Fig Tree Cafe – https://figtreecafe.co.nz/
Reviewed by FiFi, June 2018
The Place:
This cafe is in quite a unique setting being in a beautifully restored chapel. The seating is focused mainly indoors to allow you to soak up its high ceilings and ambience accompanied by a few tables outside. There is lots of cabinet food to chose from, a kids menu, organic offerings, free-range eggs, vegetarian, gluten-free and a large blackboard menu. There were Bene options to chose from. The Benedict (bacon); the Florentine (with spinach) or the Montreal (with salmon). Prices for the sides ranged from $3 to $4.
The Service:
The staff were simply lovely. They chatted and seemed unbothered by the business of the place.
The Presentation:
I think the dish looked rushed and not a lot of pride had gone into ‘layering’ or presenting the dish to maximise colours or appeal. The food was hot and tasty but the plating was just a bit ‘meh’. Even the balsamic reduction could have been utilised better to add more impact. Overall, it looked just looked okayish.
- The Benedict – the meals just looked amateur, nonetheless it did taste good and was filling.
- The Eggs – the free-range eggs were runny and warm.
- The Salmon – there was a reasonably generous portion and it was good.
- The Hashbrowns – were nothing special but they were hot and crunchy.
- The Hollandaise – was lovely and melted in you mouth. I would have liked a tad more though.
- The Bread – the turkish bread was crunchy and hot.
Would We Go Again?
It was a lovely setting and the food was good. I would try something else on the menu though as this bene was okay, but nothing overly memorable.
Scorecard
Style: 5/10 – Classic, but plain.
Taste: 5/10 – the meals tasted good.
Originality: 5/10 – nothing to write home about.
Value: 6/10 – the Benes were reasonably priced at $16.50. My Montreal (salmon) was $17.50 with and the hash browns were $4.
Eggs: 5/10 – good but nothing extraordinary
Overall score: 5/10
386 Fergusson Drive, Heretaunga, Upper Hutt 5018