Francoli Bar and Restaurant

By ELEANOR BLACK for canvas

We were nearly faint from hunger when rain drove us through the door of Francoli, a restaurant and bar combo in the old Ellerslie post office. While the place makes a feature of its grappa menu - and the bar looks more inviting than the restaurant - it also plants a big chalkboard advertising "Weekend brunch" on the footpath, so we were expecting an assured range of breakfast standards.

In the interests of boosting our blood-sugar levels, we immediately (well, as soon as we could catch our waiter's wandering eye) ordered a bowl of wedges with bacon, melted cheese and sour cream ($9.50) to arrive before our meals ... and then waited 40 minutes before it turned up, hotly pursued by our mains.

Our hunger was only reinforced as we watched one heaping pizza after another emerge from the kitchen. They looked fantastic, and as almost every other diner had ordered one, we started to wonder if we had misstepped when we decided to explore the brunch menu.

And then came the proof.

Kate's Eggs Benedict with salmon ($13.50) was disturbingly yellow and overly rich. The Hollandaise sauce had separated before it arrived at the table and she was irked to find the bagel promised on the menu was actually a panini. The salmon was good, she said, but overwhelmed the eggs and sauce. An Eggs Benedict addict, she was unable to finish her meal, returning to the hearty wedges for sustenance.

My cajun chicken salad ($14.50) was a total disappointment. The "cajun" theme extended only so far as the chicken had been tossed in a spice blend like something you'd find at the supermarket. There was an abundance of lettuce, but barely a smudge of tangy yoghurt dressing. The mango pieces and kumara chips strewn on the plate did little to elevate the meal, which I soon abandoned.

We made a hasty exit, preferring to try our luck in the wet than order coffee.

Francoli looks and feels like a pub, and my guess is it's much better in the evening, when locals nip in for a pint and one of those enormous pizzas we coveted. If I were in the neighbourhood on a winter night, I would happily snuggle into one of their booths with a glass of grappa. But if they want to keep serving brunch, they need to lift their game.

Where: 124 Main Highway, Ellerslie.

Parking: Try the street parks in front of the building, or the pay-and-display lot around the corner.

Ambience: A bit contrived. Empty wine bottles and old-style advertising prints in themselves don't denote atmosphere.

Service: Painfully slow and indifferent.

Open: 11am until late, seven days.

* Read more about what's happening in the world of food, wine, party places and entertainment in canvas magazine, part of your Weekend Herald print edition.