orphan's kitchen

i had a breakfast on last friday .brunch menu is different and interesting not the standard break fast menu and menu is limited and good choice for the vegetarian . i had mushroom broth with toast brioche ..lovely !!!and very friendly staff .

closer to 4
came here with a group of friends, the place was fully packed and the decor nice
taste and presentation were to be expected (slightly above average) though one of my friends was disappointed by the tiny food portion, while another was amazed by the quality of the fish, he swears it is the best he has taste from outside restaurant which is a big claim, i did try a little of the fish my friend had and i have to agree that it was tasty
fish is not my favourite and i was not particularly impressed with one of their special coffee

i have eaten twice at this establishment and both times i have left feeling "what is all the hype about" 
the decor is fairly pleasant, however trying to enjoy an special meal perched on a wooden bar stool, is not my idea of comfort.  perhaps that just reflects my age.
the menu is fairly limited - on our latest visit there were only 4 items on the mains section.  i kept getting the feeling that the restaurant is taking the mickey out of everyone, especially when our waiter stated " did we understand the menu as many people didn't understand the terms "smalls".  we ordered 3 mains and although not terrible they were not fantastic and perhaps the greatest sin, all 3 dishes arrived only lukewarm.  we should have sent them back but................ it was saturday night and the restaurant was busy.
orphan's kitchen does have a beautiful aperitif on their menu wich does make it worth a visit - prosecco spritz -yummy, but for the rest i would say that there must be far more establishments in auckland that serve interesting food and serve it hot, so why all the accolades for this place..

if you've flicked through kinfolk and know anything about ponsonby you'll see this as an amalgam. pale pastel walls, wooden, slightly rumpty, a sense of cleanliness, health and understated wealth. good friendly service - the young english waiter was incredibly helpful and incredibly frantic. 9.00am sunday morning. just the two for coffee and breakfast. we eat in the "courtyard" under the increasingly fashionable beehives to the buzzing of bees. a barbecue was billowing smoke as one of the cooks manhandled large chunks of sweet smelling cow or sheep from it. it struck me as interesting to see the look on his sweating face surrounded by smoke and flame - an artisan / cook, the true creator , out back and invisible to the prada of the dining area.
we were on a short timeframe and when we told the waiter he ensured speedy arrival of trim caps - supreme, single origin, well textured with a flavour of toasted hazelnuts, no bitterness and unburnt. the food followed, also quickly - : crumpet with burnt butter and honey, which was lovely but the burnt butter might have been more evident. it gave a sense that one more thing might be needed - i'm not sure what but it seemed incomplete - i think the feeling was compounded by the crumpet being cake-like with a fine crumb rather than a traditional one where there is variation in texture. .: mushrooms, quark, chive, truffle and brioche- basically mushrooms in a broth with chunks of toasted brioche thrown on top - the mushrooms were field and maybe oyster, the latter gave (at least i think it was the mushroom) a slight bitterness which went through the delicate and perfectly balanced broth - it wasn't unpleasant by any means - it added interest. the truffle i suppose was in the few drops of oil on the surface, or the few little flakes of black that sat on the bottom but i couldn't taste it.
kinfolksy ceramics. the loo is cute and worth a visit. very child and adult friendly. will go back for dinner when we can.

having slept on it after writing the above a small voice told me i had to be more honest - that i had found the crumpet boring and too much the same - i think i would prefer a real, thick home-made crumpet , served with burnt butter on the side to be spread over, and with the honey also separate (perhaps infused with the truffle that i couldn't taste in the mushrooms) to be poured over that.

had breakfast here on a busy morning. the service was really nice. ordered the mashed kumara with wagyu brisket. the combination of flavours were very good. the pepper flavour, the sweetness, the punchy salad and meat worked very well. this meal complimented the toast side with a poached egg. i tried the hazelnut brownie which was very rich, yet soft and delicious. it would have been nice with a side of cream but i guess you're meant to have it with a coffee or something. overall, orphan's kitchen put my faith back into breakfast. thoroughly enjoyable and worth the money i parted with.

after a long awaited visit to dine at orphans kitchen i finally got the chance with my good friend for her birthday.

great vibes, beautiful dinner wear and the food for the eye looked amazing. being a cold night i was hanging out for some comfort food and went for the mushroom pasta with an extra treat of shaved truffle. my main let down for the dish was that the rehydrated (or waiter told me dehydrated) pieces of mushroom were hard as rocks and weren't pleasant to bite into every now and then.
the wagu cheeks needed more seasoning. kumera chips, yum but we got mostly the dregs from the fryer. also i noticed all the tables around us were given bread and only found out when paying the bill that we were meant to have bread also but none arrived at our table.

mentioned this feedback to waitstaff who weren't to interested.

dessert, the dark chocolate with licorice icecream was good but was hoping for more of a less sweet dessert.

overall, a nice visit but a few let downs which mean i won't be hurrying back there.

went there for dinner on tuesday night. we had a dinner tasting menu which was a really journey of different flavours. it was a bit strange but cool at same time, definitely an adventure! fantastic vegetarian options is a definite plus. some of the courses took a bit too long which was strange for a tuesday night but the staff were very nice and offered us a free glass of wine as an apology. will definitely go back for another adventure.

feel like this place is a bit overrated. it’s very small inside and feels quite crammed when the place is busy. food took a very long time (30 minutes) to arrive. the food itself was just average too and the menu is quite limited too. won’t be running back any time soon!

loved it here. big fan of the interior and overall atmosphere. great food and coffee also. very friendly staff

the smoked fish with chili kiwifruit is delicious. the home made honey syrup is so good, not too sweet.

service was subpar. we ordered coffee and was waiting for it when another staffer came over again, looking cross, asking if we have ordered. it almost feels like we’re not allowed to sit inside if we are only having coffee. so we felt compelled to order a dessert.

a unique and awesome addition to ponsonby’s food scene! love all their quirky toast dishes. the coffee is also great. a bit more on the adventurous side but a must try!

i have visited this place several times and tried most of the dishes. the flavours were always incredibly balanced and the ingredients were so healthy and tasty.
coffee is great and the service is awesome.

small intimate space. have come for coffee i. the morning and dinner. both times have been fantastic. all i have to show for my experience was this delicious bread!
great friendly service here and delicious food. highly recommend

one of my favourite cafes, whips up mean fusion kiwi food😍😍 featured: kumāra tortilla two ways, one with fish of the day and the other topped with sunny side up. the tangy sauerkraut brought the together very well. the coffee again was marvellous, for a change i decided to try the vetco drip coffee instead of my all time fav flat white.