Rata Cafe – http://www.visitzealandia.com/what-is-zealandia/the-experience/rata-cafe/

Reviewed by Fi Fi – May 2014

The Place:

This setting is wonderful.  It’s just before you enter Zelandia (was known as Karori Wildlife Sanctuary). They have plenty to choose from the cabinet or you can choose from the menu or build your own breakfast as well.  There is a great kid’s menu which have a variety of meals for kids at $7.50 each. You can hear the birds in the background and inhale the fresh outdoor air or smell of bacon cooking in the background.  It almost feels like you are in the middle of the country, when you are nearly in the heart of the city.  The coffee was good too.

The Service:

The service was great.  They even brought out the kid’s food and drink first.  The serving staff were friendly and made pleasant small talk without being too chatty or invasive.  We got our meals pretty fast as well.

The presentation:

The presentation was simple, but still appealing.  The sprouts on top added a touch of colour to the dish.

• The Benedict and Montreal – were okay.
• The bacon – was free-range, thick chunks, very tasty and a good amount  of it.
• The salmon – was good, straight out of the packet, but nonetheless, it was lovely and lots of it!
• The eggs – were slightly overcooked, which was disappointing.
• The Bread – was toasted multigrain, nice, but nothing to get all giddy about.
• The Hash Browns – were crunchy and hot.
• The Sausage – they were okay, nothing to write home about
• The hollandaise – home made, creamy, tasty and good….mmmmm

Would we go again?

Yes we would.  The atmosphere was calming and peaceful.  The food was tasty, the service was good, the food was good (not great, but still good).  We were not ‘wowed’ by the food, but it was okay.

Scorecard:

Style: Classic 6/10.

Taste: 6/10 We enjoyed our meals.

Originality: 6/10 – This was a pretty average

Value: 9/10 The Benedict was $14.50 and Montreal was $15.50.  The sides of hash browns were $2 for 2 (awesome price) and the sausages were $4 for 2 (awesome price).  This cafe offers probably one of the cheapest prices for Bene, Montreal and Florentine fans in the Wellington region.

Eggs: (how good they were): 5/10. A wee bit overcooked

Overall score: 6/10

57 Waiapu Road, Karori, Wellington