Had a lovely high tea here - it's like stepping into your grandma's (poshed-up) sitting room; all…read morechandeliers & mis-matched tea sets. There's even a wee courtyard out the back. The cabinet food is a drool-worthy selection of gourmet pies, sausage rolls, sandwiches & filled rolls. If you fancy something sweet with your cuppa, you're also in luck - lamingtons, cupcakes, scones, brownies & cakes galore hide under beautiful cake trays. We had booked for the High Tea - $40 for 2 people, and had managed to get a sweet spot in the courtyard on a balmy Saturday autumn morning. The tea list came out first with a good selection of black, green & herbal teas. You can also order milkshakes, smoothies & coffees. I went for a Gorgeous Grey blend of black Earl Grey leaves with citrus. Other options chosen were Japanese Lime green tea, Berrylicious herbal & Red Vanilla herbal tea. All were leaf teas leaves served in individual teapots with lovely china tea cups & saucers. To be drunk with your little pinky extended of course! The cake stands arrived laden with our high tea, consisting of a selection of club sandwiches, brownies, cupcakes, pecan & blueberry tarts and the most amazing date & orange scones served with cream & yoghurt. We really struggled to get through all the food. It was so fresh & tasty; the sandwich fillings of ham & cheese, egg & cress and chicken & avocado were a big hit. A super cute little suburban spot to read the paper, shout your nana or start writing that novel!

This place looks fabulous from the outside and it looks fabulous inside, but what a lot of people…read moredon't know about this place is that it has a courtyard outside! It's a great place to go if you are wanting some outside time away from Auckland noise and traffic. I would describe the décor as decadent and elegant and the food is...dainty? It's like delicious little cakes and biscuits and things that go well with english breakfast tea if you catch my drift. I had always driven past this cafe and had always wanted to go in, when I finally did I kind of wish I didn't because now I regularly think about it and want to go back. The only niggle I have is that they close quite early I wish they were open till four it's much easier to get there for then and much more appropriate for afternoon tea, but other than that...love it!

The cafe is surrounded by plants and trees. It's located across the street from the main gardens,…read moreor Tropical House and Fernery. The patio is perfect with tables and umbrellas. The dining room is somewhat formal with white tablecloths. It is spacious for a luncheon cafe. Come nicely dressed. You can have breakfast and lunch here. This venue can also be rented for special occasions. The menus have a variety of better, healthy foods. GF breads are included. The kids menu selection looks delicious.

Way back when in 2015 we visited this garden outside Auckland as part of our 10 day tour of NZ…read more Also the tour guide had to keep us out and about for a few hours after long flight from USA before hotel rooms available. I took a few photos and posted them here. Not too far from Michael Joseph Savage Park so swing by there afterwards. We just walked around the grounds but there there is a cafe there.

Mojo Garage is one of the Carlton Gore Road greats and it was a garage, a WOF garage and still…read moremaintains that look and feel with the concrete floors and exposed rafter ceiling. Seats with large tables line one side of the garage with the kitchen situated in the middle and down alongside the other side is narrow high bar stool seating, perfect if you want some quiet space. On a nice day you have the option of sitting outside. Mojo garage therefore is great for loners and small to large groups, also people who want to bring their dogs, or kids. Great food, nice staff, good coffee and a cool environment. Whether the garage door is up or down is weather dependent, if it is up and the large table facing outside isn't taken sit there, I think it is the best seat in the house (I mean garage).

In need of a coffee break? I was today; so instead of using the work instant coffee machine I…read moredecided to stroll down the road and treat myself to something a little stronger. Mojo caught my eye. Mojo is a lovely little cafe that can be found on Carlton Gore Road. With yummy coffee and delicious food, this is certainly a cafe worth popping into. They have an all day brunch and lunch time menu, with a great selection of cabinet food, sweet and savoury. The café is gorgeous. It has a garage feel about it but funky at the same time. They have cute turquoise coffee cups and offer complementary sparkling water. The service is FANTASTIC! All the staff have been incredibly helpful and accommodating when I have been there. This is, in my eyes, absolutely top priority when it comes to rating dining experiences. Mojo seems to tick all the boxes. It is a must see in Newmarket.

Revisiting this lovely historical tearooms, they are a…read moreTreasure for the quaint village of Puhoi, situated On the main road after You have passed the main part of the village And drive around the corner, and next door to the brand new Puhoi Fire Station. My family and I, consisting of three adults and two children enjoyed amongst us, Devonshire Tea, Cornish Pasties, Toasted Sammie's, and homemade steak Pies, a delicious assortment of food, lovely tea, coffee too. The gardens are my favourite part after the food, having willow trees, old fashioned roses etc are just perfect setting in the countryside you Could Almost be in old time England even.. I found that we were well catered for, having even lots of games available to use For free for the kids and big kids.. Come On a Sunday for a nice chilled Sunday family time. Congratulations to the new English owners

Great service and best food. Really cool location out on the country. Open in off season also.read more

I love stopping by Chalin for my takeaway iced green tea fix. The staff always seem quite perplexed…read morewhen I say I just want it plain. After all this is a bubble tea shop, so they expect you to want the extras (think fruit, milk, syrup, and tapioca balls). But the best part is in fact while I'm waiting for my tea, because I get to peruse the in-house selection of toys and cosmetics. It's where I snapped the little gem that is bust cream - complete with a woman imploring her breasts to go "Up! Up!", under the delightful heading of "Sexy Look Body Performance Attack Flat...130% up!" I hate to think what would happen if the formula proved as efficacious as it advertises - if it rose 130%, where would your bust end up?! Okay, so perhaps I mostly love Chalin because I love Engrish. But the tea really is good too.

Cute tea room located in the Victoria Park Market…read more Happy Auckland Day! They were actually open for business.

To be honest, I have always been rather dubious of these concoctions they call 'bubble tea'. I…read morethink it has usually been the floaty accompaniments in the drink that have put me off trying it till today. I mean who wants floaty balls in a drink?! Well apparently I do cause the drink I tried here was so good, seriously. I had one of the yoghurt milk varieties, of the lime flavour if I can remember correctly and when asked if I wanted toppings on it, I agreed to the pearls willingly! I don't know what was wrong with me, I guess I went with the "try something new every day" thing, and Im glad I did. I now have super good feelings in my mouth and I want them to continue so I may go back tomorrow.

I must say this little Tea house located on Anzac Ave in the city is a cute little find…read more I was introduced to the cafe by a Malaysian friend who recommend I try a bubble tea drink and the chocolate Belgium waffles, how unique? Walked in after work one day, and the place was packed to the brim, a really busy time of night maybe is 6-8pm, so we ordered a drink each instead of having a meal in. I ordered Mango Milk Tea iced with bubbles. You may be thinking what is a Bubble tea? Well this tea drink originated in Taiwan, and consists of flavoured milk tea or fruit tea and small tapioca chewy like balls that are called pearls. Was all a bit of a cultural experience for me, which I enjoyed a lot. The inside decor of the cute cafe is bright and cat themed which is a neat little quirk too. If your after a catch up with a friend, and you want a slightly different themed venue, here's your chance.

Gingerbirds kind of snuck into the Eden Valley area of Dominion Road without me noticing until…read morerecently. It's not really an eat-in kind of a place (although they do have a big table), but certainly there's always someone sitting in there having a hot cuppa. I probably won't ever be purchasing any of the amazing-sounding takehome meals - it's just too hard to justify when cooking is the main part of the parenting job description. For the time-poor though this place provides the perfect solution and I will be trying to recreate their recipes at home myself, they sound so good. I've dropped in here for the delicious fresh salads and I reckon this place is doing the best fast lunch this side of Mt Eden Road. Don't even get me started on the cakes and sweets; I have resisted thus far but they look absolutely out of this world. It's a habit I don't want to start. If I was in need of catering I would come here and when we popped in last Saturday hoping for the traditional family 3pm lunch (an hour after closing) the owners were so kind and didn't mind us interrupting their own meal to ask for advice.

From the owner: We serve Allpress Coffee, provide dine-in and take away for a range of freshly made bakery and food…read moreincluding daily Paleo meals and frozen meals and can can cater your next event. - Hot drinks; we serve Allpress Coffee - Cold drinks; we serve a range of freshly prepared smoothies and bottled drinks - Meal of the day with Paleo options - Frozen meals and desserts - Cabinet food includes sandwiches, salads, savoury and sweet (quiches, muffins, scones, brownies) - Catering; our extensive menu is avail on our website with delivery and pick up options available

Great place for a quick stop with tasty breakfast and what looks to be a good lunch. Full coffee…read morebar and great seating outside and indoors! If your traveling on this road consider stopping for a coffee or a bite to eat! Nice and friendly staff!

A quirky cafe. The menu is fairly standard but we chose cabinet fare as we wanted quick and…read moresmallish. Also we were curious to try a couple. Mr had the focaccia melt with meatloaf and Mrs the tarakihi turnover. The coffee came very quickly and the meals not far behind. Both were heated and served with salad. The meatloaf sandwich was deemed very nice. The bread was tasty. The fish calzone was unusual for including tomato and beans but it all worked surprisingly well. A fun selection of gifts for sale and reading glasses to borrow in case you have forgotten yours made a nice experience.

I landed in Auckland looking dishevelled so when I got a call from a friend asking if I wanted to…read morego for a spontaneous blog dry I jumped at the chance. My friend had somehow scored a "2 for $70" blowdry deal that included a glass of bubbles and a chocolate for us to nibble on while we got our hair done. I really enjoyed the experience at Dry & Tea. The staff were lovely and took a few minutes to work out how I wanted my hair done, showing me some pictures and talking about what I normally do with my hair to make sure they approached the task in the best possible way. The hair wash was good, though if I'd had time I would have added on the extra head massage option for $15. Who doesn't love a head massage! My blow dry was excellent. There was plenty of body at the top and curl at the end, and I managed to keep it looking good for five days by putting it in a top knot to sleep. Even if I'd paid the full $45, this was would have been money well spent. To not have to worry about my hair while away on business was worth every cent.

I walked In without an appointment and they were nice enough to fit me in for a cut…read more First impression of the store was clean, cute and professional. I came in based on the looks and the interior of the salon. I had a few cm of my ends cut because it was damaged from bleaching, dry and very tangly, and just wanted to fix the ends where there were a few knots. I got a moisturising shampoo, a wed and dry cut with a touch of hair serum on the tips. My hair is now smooth and silky like there were never damaged. Michelle was chatty and friendly, she did exactly what I said and wanted. The result, satisfying. The price was 85, which was more than I expected. But defiantly worth it and I'll pick this place again for the next time I'll need a trim.