Burnt Butter Diner — Restaurant in Whau

Know Your Gnocchi My son and I thought we'd give this small neighbourhood cafe in Avondale a try. In a rundown area I am told is on the cusp of urban renewal, we thought we'd support local and there was a convenient free carpark over the road. Initially we wanted cabinet food but there was not much left although I did see someone pull a tray of appetizing cheese scones out of the oven while we were waiting for our meal. My son ordered the Chilli Fried Eggs on a bed of labneh and for myself, the Gnocchi with a pumpkin puree and spinach, more labneh and a fine sprinkling of Parmesan. Except I didn't get Gnocchi; instead I got two potato-and-whatever, (semolina?) cakes fried and soggy in the middle; a bit like someone had attempted to make a hash brown without squeezing out the excess water in grated potato beforehand. The taste was bland, and if the pumpkin in the dish had somehow been used better, it might have been a tasty satisfying lunch. So much for my fantasising about light, fluffy gnocchi. The waitress walked past several times but never once stopped, (or smiled), and asked how our meal was. I tried to catch her eye to no avail. How I wish I had taken a photo but this place is intimate and I did not want to feel conspicuous. At the till I patiently expressed my disappointment but I sensed she wasn't going to pass it on to the kitchen a metre away. However she did call the cook over and I politely repeated my concerns. He shrugged it off with a defensive, "Well no one else has said that" and basically couldn't have cared less. Perhaps he and the waitress were having a bad day. Perhaps relabel your menu Sir to better describe something that is definitely NOT pasta. It fell...

I still need to come back for a proper meal and the 'iconic' creme brulee I've heard about, but what I did get was some tasty treats to-go for dessert after eating somewhere nearby.

I always like to start with the 'basics' but I couldn't decide between their huge chocolate chip cookies or brownies ... So I got both haha. Of the two, the cookie definitely 'won' but the brownie got somehow better when I left half of it on my counter until later that night; gooey-er like I like it. I also appreciated the lovely person behind the counter asking me if I liked the middle or ends of a brownie to make sure I got what I had the best chance of liking. As for the cookie, it isn't the soft type but heat it up just a tad and these sizable chunks of chocolate will taste even better. I wish I could have a box of them but then realistically I'd eat them all in...

Unforgettable Dishes

The hidden gem in Avondale!!! The fantastic breakfast experience.

Burnt Butter Diner brought you a fine cuisine through out main and dessert.

We had/share our 3 dishes of “Chilli/fried Egg, Smoked Fish Crumpet and Special menu - Chicken Sandwich. Every dishes are unique and special, hard to describe and great experience. All main is style of flatbread and topping BUT I can guarantee!!! You will experience the different of breakfast taste you can fine in Auckland

Dessert is great. We had Burnt Butter Cake and Strawberry Fraiiche. We only can say… they are really good.

Fantastic atmosphere. Great friends staffs. Incredible dishes.

Highly recommend to dine...