Coffee Quest #29 - Chuffed
Today is my partner and mine's 5 year anniversary. A few days ago, we chose to recreate our first date which happened here at Chuffed. It used to be really popular and having such a central location in the CBD (as well as being super close to two big universities) meant it wasn't uncommon to see it packed full. I used to write here a lot too, though not because of the cafe--rather, I was just hopping around for somewhere nice and comforting.
I used to really like their beans, Rocket Coffee, before I graduated towards other more interesting tastes. They're not bad--they have more interesting notes than the standard dark brew that people use in lieu of hammers to wake themselves up in the morning. There's a slight citrus note at the end but it's faint. I think the shot pull was still a bit too dark.
Re-enacting our first date, I had their eggs benedict. Chuffed is a cafe that changes their menu a lot. I think that's a good thing--it doesn't tire out their usual batch of customers, it's a good excuse to try new things, and it's nice to have seasonal dishes too. Their eggs benedict did change, but mostly from muffins to sourdough, and the salmon tasted different too. Sourdough is good, but the eggs are very average and has a slight vinegar taste due to how it's poached. and I really don't like it. I also think a bit more lemon in their lemon saffron hollandaise would brighten it up nicely, as well as just being more generous with the sauce.
All in all, serviceable. BUT.
There's a pumpkin hash included now. And oooooh, I love it. It's just pumpkin mixed into the hash! It's soft, crispy, smells nice, and while it could be seasoned a bit more, it's just a very nice addition and a heck of a lot of interest for me.
My partner got the Eggs Toulouse, which was the closest she could get to the spicy omelette she got on our first date. The pork sausage (Toulouse) was okay, or rather, I didn't find it very interesting, and the eggs felt rushed and watery. She mostly got it because of her ever-present craving for Argentinian foods and once chimichurri was mentioned on the menu, the trap had already been sprung.
This cafe is honestly very pretty. It's got nice outdoor seating (with a covering they draw when it rains) and they've managed to get art on all the surrounding apartment/office building walls.
It's still a nice date area, and nothing in the food is problematic. Would we come back here if it wasn't for our date reenactment? Hmmm, it'll be really hard to say, because as time goes on, more and more interesting cafes pop up around the city and I'm always taking into account parking and the sheer traffic to go into the CBD.
Sure would be nice if we had some public transport infrastructure. Auckland traffic is just so bad that unless you're already in the CBD for work or study, it's really hard to recommend. There's plenty of good cafes here, but Chuffed is good, so I don't think you can ever go wrong coming here.
Unrelated to the cafe, but my partner gave me a great deal of affirmation and love while we sat and ate. Five years is simultaneously very long and short, but it's also given us time to think about a lot of things. We're hoping we'll last until the end of our days. She's helping me a lot with my burnout and depression and I'm sincerely trying my best.
Maybe one day we'll have money for a ceremony. For now, love will have to do.