Little and Friday
43D Eversleigh Rd, Belmont
Ph (09) 489 8527
www.littleandfriday.com
Hours: Monday-Sunday 8am-3:30pm
9/10

Now an Auckland institution, Little and Friday started out in a tiny shop on a quiet suburban street, prepping and baking cakes all week to sell on Fridays only – hence the name. Since then, owner Kim Evans has grown her business exponentially through the completely unique, high quality, and lavish cakes, tarts, pies and famous cream donuts sold. No longer confined to one room, Little and Friday has expanded into the whole block of 5 shops as well as a separate cafe in Newmarket, two cookbooks have been published, an After Hours dinner menu has been established, over 70 staff are now employed, and in the last few weeks they have adopted a breakfast and lunch menu in addition to the original cabinet fare.

To say that I am impressed would be a colossal understatement. Inspired and in love, maybe.

After spending many study periods at Little and Friday through high school (with Takapuna Grammar being only a few hundred metres down the road), I always make time for a visit when home on university break. This time was no different – having heard about the new menu, I made it a priority. Although short, the menu made deciding what to get ten times more of a challenge – sweet or savoury? big or small? small plus a cake? share? could I take something home too? – you would think these dilemmas might get easier on repeat trips, but at least for me, that is not the case.

The roasted bacon and egg stuffed avocado with coriander, cherry tomatoes, lime and avocado salad on toasted multigrain was a winner. The standard avocado smash was transformed with the unusual technique of roasting a bacon wrapped egg in each half of the avocado, with the original inside avocado flesh presented in a fresh and summery salad on the side. The avocado salad on multigrain was our favourite part of this dish: though exciting and different, the charred avocado halves were a little tricky to eat and the roasting time meant the egg yolks weren’t as gooey and runny as a soft poached egg would be.

Another hit, the toasted coconut bread was devoured: warm slabs of a not-too-sweet coconut loaf were covered in a fresh and juicy mango lime salsa and elevated by the perfectly wobbly vanilla pannacotta with fresh passionfruit pulp on the side. Eaten together, this is a flavour explosion in a mouthful and a flawless combination of textures.

The next week I paid Little and Friday another visit with friends, trying the fig and walnut bread with thyme butter and fresh honeycomb on recommendation. I was slightly disappointed when presented with a plate of toast with the butter and honey comb on the side, having imagined a sweet bread more similar to the coconut bread I had tried the first time. However, the dish and its accompaniments were delicious (you can also choose to have the toast served with hazelnut butter and plum raspberry jam) and meant I had room for a treat from the cabinet afterwards. Sophie tried the bircher muesli with poached plums and homemade quark – while she enjoyed it, it was deemed to really be more of a porridge than a muesli in taste, texture and components. Casey and Alice both headed for the cabinet food, ordering a toasted sandwich and a cherry tomato galette respectively. Aside from a couple of service hiccups over the two trips (which I would put down to teething problems as it was within a week of starting the new lunch menu), the new options make a great addition to the cafe, giving customers a few healthier options to the amazing but very indulgent cabinet fare.

From the cabinet, the chocolate, beetroot & salted caramel is one of my all time favourites – a deep chocolate enriched by the subtle addition of grated beetroot, filled with a thick salted caramel that blends into the cake and covered with a rich and gooey chocolate ganache. The fruit tarts with layers of sweet, buttery shortcrust pastry, almond frangipane and cream patisserie are also particularly good, especially the summer plum and winter poached rhubarb versions. And don’t forget the passionfruit coconut and chocolate caramel slices, the walnut and date brioche, the raspberry and chocolate bread and butter pudding, or the myriad of savoury galettes, pies, and tarts…need I say more?

Being situated on an otherwise quiet suburban street, parking is free and is never too hard to find. In recent times I have not had to wait for a table, but at peak lunch hour, particularly on the weekend, be prepared for a decent queue to order at the counter (often lengthened by people like me who can’t decide what to try!). Tables are both inside and out the front: you used to be able to sit out in the back garden where they grow their own herbs and vegetables for the cafe, but due to noise complaints from neighbours that seating is currently on hold.

Little and Friday is certainly a stand-out cafe in Auckland and one that I would highly recommend. My copies of their cookbooks are well worn and with good reason – their recipes are unique and always stand out. They do generally involve significant effort, time and care, however, which is why customers continue to pour through the door and will keep Kim Evans busy for a long time yet.

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