L’Oeuf

Caught up with a friend over the weekend, and since we were both out in the central/​central-​west area, I was eager to suggest L’Ooeuf. She agreed readily as she too had heard many good things about this place.
The place was packed when I arrived just after 10.30 on a Sunday. Luckily there was a table that opened up and we quickly claimed it as it was cleared away. The menu had a nice selection of brunch type food with an Asian influence which I wasn’t expecting. I was immediately intrigued with The Kim– kimchi and baked beans. Sounds like my kind of weird, sold! Our waitress asked me if I would like an extra of cheese with it and I must of done a thing with my face because she quickly convinced me it was good… sure, I suppose. I do love cheese and as weird as it sounds with the kimchi, why not?
While I waited for my friend to decide, I must confess that I did however, hesitate slightly and pondered over The Geisha, which had soba noodles and The Cambodian, which had banana rice, coconut cream and lychees, ah… indecisions.
Once our order was placed, I started to get food envy because «oh would you look at that cute nest of eggs that just got delivered to the table next to us. That looks delicious!» and «aww, bacon». But our own food came quickly and I soon forgot about everyone elses because kimchi, baked beans and melted cheese… delicious!
The bowl came with 2 bread sticks which was one of the best bread accompaniment I ever eaten and a round ball of sesame which on closer inspection, was my poached egg. The outer coating of sesame was crunchy with a nice toasted flavour and the egg on the inside had a beautiful runny yolk. Digging further, I discover there are bacon bits mixed through with the kimchi and baked beans. Buried underneath it all was the shredded cheese that was melting from the warm sauciness of the kimchi and beans. The waitress was right, this was awesome.
My friend had a simpler option as her wisdom tooth were playing up so the soft poached eggs with toast was the way to go. She assured me it was good and just what she needed.
As usual, I ate too much and eyed up the baked goods by the counter as we were paying. They had this «bronut» (brioche-​doughnut hybrid) that looked lethal. Definitely next time.

Just popped in for a quick coffee this morning. I was greeted by a warm friendly person as soon as I walked in.
The coffee was silky smooth however when I had a sip I thought they had forgotten to stir the sugar properly but they actually skipped the sugar altogether !! Hence the 4 stars. The smoothness of the coffee makes up for this wee faux pas.
Overall it was good service and good coffee and I’m keen to give these guys another shot.

I could find no fault here with this cool cat of a café. A tad hipster but not try hard, nor is this place pretentious. The food is so on point and I always leave there really satisfied (sometimes with a naughty but so fricken delicious cake or doughnut). This is kept best kept to a few words… quality not quantity which is exactly what L’oeuf is all about!

First time here and we are impressed!
Menu is nothing ordinary, I was going to try their tofu dish, but they ran out by the time we order (2:30pm), so I opted for their famous geshia dish. My partner had the pulled smoke fish with poached egg. All food taste great! I had their home made chia latte with honey — very good!!! and we also tried their home made lassi which wasn’t as good as their other food and drink we tried. it tasted okay, but the texture is too thick… almost feel like eating it with a spoon.
The baked items looks amazing, we tried a bronut, is quite good! It would be good to have more flavor options for these bronuts =)
Love the deco of this place too!

I have been eating my way around their menu over the last couple of months, and every single dish I’ve had here has been mind-​blowing. I really cannot find fault with anything this place does — it’s that good. Definitely give this place a try.

This is hands down my favourite brunch spot. The menu is a lot of fun and all the dishes I’ve tried have been delish. Now I’ve tried everything I tend to get ‘The Russian’ on gluten free toast.
Pros
— great coffee
— gluten free bread tastes like real gluten bread
— creative menu
Cons
— no roasted tomatoes

What a wonderful place. Am becoming a real fan. Have always just bought a coffee & snack on the go if passing by, so am looking forward to getting some time to sit and have a lovely lunch and enjoy the atmosphere a bit more. The staff are lovely and the food scrumptious.

Totally agree with all the other reviews — this place is worth Unilocaling out about! Great café, ambience, coffee, food all worth the 5 stars. Keep up the good work guys!

Finally… I got here! Welcoming, neighbourhood café in Mt Albert whose standout dish is ‘The Nest’, two crumbed eggs nestled in a filo basket. Today, sadly they were off the menu. Lots of delicious options still left though. I was tempted by the chicken Banh mi but decided to order ‘The Hunter’, chorizo, sauteed mushrooms with a sweetened balsamic glaze, truffle oil and Parmesan on sourdough, pretty blimmin’ good. The locals must really appreciate being able to pop down here. Their other restaurant Chinoiserie is right next door and from the sign on the window it’s now open Sundays from February 20, another trip might just be in order.

Easy five stars!
Their coffee is on the money and their menu is so tough to choose from. So many incredible combinations and flavours.
Top picks — creamy mushrooms with chorizo, the salmon tartare with dill and crème fraîche… everything is good though.
Sweet treat selection is enough to turn one into pudgy but contented mess! I’m glad you’re not walking distance for us, as we would spend every weekend here.

The space of L’oeuf is beautiful. It’s uncluttered, it’s relaxing — adorned with cascading plants on tables and shelves. There’s the relaxed vibe of Little and Friday, with more structure in the layout with earthy tones of the smooth chairs and various art and photography books on the table.
At first look on the menu, you can tell there’s something different on offer at L’oeuf. It’s anything but formulaic. With intriguing names like The Hunter, The Russian and The Geisha, the personality invites you. On a closer read, the menu offers a diverse choice of Asian and European cooking with the traditional brunch food of mushrooms and chorizo for The Hunter, and soba noodles represented by The Geisha.
For once though, my mind was made up within seconds from seeing the menu.
I ordered The Nest — Two sunflower seed crumbed soft-​boiled eggs, in a filo pastry nest, with beetroot ketchup, feta and mesclun salad.
It was beaaautiful when it came, and it brought envy to the whole table. Hehehe.
The best thing was cutting through the soft-​boiled egg to see the yolk ooze out. Something I do to every poached egg but it was such a clever idea of placing the eggs on a «nest». Made me feel a bit cruel though to eat eggs straight from the mother’s home.
The presentation DID match the taste, and I was so glad. It was so well presented that I had somehow braced myself for below-​par freshness and taste, or weird flavour combinations. The salad was so good, one of the best brunch salads I’ve had. With enough beetroot ketchup swirled at the bottom, it didn’t need any other dressing that would normally drench the salad greens and weigh it down. Cutting the nest was surprisingly easy, even for my unco skills that would normally resort to me spiking a piece halfway across the table.
I ordered it without the choice of black pudding or bacon and that suited me, but someone more meat-​hungry should try it with the bacon.
My friend ordered The Geisha — soba noodles tossed with red cabbage, daikon, spring onion, bean sprouts and mesclun salad tossed in Japanese sesame dressing. It was confirmed amazing and I was too obsessed with my own food to get a taster.
I love a quality hangout spot and while it’s out of the way for most, go for the food! It’s so worth it and I’ll be back in the neighbourhood again to try The Cambodian — sweet banana rice with salted coconut cream, lychees and kiwi fruit. That would have been my second choice after The Nest. It’s always a tug of war between the sweet and savoury for brunches, and lately savoury has been dominating. Maybe just not that time of the month hah.

This place should definitely have won best new café in the 2014 Metro awards. A funky mix of retro fit out, great coffee and superbly beautiful, original and tasty dishes including Geisha salads, orange blossom and mango lassi, cassoulet and melt-​in-​the-​mouth plum and coconut friends. Much photographed, the kataifi-​sculpted nest is this year’s hot new food magazine supermodel. Go and check her out!

I like my coffee… and I like it PURRFECT. And these guys know how to make a good coffee 100%.
Since I live in this street it has become «the regular». It’s kind of a funny story. First time I went to this café was a Sunday around 3pm — it was my first time in Mt Albert ever. We were visiting an open home in the street and I thought to myself «I cannot live in this boring neighborhood». We were exhausted and starving and popped in to L’Oeuf for a late lunch. Even though it was closing time these guys welcomed us with such warmth and genuine smiles I haven’t seen in a while. That amazing coffee instantly awakened us and mouthwatering menu just made us even hungrier. We left L’Oeuf thinking — «Wherever we buy a house we HAVE to come back here». Funny enough a few months later we did — with a moving truck :)
Interior décor — retro, minimal, eco. I’m not even sure myself but it looks very cool and cozy
Staff — a bunch of young guys starting their own business, suuuper friendly and welcoming. Just absolutely adorable and make you feel at home.
Menu — I have never seen anything like this before — a fantastic selection for both meat lovers and vegetarians, with all free range bacon and eggs and a wide range of flavors. Basically all of their dishes are signature dishes, so distinct.
Food — excellent quality of ingredients, organic drinks and amazing coffee — I wouldn’t change anything about it.
Price — very reasonable prices for the amount of food and dining experience one gets when eating in a café of this sort
And good news for L’Oeuf fans — they are expending! Really looking forward to their extended menu for the new restaurant part and am looking forward to see their alcohol selection. Also hope this will give them more room to sort out their lavatory facilities which is pretty much the only thing I would recommend changing about this otherwise fantastic place.

Solid choice for unusual brunch fare. I wasn’t expecting the Asian twist, but was quite pleased with the results.
I went for the vegetarian Bhan Mi with a poached egg on top. No disappointment here, except I would have liked the roll to be a bit more crispy on the outside. Otherwise, it was bursting with flavor — a nice mix of smoky sweet sauce and fresh crunchy carrot, sprouts, and coriander. It tasted just as it should, and I was very pleased that a vegetarian option was available.
My husband had the geisha, cold soba noodles with sprouts, veggies, a nice dressing and warm tofu. A huge helping of delicious pickled ginger on top — my dream as a ginger lover though he thought it was a bit too much. I grabbed a taste and found it to be nice and flavorful if a bit less adventurous than other offerings.
Our friend got the nest, sunflower crumbed soft boiled eggs in a nest over salad with blood sausage added. It was a vision to behold but I sensed he didn’t love it as much as he has hoped. He noted the nest was a bit difficult to eat with a fork and knife.
Everything was beautifully presented, and the coffee was lovely. Double shot on the espresso drinks standard, as it should be!
The atmosphere was very nice. Couple of tables out front perfect for a sunny day and plenty of tables indoors. It’s a small place but it’s a bit out of the way and we didn’t have to wait more than a few minutes to sit.
So many interesting options to choose from — I can’t wait to go back and try the banana rice with salted coconut cream and lychees! Sounds incredible!
Bit of a splurge at $ 17 average price per item, but felt like good value for the artistry and interesting flavors you get. Bravo!

Taking the Monday off from work, we wanted to go somewhere for brunch — somewhere that only had good food but also has a good vibe and atmosphere for a Monday!
Wow — we were really impressed.
The ambiance was fantastic and the staff were really superb … for a Monday. So I can only assume how great this would be on the weekend.
And the food was spot on. The presentation of the meal was mouth watering and the first mouthful did not disappoint :)
Highly recommend you go here for a meal

HUGE fan! What a great addition to an otherwise relatively quiet neighbourhood.
What I love about L’oeuf is that it’s a little bit different, without trying too hard.
For example, the menu has all the usual brunch items — eggs, mushroom, salmon etc– but they are served with a creative twist and presented beautifully. ‘The Russian’, which I ordered, was essentially salmon and cream cheese w toast but they served the salmon as a tartare with dill and the cream cheese was full of herbs. Combine this on the lightly seeded toast with a squeeze of lemon juice and some avo and I was in heaven.
The décor is a little bit different. They’ve used dark wood and loads of dark, leafy greenery and with a big Persian rug taking centre stage in the middle of the floor. I loved it but I will admit, it did was rather dark inside despite being gloriously sunny out!
I’m normally more of a savoury kid at breakfast but having seen some of the sweet dishes come out of the kitchen i’m already looking for an excuse to head back here ASAP!

It’s always feels nice to find a vegan friendly place. And this place offers a few nice things.
I’m not a coffee drinker, but have been told the coffee is very nice.
I have got the geisha and it was amazing.

Best breakfast I’ve had in a long time. We had the hunter and the Russian. Both had really exciting and perfectly balanced flavours. The perfect way to wake up the senses on a Saturday morning!

I LOVE EGGS.
I was so keen to try this place and was really impressed with the interior! Cool 50’s design and furniture with a lot of greenery to create a really lovely atmosphere.
Menu is really dynamic, we tried the signature dish — the nest which is two perfectly soft boiled eggs in a crumb of nuts in a basket made of filo with greens and a beetroot sauce. And the «Russian» which was actually better tasting — outstanding. A salmon tartare with a poached egg on top and accompanied with alfalfa sprouts and a side of totally delicious herby cream cheese. The produce was so fresh, the eggs were bright orange. I would have been interested to know where the eggs are from given their whole mantra is eggs.
Great coffee, cool staff. Cannot wait to come back

Went here this morning for brunch with my partner. We both had flat whites and a bahn mi sandwich with chicken. The flat whites were good (not amazing, but good) and the bahn mi were really, really good. The chicken was in a nice, sweet, sticky sauce and the veggies were crisp and fresh. The baguette/​roll was also really nice. My partner, a self-​proclaimed bread connoisseur, agreed that the bread was «legit». We’ll definitely be going back. Looking forward to trying The Russian.