Benediction Cafe, Newton

We came here because

we were going clothes shopping and Benediction was on the way.

Parking was

cramped but available on the street out the front.

We walked in and immediately thought

we had picked the right day to visit, it was busy but not too packed.

The most unusual thing on the menu was

a toss-up between the Balinese sticky rice and the whitebait fritters.

We ordered

the homemade muesli with apple, berry and yoghurt ($9.50), eggs benedict with spinach ($14.90) and the potato cakes with poached eggs and salad (an old favourite, $13.90). The fruit was pronounced delicious, although the muesli was definitely a lighter breakfast option and not quite enough for a hungry Philippa. The eggs benedict was tasty and not drowned in hollandaise. The pick of the day was the potato cakes, which were beautifully flavoured with cumin and feta and arrived with a huge serving of crunchy lettuce and nearly a whole avocado, which Hannah requested in place of the usual prosciutto.

The coffee was

good, although slightly bitter.

The service was

lovely, at the counter. The table service was more efficient than friendly but as the food arrived almost instantly, we certainly weren't complaining.

We recommend if you come here

try the potato cakes. We get them every time.

Overall we thought

some music might have lifted the atmosphere in the slightly quiet upstairs seating area. But it was good value for the quality of the food, and worth a return visit.