Grace on Braid Review

Grace on Braid

29 Braid Road

St Andrews

 

It's Saturday morning and Grace on Braid is in full rock n' roll mode: joggers stopping in for a bit of liquid energy, young couples playing footsy beneath their eggs bennes and elderly patrons nostalgically checking out the collection of vintage crockery on the wall.

Upon entering, you know immediately that you have walked into the soul of a neighbourhood; it's the kind of place that knows most customers by name and where you feel comfortable taking your shoes off at the table. I feel like I come here all the time. Only I don't.

Nick orders the mushrooms on toast, big juicy slabs of button 'shrooms, completely swamped in a drunken deluge of port, cream, mustard and garlic, served on five-grain toast ($13.50). The mushrooms are perfectly cooked and not too rich, but the portion is quite small. It's lucky he got a side of eggs as well, or he might have started in on my plate.

My French toast comes with banana and passion fruit "ambrosia" and a vanilla maple sauce ($13.50). I love the word "ambrosia," it makes me think of clouds and cream and fruity heaven, which is pretty much the way this plate tastes. Again though, the portion is small. I get three pieces of toast and the equivalent of about a half a banana, sliced. It's a good start, but the dish is so delicious I would have loved a bit more of it.

Grace uses Rocket coffee, roasted in Hamilton. Not my absolute favourite brand, though the espresso here is passable. Nick has a mocha ($4.70) and it's creamy and cocoey and everything a mocha should be, but my long black ($3) doesn't have much flavour or depth, like a cup of Earl Grey where the teabag's been taken out too soon.

Parking is easy as the cafe is located in a small line of shops on a quiet street, and the staff are friendly. I wouldn't drive across town to come here, but if you are in the neighbourhood it's worth a peek. The sweet, slightly kitsch surroundings and tasty (though mildly over-priced) food make Grace on Braid a cosy spot, and their cakes looked good enough to warrant investigation.

3 stars

As a child, did you ever read those storybooks about fairy-folk who lived in towns built under hills and rocks and various other camouflaged bits of landscape? Mavis and Co is a bit like this.

The bleak-looking grey brick building, wedged between a video store and an accounting firm, suddenly transforms upon entry into a magical realm of cakes and coffee and small children fighting over caramelised onion and feta scones. It's also startlingly spacious inside, like one of those Harry Potter tents.

We manage to find an empty table amidst the hubbub. There are at least five staff members working out front this Saturday morning, and all of them are off their feet, but friendly as they can be in the mildly chaotic environment. We are even presented with complementary tasters of the apricot and almond oat cakes, which taste like muesli bars.

Nick orders the smoked fish hash with watercress, poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce ($21). It's beautiful when it arrives, and the smoked fish cakes are generously sized, but it's a little under-seasoned and Nick douses it with salt and pepper.

My fruit toast comes with ricotta, medjool dates, jam and honey ($12). Aside from the fact that the ricotta appears to be home-made, which is lovely, this dish is essentially a waste of money. The toast is extremely dry and the "dates," which were the main reason I bought the item, are simply slivers of a single date used as a garnish. This, however, is our only disappointment of the morning.

Mavis and Co uses Caffe L'Affare, roasted in Wellington, and it's deliciously prepared. I order two long blacks ($3.70 each) because one isn't enough.

The real reason to stop in at this charming little eatery, though, is the unbelievable cabinet selection. A cheesy scone stuffed with feta and onions, a sticky pecan cinnamon bun and a velvety custard square made it home with us, though I have ambitions regarding a certain rolled baklava, billowy chocolate meringues, colourful salads, espresso éclairs...

Anyway, this is the place to go for coffee and cake. The cooked menu is nice, but nothing better or worse than you can get anywhere else. Yet the baker at Mavis and Co is almost certainly of magical blood, for there are spells being cast in that pastry cabinet. 

3 1/2 twinkling stars