Byzantium
Decor: Well! Byzantium could not be accused of minimalism. They have gone rather the opposite way. If one goes, do sit upstairs. The gallery of fake masterpieces, while initially alarming, is bound to keep one entertained. And they are for sale! If anyone wants their own, larger-than-life version of the Mona Lisa, or van Gogh's sunflowers, this is the place to go.
View: The café is up the unfashionable end of Ponsonby Road, but the view over Western Park is pleasant. It is also nice watching the worker-drones stuck in traffic while one reads the paper in a leisurely manner.
Clientele: Relaxed crowd of locals. I have been to Byzantium before, some time ago, and saw New Zealand’s foodie queen, Peta Matthias, dining there, which may be high praise indeed. Although, I don’t know if she ever returned, so perhaps not.
Poached Egg Barometer: (Whoops - I have forgotten the price. It was around $8, anyway). Mr Smith was under-whelmed with his blueberry pancakes, but to hell with him, I had the best damn eggs ever. Lovely big door-stopper slices of brown bread, and (most thoughtfully) the butter is presented on the side, for those who wish to abstain.
Coffee: Perfectly reasonable flat white.
Service: The staff seem perfectly lovely, if a tad depressed. It took quite a while to be acknowledged as we stood at the counter.
1 comment:
I saw the title of this post and thought it was going to be a review of a new diet pill or something! :)
Words cannot describe the disappointment felt when I discovered the truth. Oh for a magic pill! :P
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