In a city fuelled by flat whites and long blacks, forgoing an espresso machine for a coffee menu that consists solely of filter is a bold move. And we think it says something about Burnt Butter’s distinctive approach. As soon as you’re inside the cafe’s small dining room with its stucco walls and pink and yellow accents, you start to feel you’re somewhere genuinely different. Co-owner Ryan Pearce presides over a menu that approaches breakfast and lunch plates with rare inventiveness — like the crumpets piled with smoked kahawai, half a boiled egg and pickled red onions with a great big blob of sumac labneh underneath it all, or the warming plate of corn bread, spicy beans, chorizo and manchego, plus a fried egg. Then there’s the playful, unapologetically whimsical baking of co-owner Claudia Long, which lives at the front counter. We’re simply obsessed with these baked goods — especially the sporadically available birthday cake, which is a riot of colour and texture and perfectly tempered sweetness. Much like the cafe, it’s all charm.

While you’re in the area: One Stop Pak, Moana Fresh