12 July 2012

Auckland Eats - Catroux



We had ventured to Catroux not long after it opened and we were impressed with the coffee and the eggs first time round, so last Friday it was time for a revisit.  It really is a lovely spot. Simple elegance prevails with whitewashed walls and floor to ceiling windows making it bright and light on a chilly but sunny Auckland winter morning.  I love the simplicity and it certainly allows the giant bowls of salads and pretty cakes to shine.  They are certainly tempting and will mean another visit is definitely in order for some lunchtime treats, but for now we were here for our Friday breakfast.  


Even at 7:45 on a Friday morning it was busy but we secured our table and ordered coffee which hit the spot, hot and strong.  The breakfast menu is a little different, fresh and seasonal with their own twist.  I was tempted by the omelette, yes I seem to be an omelette convert and now I can’t seem to get enough of them.  This particular variation was haloumi, basil, prosciutto and caramelised onion, see what I mean?  Very very tempting.  However I could not go past the energiser.  I thought it might deliver the final blow to a lingering lurgy that I just can’t seem to shift.  For breakfast buddy the ham off the bone with soft gruyere scramble and slow roasted tomatoes.

The energiser was also a little different to the usual breakfast fare on offer. Smoked salmon, cottage cheese, rocket, avocado and pickled beetroot all piled atop toasted pumpernickel bread.  Bright fresh flavours, the pickled beetroot delivering a welcome sharpness alongside the creamy avocado and cottage cheese and cutting through the richness of the salmon.  The real star though is the pumpernickel bread, just so wonderfully rich and dark , with a little treacly sweetness the perfect companion to all the other light and bright flavours on the plate.  For future visits it will be hard to go past this one.



As for the eggs....well I think the words “divine” and “heavenly” featured.  A wee taste and I understand why, the gruyere takes them to a quite ambrosial level of scramble.  Rich and creamy doesn’t really begin to cover it.  The ham and the slow roasted tomato add the perfect amount of salt and acid to make this another quite wonderful breakfast dish.

The staff are friendly and full of smiles and that combined with fresh, seasonal delicious food makes it one of Auckland’s perfect spots for breakfast or brunch. So me thinks there could well be quite a few return visits.
Catroux
129 Westend Road, Westmere 1022
Mon - Fri 6.45am - 4pm
Sat 7.30am - 4pm
Sun 8am - 4pm

1 comment:

  1. Oh, I haven't heard of this place. Sounds lovely - I like Westmere.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...