The River Kitchen — Restaurant in Hamilton

It’s my birthday brunch and we decided to check out the Sconery.

Food: We got the big breakfast and had it to share. Even after splitting it into two the servings were still huge. Good quality bacon, sausages, egg and hash brown. Quentin was fascinated with the round sourdough biscuit tasting cookie looking pastry that came with the meal (brioche or English muffin - we had to ask the chef what it was). For dessert we got the Dates + Custard Scones and it was heavenly.

Ambiance: Love the straightforwardness of the decor. Exposed brick as interior?Yes to that! And who would have thought green pool tiles would work? It did. My favorite part is the exposed kitchen. You can see how your food is made. Makes for great entertainment when waiting for your meal.

People: The staff were friendly and accommodating. Love how the cook acknowledges people as she makes the meal.

Room for improvement: Quentin’s flat white was good but my iced latte needs a bit of work.

Overall it was such a great brunch experience. I can see why people line up to see what’s on the cabinet and grab one to go.

P.S. As we were paying for the extra coffee Quentin got he told the crew it’s my birthday. They went out their way and got a pastry with candle lighted come out for me. It was sooooo sweet! They feel like family. Something someone like me who comes 8,000+...

We went for a weekend in Hamilton and wanted to try a local cafe for breakfast. We found this one on Google and chose it due to its great rating. We've waited for more than 45 minutes for our breakfast to arrive. Even the drinks were brought to the table quite late. After 45 minutes we asked the waiter what was going on and explained we would soon have to leave. She didn't come back to us with any news so after a few other minutes we decided to go and pay for the drinks and leave. There was not enough time left for us to eat... However when she saw us getting up she came and said it was going to take longer!!! We waited for more minutes at the counter while we explained again that we waited so long that we wouldn't have had time to eat. They offered to pack the food for us and take it away but it wasn't ready yet and also imagine eating eggs from a takeaway container and in the car as we really needed to hit the road at that point. They waived the drinks charge for us and apologised but we left hungry and very frustrated. So check with them about the waiting time if you are hungry or have to leave in an hour. Quite surprising for some breakfast to take so much time to be made. I will not recommended this...

When unsure of what to eat when you're in a foreign country, always rely on the Mr. G (my term for Google) and find the best option - nearby place with high rating. A quick search brought me to this cafe located on the main street in Hamilton. It was a small cafe with not many tables inside and you'd probably have to sit separately if big group - and that was what we did.

◾You can order directly from the menu, or simply go for their pastries, quiches, salad, sandwiches and others ◾Baked eggs with spinach, yoghurt, harissa & Turkish bread.. I added extra bacon ◾Toast with salted butter and maple syrup was no brainer for the kid ◾Scrambled eggs on ciabatta toast with a side of green and baked beans ◾Roast mushrooms with porcini cream and black garlic puree - the obliged my request to omit the rye bread and substitute with baby spinach on the side... The best mushroom dish that I had so far in NZ.

For first timer go for their roast mushrooms as this is one of the star dishes. Somehow the porcini cream and black garlic puree work well with the mushrooms. And the coffee was good too.. I enjoyed my breakfast session sitting by the window while watching the...