Cinnamon Cafe — Restaurant in Howick

As a local, I had a very disappointing experience. The first thing I want to say is that chefs are not gods, so there may be something in the food that the chef wasn’t expected himself. When a customer complains, you need to break your own preconceptions and look at it again. I did not receive any apology from the staffs or the chef. All I wanted was to spend quality time with my family and eat a delicious muffin, not a refund or more things from the cafe. I visited this cafe in this morning. I ordered a savory muffin, and when I cut it into 1/8ths and took my first bite, I chewed on something hard and spit it out. I almost broke my teeth. The small black rock was broken into 3 pieces and I politely asked the staff to replace the muffin with a rock. I thought it was my favorite cafe so I hoped no one else would hear it. The staff said it was black pepper. I almost broke my teeth when I chewed on the small black object, so I corrected it was a small rock. There shouldn't be any foreign substances in the food, but it can still be there due to the local characteristics. I understand because I live in this area too. However, after a while, the staff brought back the muffin I was eating and she told me that the chef said that it was chia seed. I figured that meant that I should eat the muffin again. I’m not an animal raised by chef in this cafe. If there is a problem with the food that I have ordered, I have the right to refuse it. I didn't want to eat foreign substances(rocks) again so sent the muffin back. I like chia seeds, so I ate chia seeds pudding yesterday too. Chia seeds is not that hard also that big as foreign substances i found in the muffin. (you would know chef.) I didn't take pictures of foreign substances(rocks) because I thought it wasn't a big deal, but I regret it. I didn't want to make a problem with hygiene,...

The cafe is located facing the carpark beside the Fresh Choice. It doesn't face the marina but if you are seated outside you can get a view of it. The cafe is fairly decently sized and has quite a few tables inside and out. They have menus which you can take to a table but you order and pay at the counter. There is also a cabinet by the counter for pre-made food and pastries. We were a bit early for lunch (starts at 1130) so we just grabbed something from the breakfast menu. The most interesting thing they had was a hash brown waffle. It is essentially a hash brown made in a waffle iron. It was almost like an eggs bene with hash. It was nice but I thought it was a bit on the small side. The french toast was also nice but would have liked more maple syrup. The bands were nicely caramelised and the praline gave it some crunch. Their hot chocolate was a bit lacking in flavour though. It is a nice place to stop by...

I was very disappointed with the almond croissant I bought yesterday Wed 19Oct at 8.45am. Because they looked overcooked, I asked for a lighter coloured one to be taken from the bottom of the pile under the glass dome. I did not get it heated. I tried to eat it at midday but this was an impossibility. The ends were so hard and dry I could not get my teeth through and tried to break these off but that did not happen Even the middle of the croissant was impossible to eat, so it got dumped in the rubbish. On 23 November last year, a Tuesday, around the same time of day, I bought a range of scones, muffins and almond croissants to take to friends on Waiheke. They were all very fresh and thoroughly enjoyable. I had wondered why your cafe is no longer full when I pass by, maybe it is the food freshness. Please bring back your...