Cafe Melba

Café Melba, 33 Vulcan Lane, Auckland City
Decor: Polished-wood floors, muted tones, tasteful art-work. By no means exciting, but they have thankfully avoided the minimalist aesthetic that sends one into a boredom-induced coma.

View: The café is up the quiet end of Vulcan Lane, so a nice place to hide out from the city noise.

Clientele: I wondered at first if I had stumbled into some Secret Service hangout. Of course one spies on one’s fellow diners (well, I do), but a mother-daughter team at an opposite table watched me with open-mouthed interest. I assure you, I do not eat eggs in a particularly flamboyant manner, but apparently I was fascinating, nonetheless. The man at the next table also eavesdropped on my conversation in an entirely unsubtle manner. Perhaps I should give lessons on these things.

Poached Egg Barometer: ($8) The five-grain toast was a nice touch, but rather soggy.

Coffee: Lovely latte.

Service: The best service ever. The breakfast menu had finished, and poached eggs on toast were not on the lunch menu. "No problem at all," the waiter said. How unusual. I know I wasn't asking for Lobster Bisque, but staff do tend to pull monkey faces if you ask for anything not on the current menu. Coffee and food arrived with frightening efficiency. Water glasses regularly topped up. Staff friendly and professional. The tip jar that is placed on café counters, usually meets with my complete disdain, and I have never deigned to put any money into one. I did this time.