This cafe is few doors away from my workplace, so I've dined here a few times. Within its confines is also a manicure corner and a kids' area whose harsh lighting sits at odds with the rest of the interior. Promotions are listed on chalkboards and mirrors around the place and there are magazines for browsing.

On to the food now, which I think is a tad pricey. There are no extra charges though. The omelette (~$13) is alright; it's not watery, salty, stale, but it's not particularly outstanding either. It comes with toast and mushrooms.

The vegetarian lasagne (~$16) is weak on flavours other than the cheese and pasta, but it's to be expected when there's no tomato base. It's stuffed with zucchini, mushrooms and spinach. Rocket salad on the side never fails to brighten my day though.

The chorizo aglio olio (~$14) is actually quite nice. You get planty of slices of robust-tasting sausage under a small bed of leaves, the spaghetti leaves a little oil on the dish and the garlic isn't too pungent.

You can opt to have your sandwiches made with ciabatta or brown bread. The mozarella & mushroom variant ($9) comes stuffed with spinach, and the taste of the mushrooms is much stronger than the hot cheese. Crisps are served on the side, and they are the supermarket variety.

They have several flavours of New Zealand Natural ice-cream available, but as for desserts, the banoffee pudding (which I was surprised to find and looking forward to trying) was a letdown. It calls to mind a microwaved (but moist) banana cake swimming in toffee sauce and topped with ice-cream...not quite the concoction, copied to death from The Hungry Monk, I recall it to be. If you ever need a sugar rush though, it's all yours for $7.50.

The malt waffles are touted as one of their specialities. $10.80 gets you 4 of the fluffy coaster-sized creations, dusted with castor sugar and served with strawberries and tinned peach slices, but the single scoop of ice-cream isn't enough to go around!

I'll still return to this place when I want some variety. Service is still attentive and helpful, and food got to me quickly enough. It feels rather generic, however, like lots of mid-priced cafes that dot the island. At least it doesn't seem pretentious, and serves honest fayre. Hold back your expectations, and you won't likely walk away unhappy.