I fell in love with Bakers and Roasters on my first visit and my heart has only grown fonder ever since. Bakers & Roasters is just around the corner from where I live but I only discovered it a few months ago. These days it’s my-go to place for breakfast or brunch on the weekend. I love spending my mornings here. During the week, on the days I teach yoga, I start my (very) early mornings with green smoothies. They give me tons of energy but on my days off I want to take it slow and linger over my breakfast. Nothing beats sitting down and enjoying a hearty, wholesome breakfast with family and friends.

The weekends always feel a little bit decadent. I clear my schedule, switch off my phone and create room for little indulgences. A decadent, big breakfast at Bakers and Roasters is not something you need to feel ashamed of or have to recover from on Mondays. This is healthy decadence! At Bakers and Roasters they serve wholesome dishes, clean food, excellent coffee and lovely fresh juices. The place looks healthy too. As you are sitting down for breakfast, crates of fresh fruit and vegetables are staring back at you and there’s always someone behind the counter juicing fresh fruit and vegetables.

If this sounds too healthy and clean for you, don’t worry. It’s a brunch place after all and you can go all out here too! They serve cocktails and have an impressive selection of homemade baked goods, enough to make your jaw drop and start to drool. Don’t worry if you’re glutenfree; they always have one gluten-free option.

One of my favourite breakfasts here is the blueberry pancakes. To be very honest, it’s the blueberry pancakes that keep me coming back. They are so delicious, thick and fluffy, covered with fresh blueberries, and swimming in a pool of maple syrup. Yes, it is decadent, and yes, it’s sweet, but they are worth it! If you have a sweet tooth, you are going to love the Banana Nut Bread French Toast too.

If you’re feeling less decadent, there’s plenty of healthy choices too. You can start your day with homemade granola with yoghurt and fresh fruit, hot porridge or sweet potato hash. They have nutrient-packed fresh juices like ginger, carrot and orange juice or green apple, cucumber, celery, lime and ginger. For those of you workout buffs out there, there’s even a high-protein power shake with peanut butter, banana and protein powder.

There’s also a great selection of daily specials, freshly baked Kiwi hot pies and yummy Ottolenghi inspired salads. If you are into eggs, there’s eggs different styles. For example, egg white scrambles on spelt toast for those of you who just came back from the gym. If you like it spicy, there’s Mexican-style Huevos Rancheros, crispy tortillas topped with fried eggs, fresh tomato salsa, organic black beans and avocado. They have more traditional dishes too, like eggs with smoked salmon or garlic spinach and hollandaise sauce. There are plenty of gluten-free and vegetarian options and most dishes can be ordered gluten-free. As far as my love letter to this place is concerned, I have enjoyed everything I have ordered here so far. With so many different options to choose from, it’s easy to find something on the menu that you like. Eating here never gets boring but you might get hooked on some of the dishes.

Another big plus of Bakers and Roasters is the always friendly, welcoming staff! If you’re a regular here, they even remember your name. Perhaps it’s true what they say: Kiwis are the world’s friendliest bunch of people and they take their food and coffee very seriously. It’s hard to miss out on the fact that this place is run by two Kiwis: Julian and Sergio.  If you missed the Kiwi accent on the B&R staff, you only need to take a quick scan of the place to realize you just stepped into another world. No need to fly to the other side of the world, New Zealand is right here in front of your eyes. There’s Kiwi art on the walls, tea is served with New Zealand souvenir tea spoons and many of the dishes and drinks on the menu are unique to the country island.  They serve iconic kiwi foods and drinks here like the Kiwi Hot Pie, Kiwi Breakie (bacon, sausage, eggs, homemade relish, potato hash cakes) and Kumara Hash (kumara is unique to New Zealand and similar to sweet potato).

The coffee from New Zealand’s Ozone Coffee Roasters is excellent and the beautiful herbal teas come from Teasme in Christchurch, which sell specialty teas, including some distinctive New Zealand herbal blends. The Lemongrass Ginger Kawa tea with the New Zealand native kawakawa leaf, is very unique, different from any tea I have ever had.  I also love the teas with Manuka leaf, the organic Manuka Mint tea and Rooibos Manuka. They also serve New Zealand wines here and L&P (Lemon and Paeroa), a sweet soft drink made lemon juice and carbonated mineral water from the town of Paeroa.

If Bakers and Roasters is a good example of how Kiwis like to spend their weekends,  I will definitely book a trip to New Zealand in the future. Until then, I’ll keep on hanging out here. If you’re like me and not ready to book a flight just yet, next time you wake up on the weekend without a plan, go and enjoy your breakfast or brunch Kiwi style at Bakers and Roasters. Fill yourself up with some Kiwi love and food, have a good morning and stay well.

Bom dia, kia ora.