Tomorrow's Brunch - Odettes Eatery

'It's like the building bought a plane ticket and landed in a five star Greek holiday resort' - Odettes is miles away from typical inner city Auckland and we love it all the more for it...

Place: An all-day bistro decorated in bright blues, creams and mint green nestled in an industrial unit at Auckland's City Works Depot that was previously home to a ping pong bar, and previous to that a motorbike mechanics/showroom/cafe. It's like the building bought a plane ticket and landed in a five star Greek holiday resort. 

People: This is the third Auckland hospitality venture by Clare and Joost Van Den Berg, who recently sold Herne Bay favourite Zus and Zo, and who still own Takapuna's Zomer. You can forgive me for attempting to translate 'Odette', assuming it was yet more Dutch to add to my ever expanding dictionary ('Zus and Zo' = 'This and That', Zomer = 'Summer'). But it's simply a name, and one that's sure to be spoken with fondness. 

On the menu: There are three that sublty change throughout the day - Morning, Noon and Night (what lovely whimsical titles?). Like Zus and Zo and Zomer, the food still feels beachy - but this time we're at seaside resorts around the world rather than the Netherlands.

Inspired by global travel, head Chef Josh Kucharick has sprinkled the menu with flavours of the Pacific Islands, the Altantic and the Mediterranean - you can breakfast on Tahitian Vanilla Crepes, lunch on Vanuatu Prawn Steam Buns, dine on Wild Mushroom with Whipped Persian Feta, Donuts and Basil and round off the day with a french Tarte Tartin. 

For brunch, we recommend the smashed avocado with chilli, coriander and toasted rye - it's one of the few nods to the Netherlands and is seasoned so delicately. The creamy, salty avocado is perfectly balanced with chewy rye - a perfectly runny yolk tying the whole dish together. The Tahitian crepes break with the pikelet trend in favour of thin and layered piles of batter, which are presented so delicately they could be flower petals.

Decor: Is one of the best thing about Odettes. One wall is panelled in soft light wood, one section of the floor is tiled in cool, cream ceramics and Parison pendant lampshades drip like drops of amber nectar from the tall industrial ceiling - there are designer details everywhere. Hues of blue, cream and turquoise create an overall feeling of diving into a refreshing pool of water after a long day. Kudos to Clare Van Den Berg's tasteful eye, helped along the way with interior designer Nat Cheshire's. 

Go tomorrow: For a break from industrial fit outs and uncomfortable chairs, for breakfast, lunch, afternoon cocktails and a long dinner. Bring friends, or just a newspaper, and take yourself on a break. 

Open: 

Sunday and Monday: 7am-3pm
Tuesday to Saturday: 7am-11pm

Address:

City Works Depot
90 Wellesley St W
Auckland

Website:

www.odettes.co.nz