We treated ourselves to a night at Orphans Kitchen on Saturday night. And when I say treated I say it because we LOVE this place. There are so many new eateries in Auckland, it is a constant challenge not to run out of the office for breakfast/lunch/dinner/coffee every time the weekly Denizen arrives in your inbox with yet another new and notable. I know, life is hard in Auckland!

So unless you have enough disposable income to justify going out 5 times a week to get through everything there is on offer, you have to make some tough decisions. As foodies we love trying new things and feel the pressure to make the most of Aucklands new offerings. And that is why I say it feels like a real treat when we go back to Orphans Kitchen, again.

It has everything we love in a good restaurant. A small menu with simple yet surprising dishes. A warm and friendly atmosphere with people that are there to enjoy themselves and not just appear like they are. Amazing service that is welcoming, casual and attentive all at the same time. Awesome wine list. Nice smelling hand wash. And homemade bread with your meal. Tick! Oh and the bread is rolled with kawakawa and served with truffle butter. Double tick!

We would argue that Orphans is another ambassador of 'honest food'. Or as they call it 'unadulterated food'. Not trying to create an end product that is so far from what it started life out as that it becomes unrecognisable. Instead making the most of the ingredient itself and working on showcasing its best qualities. Similar to what we do with our chocolate. We don't use cream in our chocolates because we want to make the most of the amazing flavours that are present in the chocolate we select. We don't want to cover it up. This always means that a high quality product must be used to start with, because there's no hiding.

We are toying with the idea of going for their breakfast, that we have heard such good things about, which should give us our fix of trying something different AND a return visit to the Orphans Kitchen. Although I'll have to check if wine is served with breakfast?!