Review Orphans Kitchen - Auckland Central

This cafe provided the perfect morning atmosphere I was looking for in Ponsonby. It exuded coziness, warmth, and the delightful aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans. The best part was that it wasn't overly crowded, allowing for a relaxed experience. The food from the kitchen was not only delicious but also lived up to the cafe's inviting ambiance. I visited with my partner and ordered the Toasts and Toppings, choosing heirloom tomatoes for one and goat's cheese for the other. We also indulged in a delightful sourdough meal. The food was more than satisfactory; it struck a perfect balance, not too salty and not too sweet, making it the ideal choice for a fancy breakfast. While it's true that the overall cost of the breakfast leaned on the higher side, it delivered a memorable experience.

Loved it! They have a spin on bagels and loxs that does not disappoint. My wife got the brisket taco. But my favorite dish was the crumpet with the roof honey. It’s amazing. You can look out the upstairs window near the bathroom and see the beehive.

Orphans Kitchen never disappoints. Definitely not your standard brunch/lunch menu there is something for everyone, fresh ingredients, generous portions and basically everything is delicious. Good beer and wine list but equally good non-alcoholic options which I really appreciate, and excellent coffee.

THE BEST kumara fries with the kawakawa mayonnaise! Very crunchy and flavorful. The burnt butter with the daily bread sourdough was basically just butter and some unique salt on top, nothing special. The atmosphere is very cute and aesthetic, totally love it! Service was awkward sometimes but that depended on the people. Otherwise very kind. Will come back to try other dishes!

Came in for the 10$ Tuesday crumpet special and was not diss appointed that is more like a 20$ experience and with unlimited refills on the filter coffee. What a great spot and will defiantly have to book in for dinner soon! Sterling Arnet Kakapo Business Sales

Food was delicious and coffee really good. We had the venison bolognese with a poached egg and the cured trout/salmon on toast.

Great to finally check out Orphans a kitchen for the Baby G pop up. Without question the best burger I’ve ever had, the buttermilk chicken tenders were unbelievable as well. Amazing staff and a great experience, highly recommend. James Ashwin Kakapo Business Sales

The dishes with that mixed of flavors, was something completely new for me. The size of potion was enough as well. Everyone of us in the group enjoyed the delicious food. P.S: the Cappuccino is also good. 👌

We enjoyed a late lunch, i tried the crumpet and it was light, fluffy and delicious. I also had the poached eggs on sourdough with lemon and it was different but tasty. Good service and the atmosphere was a good chilled vibe

We were lucky to be in Auckland on the first Tuesday of the month when Orphans Kitchen does an open test kitchen to workshop new dish ideas. The 4 course menu is $70 and you can get matching wines for $35. The dishes we had were all incredibly inventive. They provided great explanations of each dish and the pairing wine, which made it really interesting and fun!

It's a really *interesting*, *trendy*, *ethical* night out... that doesn't *quite* deliver on the flavours as consistently as it could. Their website and food philosophy is made clear up front: Orphan's Kitchen is the epitome of the trendy Ponsy eatery, and that's who they want to be. And they're good at it. If you're looking for innovative, completely on-trend hipster food, this is your place. You will have fermented sour things, balanced with creamier things. You will have elegantly plated delicious ethical seafood. You will have something charred for flavour purposes, balanced against something contrasting. They're good at this stuff, and if you get the tasting menu (recommended, and a good deal for $85), you'll get to taste the range. But.... and you knew this was coming, right?... not everything here is going to thrill everyone. Some (many?) of the dishes will overreach or feel unfinished. Some dishes are too interested in being trendy or innovative to be perfectly balanced - which was always going to happen in a restaurant that varies their menu based on availability and what catches the chefs' eyes that day/week. There are some weird choices. For example, the charcuterie and pickles we had had no bread, cracker, or crispy thing to spread the delicious parfait on. The lamb protein was tiny in comparison with the enormous charred cabbage. The fish tartare was amazing, but... just needed something else to be crisp with it. The tamarillo/coffee/cocoa/goddam chia seeds dessert just didn't quite gel as a dish. It's all little things... but little things that slightly undermine the whole experience, taking what could be a 5 star dining experience down into the 3.5-4 star range. It's good, it's trendy, it's innovative, it's trying to push the boundaries. When it succeeds, it's very good indeed. Worth a look. But be warned, Your Mileage May Vary, just like the menu on the night.

The menu items here look familiar but does have a bit of the twist. This includes the ceviche with melon and the fish with grapes. I also tried the luminary cocktail. The luminary looked interesting with the floating luminescent droplets and tasted nice and refreshing. The ceviche was really nice with the melon. There was also quite a lot of cucumber ribbons too. The fish for the mains was cooked nicely with crispy skin. The fennel that came with it was nice and soft. I didn't like the grapes (didn't really like the taste and they also had seeds) on the plate though. The pasta was a quite al dente but that was explained during ordering. It was alright. We tried the clafoutis for dessert along with the Muscato which was recommended for it. I liked the clafoutis base but didn't like the plum since it was too sour. The Muscato was ok but it did have a bit of an aftertaste I wasn't liking. Interesting food, some were nice others ok. Service was quite good since they went through the menu and answered questions. There wasn't a lot of tables and we were on one of the larger tables sharing with other people.

Just had dinner here, we were on our way to another place and stumbled across the menu on the outside table. So happy we came inside- what a meal, we had starters - bread and cultured butter and also smoked kahuwai croquettes - delish!! For mains we shared Fried chicken and Smoked Snapper Creme Fraiche and a side of season fries. Absolutely delicious! Our waiter was so lovely, knowledgeable and friendly, couldn’t recommend him more! (Apologies not sure we got your name, you were wonderful ) thanks for a lovely evening :)

I seriously do not think you can go wrong here. These guys manage to put stuff together that makes you wanna try it just to see if they nail it. Jokes on me, they do! My "go to" for brunch is the haloumi broccoli dish - big portion at a very decent price. My partner is more into the spinach & silverbeet on toast. The smoked fish & pickled eggs on toast are also delicious and filling. If you're looking after a smaller bite, just get the fish tortilla - packed with flavour! Recently though, I've been obsessed with their charred green beans with labneh and fried eggs. Wow... My taste buds definitely appreciate it! Their Southland cheese roll has a twist (cumin) and the Wagyu brisket with kumara mash is to die for. Good coffee and great staff!

Very interesting and unique food, very creative but still very tasty. Friendly staff and they have their own rooftop beehive for their source of honey.

Orphan's is a Ponsonby classic serving great coffee and a menu of classics with a twist. Their famous crumpets are unmissable. It's a small space with laid back ambiance and casual service - often very busy on weekends but usually plenty of space on weekdays

Food and coffee are do Tasty, worth trying for sure.

Loved it here. Big fan of the interior and overall atmosphere. Great food and coffee also. Very friendly staff

The smoked fish with chili kiwifruit is delicious. The home made honey syrup is so good, not too sweet.

Service was subpar. We ordered coffee and was waiting for it when another staffer came over again, looking cross, asking if we have ordered. It almost feels like we’re not allowed to sit inside if we are only having coffee. So we felt compelled to order a dessert.

A unique and awesome addition to ponsonby’s food scene! Love all their quirky toast dishes. The coffee is also great. A bit more on the adventurous side but a must try!

I have visited this place several times and tried most of the dishes. The flavours were always incredibly balanced and the ingredients were so healthy and tasty.<br/>Coffee is great and the service is awesome.

Small intimate space. Have come for coffee I. The morning and dinner. Both times have been fantastic. All I have to show for my experience was this delicious bread! <br/>Great friendly service here and delicious food. Highly recommend

One of my favourite cafes, whips up mean fusion kiwi food😍😍 Featured: kumāra tortilla two ways, one with fish of the day and the other topped with sunny side up. The tangy sauerkraut brought the together very well. The coffee again was marvellous, for a change I decided to try the vetco drip coffee instead of my all time fav flat white.

Had the bolognese which was flavoursome and delicious and reasonably priced so rating is based on that but overall I think the menu is a bit confusing, a bit more explanation needed for the meals and also nothing was really jumping out at me when I looked at it. The toast portions are so tiny too for the price. Not really understanding the hype

Have been meaning to go for ages ans finally got to try it but only for brunch. Good quality food but nothing breath taking. Really nice place and kind staff.

closer to 4<br/>came here with a group of friends, the place was fully packed and the decor nice<br/>taste and presentation were to be expected (slightly above average) though one of my friends was disappointed by the tiny food portion, while another was amazed by the quality of the fish, he swears it is the best he has taste from outside restaurant which is a big claim, i did try a little of the fish my friend had and i have to agree that it was tasty<br/>fish is not my favourite and i was not particularly impressed with one of their special coffee

On the arrival, no one acknowledged me and my husband. The staff was unwelcoming and showed no interest to accomodate us. She had a negative attitude and did not make any attempt to make us feel comfortable. We asked for a table for two and were waiting for her to replay. She looked at other staff member who gave her signals not to take us which was rude and awkward. The couple at the table offered to sit next to them as there was space at the long table. The menu was misleading as it said they can cater for gluten free but it was not for celiacs. I would not go back even for a coffee.

Was around at Ponsonby, decided to give this place a try as I have seen the high quality reviews. We went as a group and I ordered the kumara tortilla and the line caught fish with the kiwifruit hot sauce. It came out looking very appetising, so I will give a description to each individual component.<br/>The salad/sauerkraut portion was delicious with a perfect amount of spice from hot sauce. However a little let down was the kumara tortilla, this was a bit dry and dull. But I guess it was a good thing, because the fish was absolutely perfect. It is not easy to cook fish and to not accidently overcook it or pick a fish that is too dry. It had the perfect tenderness and seasoning. I honestly cannot say anything bad about this except for not having enough of it.<br/>I also tried a little bit of the crumpet, burnt butter with roof honey. The crumpet was very well prepared and the honey was not too sweet either but not lack in flavour. I also quite enjoyed it.<br/>The wagyu brisket with the kumara hash was a bit too messy I find. The brisket flavouring is nice but the texture was soft and mushy. I feel that there is definitely room for improvement by maybe separating the ingredients in a way that we can enjoy each of the component individually or combined. It was definitely not lack in flavour in anyway.<br/><br/>Overall the experience was amazing. I would definitely come back to try their other menu items.<br/><br/>Taste - 4/5<br/>Service - 3.5/5<br/>Ambiance - 4/5<br/>

The menu items here look familiar but does have a bit of the twist. This includes the ceviche with melon and the fish with grapes. I also tried the luminary cocktail.<br/><br/>The luminary looked interesting with the floating luminescent droplets and tasted nice and refreshing.<br/><br/>The ceviche was really nice with the melon. There was also quite a lot of cucumber ribbons too. The fish for the mains was cooked nicely with crispy skin. The fennel that came with it was nice and soft. I didn't like the grapes (didn't really like the taste and they also had seeds) on the plate though. The pasta was a quite al dente but that was explained during ordering. It was alright.<br/><br/>We tried the clafoutis for dessert along with the Muscato which was recommended for it. I liked the clafoutis base but didn't like the plum since it was too sour. The Muscato was ok but it did have a bit of an aftertaste I wasn't liking.<br/><br/>Interesting food, some were nice others ok. Service was quite good since they went through the menu and answered questions. There wasn't a lot of tables and we were on one of the larger tables sharing with other people.

Had my first Southland Cheese roll ever here – came in for a quick breakfast and wake-up coffee before work. It was so cheesey but strangely it wasn’t a sickening flavour, might be because there was a hint of some kind spice (maybe cumin?) added to the dish. It went well with the strong black coffee I ordered.<br/><br/>The place has a modern and simple decoration, quiet in the morning and some more seats out the back as well, with very welcoming service from the people who work here.

You got to try their own hazelnut milk as an alternative to soy.Delicious.Staff are courteous and the breakfast food beautifully presented and yum!

Overrated place. Went there for lunch. Very limited menu to choose from. Ordered a mocha $5 and the kumara tortilla with line caught fish. Coffee came quickly but it took ages for the food to come out, approx 20-30mins. <br/><br/>When my food finally came, my first thought was “where’s the rest???” It looked good but it was way too small of a dish to be charged $19 for. It was literally like an entree size, so shouldnt have taken 30mins to create?. Taste wise it was average. Lots of spring onion on top, if you like them, otherwise it would be overpowering. The fish fillet was very small too,& i dont think that it was very fresh, there was a slight fishy smell/taste.<br/><br/>I dont know how this place gets such a high rating & a full house. I had to go get a muffin elsewhere afterwards Because i was still hungry lol<br/><br/>The only plus side i could find is that they have great friendly waiters who greet you &seated you readily.

Not sure why this place features on the METRO TOP 50. Below average service and the food was nothing to write home about either. I got the beef brisket with kumara. There might have been MAYBE 4 pieces of beef in it, it was basically kumara only and just not enjoyable. I basically ate the 4 small pieces and left and went to another cafe down the road

What a haven! After being put off Ponsonby cafes after a truly awful experience at Dizengoff (I.e completely ignored, while regulars were fawned over), was loathe to venture back but Orphan’s has long been recommended to me. Now I see why. What a gem! Friendly service, warm atmosphere, excellent coffee and sublime food elevating a simpler cafe breakfast or brunch to a wonderful experience. And the cheese roll aka ‘Southland Sushi’? Beautiful! (And I’ve eaten 100s of them!) Loved the decor too, it is well thought out and exquisite. Big ticks on every level. We’ll be back.

Really average service.. have waited over an hour and a half for food, even though we told them we had a diabetic at the table.. All I can is that the appetiser bread is good???

After hearing a lot of this place and reading their website manifiesto we were ready to visit the Orphans Kitchen. Good coffee and service ✌ but I was so disappointed on food, I ordered the spinach silverbeet and my partner acai bowl. My one was literally the hole bag of spinach boiled on a toast with a poached egg, the flavour was smokey and almost none chestnuts 😕. Acai bowl was presented with a pieces of kiwi and few black rice . We eat breakfast everyweek all around the city , we constantly eat out and know about hospitality too. This was quite expensive for what we got $47 sadly wasn't what we were expecting. Simply a good place to be seen.

We went with a large group to Orphans Kitchen and had such a wonderful night. The food was absolutely stunning especially the octopus and the monk fish. We also really loved the simplicity but deliciousness of the sour dough, garden salad and kumera fries as our sides. Our waiter was incredibly friendly and accommodating. We had a fussy eater with us and the waiter and the kitchen worked together with us to ensure they also had a delicious meal. The wine recommendations made to us were superb. The atmosphere was light and happy and I love the wood dominated quirky decor. Would highly recommend.

Orphan’s Kitchen is all about the philosophy that fresh and local is best, and less is more. It is, in the words of the restaurant, “about looking to the bush, the ocean, the orchards, the fjords and the plains as tools for exploring national flavours and identity”.

Simple, unique and cultural are three words I would use to describe my favourite little local, Orphans Kitchen. <br/><br/>From the interior, to what is on the tip of your tongue will always please your senses. <br/><br/>Trim milk no more! At Orphans Kitchen you will only find full fat buffalo milk, or a hazelnut non-diary alternative, both sourced locally. The simplistic décor and menu never seem to dissatisfy, especially when I order the drool worthy burnt butter Crumpets (with bacon of course), and a nutty hazelnut milk flattie!<br/> <br/>Their philosophy is unique, produce is always sourced locally, making what is served dependent on our crazy and somewhat dismal New Zealand weather. They also run a tasting menu on the first Tuesday of every month to introduce new and inventive dishes from seasonal cuts of meat and produce! What really makes me fall for this place is the calm and relaxed vibe, which is evident in all their staff. They really have created a home away from home dining ambiance if you ask me.<br/> <br/>If your lucky enough to get the table outside on a beautiful sunny morning take a moment to just sit back and take it all in.

Step into the wooden wonderland that is Orphans Kitchen and take a seat. First things first, I would say you do have to open your mind for the menu here - don't be afraid to Google half of the ingredients 😂. The service is questionable depending on who serves you but it wasn't off putting at the same time. I would say this is 100% not the place for a fussy eater but I'm sure the majority of people would find a gem on the menu! It's creative, organic and incredibly health conscious 🌿. The quality is up there and the price isn't too far fetched! Overall I would recommend this place for creative types and small groups of friends.

Huge disappointment, our brocoli was way too sour, too much vinegar, almost impossible to eat. The crumpets had no taste, the poached eggs came with just a tiny piece of burnt bread and the caneles were completely burnt. Completely overpriced.

Went here for brunch on a lovely Saturday morning with my flatmates. Started off with some fantastic flat whites. The waiters were a little lost. One gave two of us empty glasses and another one gave the other two with water. What? Some of the things we ordered were the slow cooked eggs and anchovies on sourdough and the crumpets. When the eggs came, it looked good but smelt strong of vinegar and the sourdough was burnt on the edges. It was tough to cut and tasted, well, burnt. The eggs were nice but the vinegar taste was strong which made the whole thing too overwhelming with the salty anchovies. The crumpets were slightly burnt and didn't really have the texture you'd expect from crumpets. To finish we had the canele and boy the colour was so burnt! Burnt seems to be the thing here... Might go back if the menu changes but we're not too impressed with our first visit.

Under rated cafe and casual atmosphere. The food was absolutely superb!!! We had the mutton, pappa and fish of the day, plus some starters. <br/>The depth of flavour, subtleties of spices and herbs and produce quality were exceptional. <br/><br/>The staff were the only let down as they reflect more of the casual setup and clearly need to be better than trained and briefed. Too casual and not enough depth in their menu knowledge. <br/><br/>However, the menu easily beat some of Auckland s top dinning spots. The meals were seriously a delightful surprise. This kitchen needs to move, refurbish and expand to reflect its quality. You are underselling yourselves.<br/><br/>Be more ambitious and take the next step.<br/>Highly recommended!

Stopped in for a few snacks on a weeknight. Our waiter was helpful and accommodating, food was great, drinks were great. Best butter I've ever tasted- give the sourdough a try with whatever you order. Will be back for breakfast, which seems to be popular. Seating was a little tight but the interior was nice and relaxed.

Best hot chocolate ever. Delish .. Busy , staff quick to sit us down and prompt service. Cosy as small but nice atmosphere and menu was delightfully different .

Went here last weekend with a couple of friends and we chose the 'Feasting Menu' - and what a great idea that was.  Every course was delicious with some ingredients not always seen in other menus (the Kahawai wings were amazing!).  Great service - knowledgable and friendly.  Ran out of a couple of the wines we wanted - but they were bin ends so not surprising.   Only slight niggle was that a lot of the courses were served without cutlery - made for kind of a messy night, but I guess they did keep replenishing the napkins.  Fingerbowls or wet napkins halfway through service might be an idea.  Would definitely recommend.

Service 5 Food 4.5 Deco 5<br/>We were there for brunch on Thursday afternoon. Is not crowded. Got a four seated seat next to the long bench. Loves their friendly service, the kumara mash with Wagyu is a must try.

Food was out standing. Good sized portion. Decor very modern and simple. Barista extremely helpful and lovely. Waitress not up to scratch and brought the experience down. Got ignored or left to ourselves.

I heard quite a lot of raves about this place, and finally got to try it a couple of weeks ago. The place was quite small with rustic decor, which is quite cute. <br/><br/>It was a week night and the place was actually quite busy, but we didn't have to wait long for our table. We were seated in along bench like table along with a couple of other groups. It wasn't bad but I thought it was a little weird. Maybe i am just old fashioned but i think I still prefer my own table. <br/><br/>Our waitress was lovely! She was friendly and bubbly and she explained the menu to us (we had 2 engineers and a phd student in our group and couldn't figure out the menu lol)<br/>Anyway I thought the menu selection was quite limited. <br/><br/>The food took awhile to arrived, my friend ordered the salmon entree we all had the beef brisket for main, some kumara fries and a bottle of wine. To be fair I was expecting more, it was good but I thought they lacked the wow factor. <br/><br/>I don't know if I would go back maybe it's not my personal taste, but overall it wasn't a bad place

The origin of the name, Orphan's Kitchen, came from one of many delicious gatherings hosted by the founders, who along with some of their friends, were far away from home or family at Christmas time. Orphan's Kitchen's minimalistic set up - lambskins and exposed wooden benches - seem to be taken straight out of the pages of Kinfolk magazine, with a homey, unpretentious menu including beef ragu and ramen with pork broth. We were blessed with very helpful and patient staff that hid our birthday cake (for it was Mel-belle's birthday!), showed us the seating options (including a sunny (but chilly) back porch with an exposed brick oven) and explained to us the benefits of activated charcoal — a chemical purifier used in their water jugs. They seem to have it all: looks, personality, coconut sugar and substance. Will you marry us, please?<br/><br/>Check out our individual comments here: husk.co.nz/lunches/orphans-kitchen-april-2015

Orphans Kitchen is probably one of the best places to see how different, fresh and delicious NZ ingredients are. Tom Hishon, the chef and co-owner of the place, use unconventional ingredients in a creative way.<br/><br/>Menu is small and changes quite often. You probably won't be able to try same things I have tried, but I am quite sure any visit will be full of good surprises.<br/><br/>The fresh oysters from Waiheke are delicious and come with a very clever flavoured ice that brings an awesome taste while keeping the product at its best temperature.<br/><br/>Also had octopus as a starter, which had a rich broth from the own octopus and a delicious sort of banana purée (sorry for the poor description). It was almost flawless, except for a slight​ rancid taste that came from somewhere I could not tell.<br/><br/>Mains were the best. I tried the fish of the day, cooked to perfection over charcoal. I was positively impressed about the unexpected combination with hazelnuts and seaweed. The seaweed blew my mind!<br/><br/>My friend had a black pasta with vegetables and an amazing broth, which I was able to try and was so good I almost finished for him.<br/><br/>I haven't tried dessert as I opted for the cheese selection. Three different cheese's that matched perfectly with the sides: black garlic and a jaw dropping honey from their rooftop beehive.<br/><br/>Service was good and friendly.

Thought we would try out a previously recommended cafe for breakfast.<br/>Quick and friendly greeting as we ordered coffees and browsed the menu.<br/>Coffees arrived promptly and we gave our orders to the waiter after he carefully described our selections.<br/>The slow poached eggs with anchovies were awesome.<br/>Wish this one was closer to home.

Food is interesting - they definitely experiment with flavours however it is a bit of a hit and miss - thankfully mostly hits. Portions were good however may be small for those with large appetites. The desserts are divine. If you are going in pairs the seating is quite intimate. They placed pairs in an opposite fashion along a long table and we had a few centermetres between each others elbows and its would be an interesting experience for those who enjoy personal space.

Creative, fresh and tasty food. Homey feel with a relaxed vibe and good service. Good value for money too. We will definitely be back. Highly recommend the spinach dish and Wagyu brisket.

Great buzzing atmosphere for a Sunday morning. Good food and great coffee. Simple menu so easy to make a decision.. No complaints here! ☺️

Went there for dinner last night. The staff was very nice and helpful, however the food was average. I have ordered vegan options the potatoe dumpling, yum Yums and gingernut desert. The potatoe dumpling was blend and tasteless, I could probably make it better at home. The only thing that I enjoyed was the desert which was delicious. Good vibe tho.

I'll get my gripes out of the way first because, let's be honest, everyone likes a bit of drama.  There are 2 of them:<br/><br/>A) I wasn't given any option to book the table of 5 into Orphan's Kitchen any later than 6:30pm through the online booking system, halfway through our meal at around 7:30pm the restaurant was still half empty. Trying to fight your way through post work Auckland traffic on a rainy winters day can create a bit of stress especially when the booking confirmation states they'll only hold your table for 10min after your booking time. Never a great build up to what should be relaxing evening.<br/><br/>B) I get the feeling Orphan's Kitchen change their menu regularly, unless you were fanatical about fish and seafood this night, there wasn't a great selection on this menu.<br/><br/>The menu's on Zomato are out of date, all dishes have gone up in price with the "Larger" plates now over $30. Not a gripe, but a table of 5 with entrees, mains, a bottle of red and a few single glasses was just shy of $500. It doesn't scream value for money, but then again you're not always going out to get the best "Bang for Buck!" meal are ya? Sometimes you just want to go out for a lovely meal with family and enjoy the evening regardless of price, which is what we did.<br/><br/>The standout for the night was the service. Each dish that was brought to the table was explained in great (but not too much) detail, the woman serving us had a huge amount of knowledge on all dishes and wine. She was warm and hospitable with character to boot,  even waving her hand in front of my phone while I was attempting to take photos of the food, created quite the giggle around the table.<br/><br/>To start we had the Bluff Oysters with Champagne Granita.  Simply superb.<br/>Secondly I had the Cauliflower and Black Garlic entree, this was a tasty and textural win!<br/>Others on the table ordered the Moon fish with Kiwi, a very acidic dish, almost overpowering with a good kick of chili,  bit of a confusing dish.  The other entree ordered was fish carpaccio which was served with a kelp sauce, really interesting flavours.<br/><br/>For main was the Wagyu cheek, the cheek melted in your mouth, the swede that came with the dish was awkwardly al dente, almost had the consistency of uncooked pasta, slightly odd accompaniment. The flavour of this dish though was awesome, the most perfect mid-winter eating.<br/>Other dishes of the night was the Kahawai and the dumpling/mushroom dish. Neither dish doing much for those who ordered them unfortunately.  For a side we ordered the smoked Yams which inspired us all to go home to try to replicate it, they were that good.<br/><br/>So, food wise a bit of a mixed bag, I for one enjoyed everything I ate, I can't speak for the rest of the table.  An enjoyable evening nonetheless and that's exactly what we were after :)<br/><br/>P.s they were playing the most magical music in the restaurant that night.

I just don't understand why it is sosososososo expensive.. The coffee was even smaller than a regular size coffee but it was $5!! And the food was $18 and it was only a piece of bread with some verge on top! Can't believe that!

Came here for brunch on a Saturday. It wasn't too busy and we were seated straight away. The decor is lovely and the staff were very friendly and approachable and we're happy to answer questions about the menu. I enjoyed the liquorice and ginger tea (delicious) and the rest of the group had decent coffees. I had the poached eggs and anchovies on toast... Tasty but a pretty small serving for the price and I wasn't blown away. Nothing special. My partner had the wagyu beef and kumara dish which was very tasty and filling but not enough texture (all soft food). Decent place but not the best I've been to!

The Mrs had been here and finally I got to taste OK for myself.  We had the tasting menu and I enjoyed the refreshing innovative yet totally approachable food.  The staff were very good, attentive but not overly so and informative.  The wine list has a decent range of wines from NZ and abroad.  We started with bottarga (smoke fish roe paste) and fermented kumara chips, basically fancy kettle chips and dip.  I don't usually like fish roe but if I could sit in on the couch with a bowl of bottarga and those chips I would be so happy.  The swordfish ceviche and kiwifruit dish was light and refreshing and the kawakawa juice in the bottom of the bowl was lovely and spicy.  The mains came out family style, a plate of rich smooth venison black pudding with slow cooked egg and pork fat, slow roasted squash, ethereal gnocchi-like dumplings with mushrooms and a cleansing salad were exciting and satisfying to eat.  The meal rounded out with a lime sorbet ginger buckwheat and custard dessert which was small but perfectly proportioned.  Intelligent stylish food, great service, a great night

Hard to find anything appetising to order, none of the 4 of us enjoyed our meal, sand flies buzzing around, and dirty plates still on table an hr after we finished eating!! Definitely overrated - would not go back

Went there for dinner on Tuesday night. We had a dinner tasting menu which was a really journey of different flavours. It was a bit strange but cool at same time, definitely an adventure! Fantastic vegetarian options is a definite plus. Some of the courses took a bit too long which was strange for a Tuesday night but the staff were very nice and offered us a free glass of wine as an apology. Will definitely go back for another adventure.

Had breakfast here on a busy morning. The service was really nice. Ordered the mashed kumara with wagyu brisket. The combination of flavours were very good. The pepper flavour, the sweetness, the punchy salad and meat worked very well. This meal complimented the toast side with a poached egg. I tried the hazelnut brownie which was very rich, yet soft and delicious. It would have been nice with a side of cream but I guess you're meant to have it with a coffee or something. Overall, Orphan's Kitchen put my faith back into breakfast. Thoroughly enjoyable and worth the money I parted with.

Warning FOODIES only. Like the judges in "master chef" would say " the only bad thing I can say about this dish is that there isn't enough!" A very nice contemporary style of eating! The dishes are full of flavours and balance of fresh ingredients; you will get the crunch the hit of fresh raw taste plus the presentation all in one. We had the the feasting menu consisting of 7 different dishes. Highlights were the mushroom gnocchi, fresh oysters and the kumara chip plus fish raw dip. If you want an interesting party in your palate I would highly recommend this place. <br/>Pro: got to try it urself as the flavour out of this world (don't have to skills or vocabulary to describe the food). Good wine selection and good service. <br/><br/>Cons: lacks meat, digs real deep on the pockets and seating style not too comfortable for long stay ( we were there for close to 3 hr)

The shop is hard to find but the design is quite good. We are after the metro's introduction of the best dishs in 2016. The 'Slow-poached eggs, anchovy and lemon on spelt' - unfortunately we didn't get the point...Smell really fishy and the whole dish is using the Chinese Spring onion and spicy powder for topping, but combine the egg Benedict style base, it taste strange! I was disappointing about the service as well,not considering coming back.

Have been here for 1 dinner, 2 brunches & 1 breakfast- Consistently good. Friendly, welcoming service & an innovative but accessible menu. Deserves every good review & award they get.

I've been here three times now, twice for brunch and once for dinner.<br/><br/>Definitely one of the best options in Ponsonby for innovative food, the vegetarian dinner menu had me spoilt for choice which almost never happens when you're dairy free! <br/><br/>Service was great even though food was slow to come...

Only ever been here for dinner, and if you like innovative, well presented, and a hipster type ambience, this is a place to go. We loved our service, our italian red wine, best ceviche I've had in Auckland (I ate here quite a while ago though, so not sure if they still have it in the menu), and everything we ate, gave us a pleasant surprise. <br/><br/>But be ready to spend quite a bit as being located in Ponsonby, this place is on the expensive side. <br/><br/>I would definitely come back!

Far too busy and very loud so didn't make for a pleasant dining experience<br/><br/>Courtyard was even worse. <br/>Staff too stressed<br/>Far too over priced<br/>Service disappointing and haphazard. Tables that arrived after us served prior to us. <br/>Food average<br/>Very Ponsonby! <br/>

One of the highlight dining spot on Ponsonby street ❤️ love the high chairs and the wooden tables as well as the neutral tone of the whole place, simple is best. I usually come here for brunch and so far I've had only lovely dining experience. My favourite dishes are the smoked fish with cucumber twirls on top of avocado mash and avocado mash on rye with mint and cheese. Perfection 👍🏼 fresh, tasty, beautiful presentation and the portion is just right 😊 next on my list is the green beans, bacons and eggs (cooked as you wish), delicious ❤️ I will def come sometimes for dinner service and update my review, but so far this is an excellent place for brunch 😊

Been told to come here for while now so we decided to try it for breaky, smashed avo, mint, duck egg, goat cheese on rye bread - bloody interesting mix! <br/><br/>Really good Piccolo Coffee and the food is clean.....real clean, like Sunday night bed sheets after the weekend wash!

Couldn't actually find anything excited on the limited menu. Thumps up for the innovation of every dishes but they were not for me, tasted kind of weird & blended. I had the steak for main unfortunately it was very disappointing, I'd rather have the normal steak with mashed potatoes w red wine juice and some salad on side 😔

These crumpets!!! Oh my god they're the best. The rest of the menu looks incredible too but I've never been willing to go past the crumpets so may just have to order two meals next visit. Service is consistently pleasant. Only gripe is the consistency of the hazelnut milk seems to vary each time I go - I've had a few perfect experiences but more recently it seems to be a bit gritty and not very well strained. I'll look past it though, cos crumpets.

Went here for breakfast on a sunny Sunday. Place was very busy but we managed to get a table outside. We ordered our drinks and food. Some of the drinks ended up coming out after we had eating which was a little frustrating. The food was amazing though! I had the slowed poached eggs with lemon, chili and anchovies on toast. Flavours complemented each other very well. My sisters were also very happy with their breakfasts. Will be back to try more of their menu.

Orphan's Kitchen was spectacular - I had the fish with corn and zucchini and it was outstanding. Best fish I've ever had at a restaurant, I think. Love the decor, it's simple but nice. The service was quite slow - we waited about an hour for our mains. We visited on a Thursday night.

A cute, tiny place on Ponsonby Rd that is not the easiest to find if you don't know it but well worth the visit. Small menu and sharing plates are small too, but come willing to spend a bit to share the full experience. What we tried was great quality just wanted more of it for a sharing plate style menu. Recommend.

Excellent food, poor service. Food is really tasty and worth the money. However, service is poor. Serving main while still eating the starter, no steak knives while serving a red steak. If you don't want to serve food after 9pm, just close your kitchen.

Instead of picking up the phone during business hours, I had to endure one of the world's most painful (and outdated) answer phone messages. It was first thing in the morning... I'm sure you weren't run off your feet.

Orphan's is a firm favourite for all three meals a day. The produce is fresh and the food changes seasonally. They make their own crumpets and have their own beehives on site. <br/>I go there often with my girlfriends who also rave about the place: the food is excellent and the service is equally so. Most importantly for me is the staff have always welcomed my two little ninjas (5 and 3) and fed them well! <br/>Definitely try their white chocolate buffalo milk, mushrooms or panacotta (if in season)!

Perfect meal! Loved every dish & it was all vegan (by request). It was great to be catered for without feeling like I had caused hassle. Lovely atmosphere and the staff had nice laid back attitude while delivering great service and showing a good knowledgable of every dish. 👌🏼

Went for Breakfast and loved it! I had smashed avo on rye bread and the husband had slow poached eggs with anchovies and lemon. The dishes sound so simple but they are amazing! The smashed avo had a good amount of chilli in it, but I love chilli so not a problem for me. My husband doesn't even like anchovies so I was a bit surprised by his choice but he couldn't stop raving about how delicious the dish was. An extra bonus was discovering the courtyard out the back where we were allowed to take our dog (we had resigned ourselves to the single table outside the entrance but a friendly staff member came out and invited us to sit in the courtyard with the dog). We'll be back!

Had lunch with few friends today. I tried the sardine and loved it. Coffee was great. However i didnt like the ginger beer, as it was way too sweet for my liking. Fantastic service and would recommend to anyone. They really need to do something about signage as it's bit hidden

Alot of interesting concoction of layers and flavours on every dish. and the FOH are rather knowledgeable of the chefs work, so when the dish reaches your table, you will not be ignorant as to what flavour profiles you will be enjoying.

A very cosy, rustic, casual dining place with AWESOME food.... We popped in here early for dinner as I knew you couldn't book and it hadn't filled up yet... Started with the oysters and complimentary bread YUM.... Then we had 2 mains & 2 sides... The flavours and freshness were just delicious. Had to try a dessert but couldn't decide between the donuts or apple and rhubarb ... WOW soooo glad we got both! Thought we were too full but it was just spot on and light. Service was really nice too.

This is my number 1 place for beautiful and creative food. Top quality and at a reasonable price. Always great value. Made for easy sharing. <br/><br/>The lamb belly was made fresh with the avocado purée and cucumber ribbons. The trevelly ceviche texture well balanced with the capsicum and the tanginess of flavours. Those 2 would have to be my dishes of the night. <br/><br/>The venison tartare with the egg yolk is very rich and bursting with flavours. The snapper sashimi subtly dances on your tongue. It's a nice contrast to the heavier but still flaky tarakihi that was matched with a minty base. <br/><br/>Finally dessert was finished off with a dark chocolate hit and washed off with a light kiwi fruit sorbet.<br/><br/>Orphans kitchen is one of the best example of farm to table and one of the consistently best dining places in Auckland.

Yes this place is tasty. Don't go if you are hungry because you will probably end up going to Maccas after. Portion sizes are small for what you pay.

After reading awesome reviews on this place, we decided to give it a whirl this Saturday morning. All I can say is YUM!!!! The crumpets were absolutely Devine. I chose the smashed avocado dish.... It was absolutely scrumptious. Beautiful balance of flavour, with a hit of spicy-ness and a touch of mint. Devine. My husband had the duck egg with asparagus. The egg was slightly salty but the combination was great. My father in law had the sardines - he said the combination of tamarilo, horse radish and watercress blew his socks off. Definitely going back to try the rest of the menu! Brilliant atmosphere and awesome wait staff :-)

Normally great but service so average tonight. We got given the wrong main course with no apology and no enquiry at any point if things were ok... Also, had to walk to the counter to get any attention for a drink. All in all, the staff are letting the place down! Average - and we got charged for the incorrect main!

I was kinda skeptical about this place cause I thought it was just another one of metro's trending cafes that comes off a bit pretentious. But after seeing the owners at sweet talks and hearing how genuine they were with their food and efforts to be sustainable I thought I'd give it a try. And ho shit all I can say is believe the hype eh. Such a nice atmosphere with rimu slab tables and little shearling mats on the stools. I couldn't believe how big it was with the huge outdoor area too. Coffees were good and we ordered the avocado smash and the slow poached eggs on spelt. Both were bloody good. Portions are kinda small and it is expensive but I think worth it for the quality ingredients like the goats cheese on my dish was so fiyah. The staff are also really friendly and they let us stay at our table for 2 and a half hours cause we didn't wanna leave lol. Also if u go to the bathroom upstairs, look out the window above the sink. u can see 3 bee hive boxes they have to make honey :-)

Came here in wet Sunday morning. Not busy.<br/>Great coffee, great service and the wagyu brisket with kumara mash while not a normal breakfast choice was magnificent.<br/>Will definitely be back.<br/>

Orphan's Kitchen is an absolute must!<br/><br/>Came here with friends for a birthday and left having had one of the best culinary experiences I have had in NZ.  Due to not taking bookings we waited about a half hour for a table on a Friday evening and they staff happily showed us to their back courtyard  and sat us next to the fire as they got us some drinks.  The only negative of the entire evening happened next.  Sadly, they were out of one of the beers I wanted to try, fortunately our server was on point and recommended a great alternative.  Once seated we proceeded to order a dozen oysters (had 2 different species and both were delicious) and one of every entree (4 to choose from) and one of every main (4 to choose from).  All the dishes were excellent and the standouts were the beer tartare, and the lamb belly which is hands down one of the best dishes I have had in years!  It was flawlessly presented and so perfectly balanced I salivate just thinking about it.  We had a couple different servers throughout the evening and they were all brilliant with great knowledge of the menu and spot on wine recommendations.  I'm not sure how the management of OK attract such great staff but there are several restaurants in Ponsonby that could learn a few lessons!<br/><br/>All in all my experience at Orphan's Kitchen was absolutely excellent and I will wholeheartedly recommend them to anyone, as well as going back myself!

I'd heard so much about Orphan's Kitchen, but mainly its dinner menu...but thought I'd give it a whirl for brunch. <br/><br/>We had the homemade crumpets with honey (delicious), the mushrooms (creamy creamy goodness) and the breakfast ramen (I was most excited about this....but it was a little disappointing, too much like plain old two minute noodles).<br/><br/>Portions are petite, so it's not for big eaters...but the flavours more than make up for that. <br/><br/>Overall a great experience. Attentive staff and great coffee too.

Went to this wonderful little restaurant for lunch. Weren't any seats indoors so we were led out to the back, where we had the area to ourselves - lovely wooden tables with heating and blankets. <br/>We were served promptly and kindly. I got the Orphan's Ginger Soda, Wagyu Beef, and some Kumara chips to share. <br/>The beef was amazing, so tender, working brilliantly with the cabbage and kumara mash. The kumara chips were also a perfect hit - well sized and cooked. <br/>It was a quick, easy, delicious dining experience. Only negative was the lack of desert 💔

Perfect! Great food, great service, amazing ambience, and I love the story behind the name. I once was an orphan in London, can totally relate! Don't change a thing! Can't wait to come back here. Get there ASAP! No bookings so get there early.

Have been several times over the past year. Service was amazing, as was the atmosphere. I'm not a fan of the no booking thing but unfortunately that's what a lot of newer places are doing. The first time we went early ish and waited about a half hour - had a drink in their outdoor area out the back which is really great in summer. I think they have heaters there too for winter. We had the bread, the chicken main, and the lamb main - all of which were great! Chefs do a great job considering how tiny the kitchen is.

We had a really nice feasting menu. The waitress was very friendly and patient to us. Also she took our request to swap one of the dishes for bigonni( if that's how it spelled). The bluff oysters were served with ice and seaweed. Really nice combination. The oysters were fresh and juicy. The Tarakihi with macadamia and sage is one of the best Tarakihi I've had. The fragrance of macadamia lingered in my mouth and I just couldn't let go of it. Also the cauliflowers served with Parmesan cauliflower purée is really delicious too. Will definitely come back to this lovely spot again.

Orphans Kitchen is a one of a kind dining experience and you need to see what the fuss is all about. It has a rustic décor and the atmosphere is buzzing with a variety of diners.<br/><br/>We went for dinner on a Friday night a couple of months ago and we had to wait for a table as you can’t book but the wait was worth it because it was one of the best dinners I have ever had. The dishes are designed to be shared by the table so it is perfect if you are in a big group. <br/><br/>I loved the asparagus side and the steak was incredibly tender. The service was fantastic and I loved the little touches such as the purifying charcoal in the jug of water and the incredible fresh bread with the side of beurre noisette butter (burnt butter).<br/><br/>The food is high quality, fresh and worth every cent. I would love to try their brunch menu so I will be back again soon.

Booked the big table here upstairs awhile back, had a group of 20 or so and was a fantastic night. Josh, Tom and the team do a great job here and the food lives up to the great reviews! Good vibe and friendly staff, look forward to going back again.

Okay I admit it - any restaurant that has such dedication to whatever's fresh in the market that morning and prints a new menu everyday wins a 4.0 or above in my book. Having travelled extensively, I've grown a leviathan of appreciation for use of New Zealand's fresh and organic ingredients - because you can truly taste the difference.Onto the restaurant. Orphan's Kitchen is a humble establishment that's actually tricky to find - but the best kept secret Ponsonby has to offer. The food is innovative; clean, and will suit most palates. Flavours are clear and precise (I'm looking at you, carpaccio) and combined with the texture of the meats, you can really eat blindfolded. That's how good the food is.It loses a 0.5 because our waitress threw away our takeaways, and although we were polite about it and told her manager (whom came to give us the bad news) it was okay, the waitress looked at us rather icily and ignored us for the rest of the meal.

We had the feasting menu, I think calling it a feast is a bit of a stretch. Food was really nice with great flavours and presentation however the waitstaff let it down by their lack of knowledge of the dishes. One in particular using being new as an excuse. Which I am sorry is not. Do your homework.

Can be hard to get a table due to popularity, BUT, so so so worth the wait. Cool and eccentric menu with dishes including milk fed lamb, jersey bennies, aubergine and feijoa. Tina's Wedge Salad and the Kumura Chips with Kawakawa Mayo are highly recommended. Cool vibes, great service and such a unique and cute little dining space.

I would like to dine again at Orphans Kitchen in the near future. I have a good feeling that they will be fabulous at creating comforting winter dishes. I would sit down at the same long table if available. With a glass of red wine, it can easily become my favourite spot in this winter.

Our first visit there, we were lucky to get a table. <br/>The interior of the cafe was nice and warm.<br/>We had breakfast ramen, mushroom and coffees.<br/>The mushroom was wonderful. With a piece of bread beside it, you could dip the bread with the sauce and eat.<br/>

I had a breakfast on last Friday .Brunch menu is different and interesting not the standard Break Fast menu and menu is limited and good choice for the vegetarian . I had mushroom broth with toast brioche ..lovely !!!and very friendly staff .

I have eaten twice at this establishment and both times I have left feeling "what is all the hype about"  <br/>The decor is fairly pleasant, however trying to enjoy an special meal perched on a wooden bar stool, is not my idea of comfort.  Perhaps that just reflects my age.<br/>The menu is fairly limited - on our latest visit there were only 4 items on the mains section.  I kept getting the feeling that the restaurant is taking the mickey out of everyone, especially when our waiter stated " did we understand the menu as many people didn't understand the terms "smalls".  We ordered 3 mains and although not terrible they were not fantastic and perhaps the greatest sin, all 3 dishes arrived only lukewarm.  We should have sent them back but................ it was Saturday night and the restaurant was busy.<br/>Orphan's Kitchen does have a beautiful aperitif on their menu wich does make it worth a visit - Prosecco Spritz -yummy, but for the rest I would say that there must be far more establishments in Auckland that serve interesting food and serve it hot, so why all the accolades for this place..

If you've flicked through Kinfolk and know anything about ponsonby you'll see this as an amalgam. Pale pastel walls, wooden, slightly rumpty, a sense of cleanliness, health and understated wealth. Good friendly service - the young English waiter was incredibly helpful and incredibly frantic. 9.00am Sunday morning. Just the two for coffee and breakfast. We eat in the "courtyard" under the increasingly fashionable beehives to the buzzing of bees. A barbecue was billowing smoke as one of the cooks manhandled large chunks of sweet smelling cow or sheep from it. It struck me as interesting to see the look on his sweating face surrounded by smoke and flame - an artisan / cook, the true creator , out back and invisible to the Prada of the dining area. <br/>We were on a short timeframe and when we told the waiter he ensured speedy arrival of trim caps - Supreme, single origin, well textured with a flavour of toasted hazelnuts, no bitterness and unburnt. The food followed, also quickly - : crumpet with burnt butter and honey, which was lovely but the burnt butter might have been more evident. It gave a sense that one more thing might be needed - I'm not sure what but it seemed incomplete - I think the feeling was compounded by the crumpet being cake-like with a fine crumb rather than a traditional one where there is variation in texture. .: Mushrooms, quark, chive, truffle and brioche- basically mushrooms in a broth with chunks of toasted brioche thrown on top - the mushrooms were field and maybe oyster, the latter gave (at least I think it was the mushroom) a slight bitterness which went through the delicate and perfectly balanced broth - it wasn't unpleasant by any means - it added interest. The truffle I suppose was in the few drops of oil on the surface, or the few little flakes of black that sat on the bottom but I couldn't taste it. <br/>Kinfolksy ceramics. The loo is cute and worth a visit. Very child and adult friendly. Will go back for dinner when we can.<br/><br/>Having slept on it after writing the above a small voice told me I had to be more honest - that I had found the crumpet boring and too much the same - I think I would prefer a real, thick home-made crumpet , served with burnt butter on the side to be spread over, and with the honey also separate (perhaps infused with the truffle that I couldn't taste in the mushrooms) to be poured over that.

After a long awaited visit to dine at orphans kitchen I finally got the chance with my good friend for her birthday. <br/><br/>Great vibes, beautiful dinner wear and the food for the eye looked amazing. Being a cold night I was hanging out for some comfort food and went for the mushroom pasta with an extra treat of shaved truffle. My main let down for the dish was that the rehydrated (or waiter told me dehydrated) pieces of mushroom were hard as rocks and weren't pleasant to bite into every now and then. <br/>The wagu cheeks needed more seasoning. Kumera chips, yum but we got mostly the dregs from the fryer. Also I noticed all the tables around us were given bread and only found out when paying the bill that we were meant to have bread also but none arrived at our table.<br/><br/>Mentioned this feedback to waitstaff who weren't to interested. <br/><br/>Dessert, the dark chocolate with licorice icecream was good but was hoping for more of a less sweet dessert.<br/><br/>Overall, a nice visit but a few let downs which mean I won't be hurrying back there.

Instagrammers rejoice at the opportune visual feasts provided at Orphans Kitchen. Though unfortunately my tastebuds didn't feast as much. Opting for the 'bacon, feijoa, vine tomatoes and avocado on spelt' concoction, because who else puts feijoas on the menu, I was quite disappointed when it was revealed the feijoa component was just feijoa chutney, and the chutney was much too strong and sweet, overruling everything else. When I removed any trace of chutney, the meal dramatically improved but then just became boring, except for the fried duck egg extra I added which was a glorious egg. My companion noted her smoked fish meal was good but not the best she's had. I wish I enjoyed the food as much as all other aspects of this place (though the dinner menu may fare better). Service was fantastic, iced coffee tumbler fancy and I loved the sophisticated meets simplistic dining hall interior with macrocarpa timber high tables, sheep skin stool toppings, classic exposed light bulbs and a majestic mirror (perfect for those pretentious Ponsonby posse's).

Enjoyed a lovely brunch on Saturday at this cool place. The food was amazing!!! We had the homemade crumpets and mushroom broth with brioche, what a refreshingly innovative yet delicious meal. Can't wait to go back to try more menu items! The coffee was surprisingly sour for Supreme so was slightly disappointed with it. Also keen to try the white hot choc with buffalo milk which they ran out.

Amazing food! Amazing waiters. The food took a long time and they compensated with complementary treats. I loved their drinks and the interior architecture. We had appetizers and mains , all of them magnificent and unique. I had a really delicious watermelon starter and a fish for a main. I highly recommend their ginger tea.

One of my fav places ever the food is so delicious and the atmosphere is such a good vibe love the food ??? have been here twice in the last month

There's been a hype about this place and it lived it up. We were first served with butter and bread and the butter had some ash in it. It was nice. We ordered cerviche and beef as our entrée to share between the three of us. Mains we got lamb, beef and fish. All of them had clean flavours and simple. Service was good and efficient. It was an enjoyable night out.

After reading the phenomenal review in Herald we had to go and try it. Unfortunately we were really disappointed. The menu is very boring, food was blend and the staff overworked. Mushrooms were very blend and overcooked & avocado smash had way too much chilli flakes. Not going back!

Ticking this off my 2014 Dining Wishlist, my friend and I finally made our way to Ponsonby for dinner at Orphan’s Kitchen. Claiming to be ‘the home of unadulterated food and naughty wine’, we walked in to a full dining room on a stormy Saturday night while a group of diners were opening a magnum 1.5 litre AIX Rose inside. It was the beginning of a rowdy night!<br/><br/>With the menu designed to have small and large plates that are meant for sharing, we opted to have two small, a large and a side between the two of us, in attempts to leave room for dessert.<br/><br/>The heirloom tomatoes with lomo (Spanish cured ham), purée buffalo mozzarella and house made gram crackers was my favourite for the night. A good balance between savory and sweet, smooth and crunchy, this dish is like summer on a plate. Great display of fresh ingredients. The snapper ceviche with watermelon, diced capsicum and begonia sat on top of a creamy avocado puree and that too was top-notch.<br/><br/>By comparison, the small dishes were far more impressive than the large. Our rye gnocchi with mushroom, sage and truffle was topped with a poached hen egg that oozed with yolk. Despite being served with a mushroom broth, this dish lacked moisture and the rye gnocchi could have benefited from some additional seasoning. Flavours of the mushrooms were fantastic, but there were clearly not enough mushroom to go around.<br/><br/>Thinking that dessert could redeem the gnocchi, we were rather disappointed with our dessert. Expecting an arty display like our small dishes, the “sweetness” end to our meal could have done with a prettier presentation. Tastewise, our kiwifruit sorbet with toasted kawakawa marshmallow and strawberry tart was good, but not superb.<br/><br/>To be fair, I came with high expectations and despite them not being met, we had a nice meal at Orphan’s Kitchen. Coming early is highly recommended unless you don’t mind waiting, and I personally suggest ordering more of the small plates where the pairings are more unique with a gorgeous presentation.

Great service, simple meals done well. Recommend the skirt steak! Not just any old steak, it's actually to die for. Complimentary burnt butter is delicious also. Everything on the menu is yum! Oh good wines and cocktails too! Just good everything! Love this place!

I finally made it to Orphans Kitchen after seeing all the hype online. Being a chef its difficult to eat out when you work the same hours that most eateries are open :/ However I finally made it here for a friday lunch! <br/><br/>On arrival we were told the dishes were either for sharing or individual serves with all of the small plates served cold and the larger served hot. We were also given complimentary bread with a beurre noisette butter (burnt butter). Normally sharing dishes are served at the same time or when prepared, but we didn't realise they were being served as entree and mains. This is fine but I'm not sure whether something went wrong in the kitchen because the wait between the trevally (entree) being cleared and the mains served was incredibly long. <br/><br/>The skirt steak and porae were perfectly cooked. The black garlic on the skirt steak was delicious and something different you don't see often on most menus. I think the Porae dish was nice with the jerusalem artichoke but everything else was a bit unexciting and the turnip was a bit firm to bite - meaning undercooked. I really enjoyed the cured trevally. The dish is light and refreshing but we agreed the kumara chips with kawakawa mayo was OMG. Purple and golden kumara was used and they were super crisp and super soft in the middle. They would be the best hand cut kumara chips I've tried to date. The dinner menu has a few extra menu items which look attractive. I would still recommend Orphans Kitchen if you want light meal options and a casual dining experience without pretentiousness. <br/><br/><br/>Rating<br/>Food: 7/10<br/>Service: 8/10<br/>Value for Money: Average<br/><br/><br/>118 Ponsonby Road, Ponsonby<br/>Opening Hours:<br/>Tues-Sat 5pm-late<br/>Fri 12pm-late

Busy Friday night. Very pleasant service. Beautifully prepared food. Thanks to the wait staff that helped us relocate (with our food) from upstairs to downstairs. Much appreciated.

Best food I have had in a while and I can't fault the place. The service was absolutely perfect. Menu was creative and there is something for everyone. Some great takes on old classics - such as the boil up. They went out of their way to cater to all of us, will definitely be back here soon.

Was here for an early dinner on a Thursday night recently. Thoroughly impressed by the friendly and professional front of house, and the food was all about the flavour and quality. Loved it, and will return for sure. And those bread rolls....! Yummo. Well done, team.

I love this place. I think these guys will go far. I have been a couple of times and walked out of there really satisfied. It's definitely food with a twist and I think you really have to study the Menu and ask questions before ordering. Great Service. Keep up the good work

My partner and I dined at Orphan's Kitchen on a Wednesday night and we were greeted by friendly and helpful staff who sat us immediately. We decided to dine outside in the courtyard which had a pleasant fire and blankets which made a fairly cool night very cosy.<br/>We ordered three drinks, the fish main, the steak and kumara fries. Although the food took a little longer to arrive (business picked up ten minutes after our arrival), the food was cooked to perfection. They did however forget our kumara fries and when we asked about them, the staff without hesitation took the fries off the bill and served it to us very quickly.<br/>Overall, we had an awesome experience. A very friendly, relaxing and different atmosphere. We would love to come back.

A group of eight friends visited Orphans Kitchen, shortly after it opened in early August. We sat upstairs, where we had an elongated 20-seat table to ourselves.<br/><br/>The menu is not extensive, which is how I prefer it to be. And where new restaurants tend to be now trending with their Less-is-More ethos.<br/><br/>The ambiance is rustic -- but uncluttered by accouterments -- enhanced by the kauri floors and glowing polished macrocarpa tables. The dishes were generous in servings and showed flair in presentation. The pacing between the serving of the three courses was well-timed and non-intrusive. The service is engaging, seamless, genuinely friendly and unwaveringly attentive -- without the clichéd pretentiousness that comes with: "And an excellent choice, Sir".<br/><br/>The vibe is relaxed and casual; the background music suggests that this is an establishment where enlivened conversation is to be encouraged, as opposed to subdued restraint and where your social graces need to be on "Best Behaviour". It's a place to chill, relax, laugh, enjoy good food and wine amongst the company of family, friends, business associates, zumba zealots etc.<br/><br/>Footnote: The omission of the apostrophe in "Orphans", to signal either the singular or the possessive noun, is deliberate.

Orphan's Kitchen has been on my wishlist for the longest time and, boy, was it worth the wait. As with most new establishments there is a walk-policy so landing a table on a Saturday evening can be quite a challenge.  However, after being told that there would be a 45 minute wait, we were pleasantly surprised when we were called 15 minutes later after an unexpected "quick exit".  <br/><br/>The interior is cool and minimalistic, wait staff friendly and welcoming and the atmosphere humming with excited diners.  To start we had the complementary laxseed and kawakawa ciabatta served with burnt butter and ash salt.  Our smaller dishes consisted of the beetroot, brussel sprouts, buffalo curd, walnut and shallots($16) and the cured salmon, celerian, granny smith and horseradish($16).  These starters had such interesting combinations that all worked well together.  <br/><br/>For the larger plates, we shared the rye gnocchi, hen egg, funghi, sage and truffle($27) and, my favourite dish of the evening, the skirt steak, red cabbage, kale and black garlic($27).  The gnocchi was light and the egg yolk mixed through created the perfect amount of "sauce".  The steak was a textural delight - with the perfectly cooked steak, crunch of the kale chips and almost sauerkraut-like addition of the red cabbage made this dish a stand-out! We also had the simple but delicious Tina's wedge salad as a side. <br/><br/>We ended with sharing the two dessert options on offer - dark Valrhona chocolate, tamarillo, black cardamon and yirgacheffe (which the wait staff kindly explained to us as a type of Ethiopian coffee) and cultured buttermilk, burnt mandarin, hazelnut and dulce (both $16).  Once again, all components worked beautifully together and these were the perfect sweet ending to the evening.  <br/><br/>I would highly recommend for great food in a hip environment...would happily return soon!

Flavours that and food tastes and combinations that sent me some where I have never been . FeelI had been an orphan .

Heard a lot about this place. Obviously, had to try it out. Cool decor and good set up. Was freezing though! Need some more heating on the cold winter nights! Staff were ok. We seemed to have 4 staff members looking after us. All with a different story. Very friendly though. I had the blackened pork. Was ok, but was very over cooked. Was overall a little disappointed. Hopefully we just had a bad night. Will definitely try again though.

Love this place. Excellent food, beautiful interior, friendly and attentive staff, and casual atmosphere.<br/><br/>We thought the house-smoked salmon salad was a bargain, at only $15. It had interesting flavours that worked well together: apple, celeriac and horseradish. We also tried the pan-fried gnocchi which was served with a soft-poached egg, shiitake mushrooms, purple cauliflower, fried sage leaves, and because we paid extra for it, slices of fresh truffle which the chef just happened to have purchased that day ($25 + $7). Both were delicious.<br/><br/>Along with the beautiful flaxseed and kawakawa ciabatta served with burnt butter and ash, which we were given to start, we found this to be more than enough food for our meal.<br/><br/>Highly recommended!<br/>Note: they don't take bookings.

This place is my favourite restaurant in Auckland at the moment, the food is incredible. <br/><br/>Hip young staff and clientèle, simple fit out, not too formal.