Brunch: Federal Delicatessen, Auckland CBD

The menu is

very hip with an obvious Americana theme. Smoked hash ($19.50), griddle cakes ($17.50), lots of pastrami and a selection of bagels are some of the diner-inspired dishes.

The look is cool and classic with a retro colour palette and steel finishings. The booths are the best, but the tall tables and counter stools are still a fun option - watch your brunch being made in the bustling open kitchen.

The food is pretty pricey for the portion size.

I opted for morning glory - a healthy breakfast salad with haloumi, portobello mushrooms, a poached egg and dukkah ($18). My dining companion had the Treyf, that's pickled pork, poached eggs and horseradish hollandaise on rye ($19.50). Both were tasty and a change from your standard brunch fare, but we would have liked more bang for our bucks.

The coffee was bottomless filter coffee which tasted okay, but I left longing for a latte.

The service was nice. The waitresses (who were all women during our visit) looked cute running between tables in their little peppermint-coloured uniforms. They all seemed very chipper as they kept our coffee topped up.

Overall Federal Deli has a fun buzz about it and was packed with hipsters during our visit, but I'd rather grab a bagel from one of Al Brown's other eateries.