A Sunny Sunday in Auckland deserves to be started with great food and drink.  So after having read rave reviews of Auckland Eatery Benediction The Ladiessss and Noosh decided that this was the place to be. 

We arrived at the industrial looking venue and read the menu with the aid of our $2 shop glasses as the writing was a little small for women of a certain age.  The Ladiessss decided that corn fritters would be the dish of the day.  Noosh had toast and a strawberry milkshake.  Drinks for The Ladiessss were a half strength latte and a black tea.  The latte and the milk shake arrived in quick time.  The milkshake was sweet and delicious and just what Noosh wanted.  The latte was strong and a little bitter for a half strength.  The tea? Well it didn’t arrive.  Upon asking where it maybe the young tired looking waitress wandered off to see.  It arrived and The Ladiessss were told how sorry the staff were and how we would need to pay for it on the way out as Mr. Ginger-beard-man behind the counter had not charged for it. WRONG! After a short discussion The Ladies were able to provide proof of payment and the matter rested.

A generous serve of toast with three thick wedges of butter arrived, the promised preserves were a little sparten, another couple of teaspoons would have made all the difference.  Noosh happily bit the butter thinking it was cheese! She then spread her jam on the toast and ran off to play. 

The corn fritters arrived.  They were well presented on the plate, though only had a single small poached egg.  The bacon was delicious and cooked perfectly as was the egg.  The fritters were heavy.  They were under seasoned and undercooked.  They were also packed full of chopped raw capsicum – A grizzly discovery for one of  The Ladiessss.  The hollandaise tasted almost neutral and there was no where near enough.  One of the Ladiessss gave serious thought to returning the dish, as the taste of the crunchy capsicum and the gluey texture of the fritter along with the raw flour taste was almost enough to make one barf.

Our bite sized afghan and ginger crunch were waiting for us.  The ginger crunch was good. A nice base and a thick layer of gingerness. The little biscuit was very average and a little on the dry side.

The Ladiessss found the service lacking.  The staff were complacent, and somewhat disinterested. The tea debacle was just simply uncalled for. To tell a customer they had not paid for something without checking first is unforgiveable.

The Ladiessss will not be spending any more money at Benediction because Benediction well they Bene-dicked-us!

Food: 3/10

Service: 4/10

Decor: 5/10

Love, Noosh and The Ladiessss.