prepared and well-presented food more than makes up for these slight imperfections.

Staff are friendly, prices are reasonable but parking is a bit of an issue on weekdays (you will most likely need to pay). However, if the weather’s good, put on your trainers and pretend you’re on an Easter egg hunt: Mr Milton’s is a fine find indeed.

4 stars