The Parlour, Howick

The Parlour

137 Picton Street

Howick

Auckland

Large Flat White: $4.50

I’m back going to the physio for my ankle, and often use the visit as an excuse for a good coffee on main street Howick. I was all set to go to the Apothecary but got lazy and stopped in here instead. I thin it’s relatively new – when I googled the address, ‘Destiny Café’ comes up.

LOOKS retro, but actually not too bad.

Coffee: Quite good. In fact, when I took my first sip, I thought it might be a perfect 5, but it didn’t travel as well. If you were rating on the first sip it would be outstanding, but it fades fast. (4/5)

Milk:  Awesome. Solid, foamy, velvety. Good milk. (5/5)

Presentation: This is a very interesting cup – a unique symbol and feels like quite a big cup. The lid has that weird spout thing on it, which is not a bad thing, but I find it a bit odd. The lid was quite tricky to get off, again, not a big deal but annoying when coffee reviewers try to look inside. (3/3)

Verdict: I nearly judged a book by its cover. I thought the place looked like it was going to give a very ordinary coffee but I was very pleasantly surprised. I was similarly surprised that the coffee was so good, but it did go downhill fast. You’d want to drink it quickly, if you can.

Overall rating: 12/13 A good coffee at a good price. Worth giving a try again.