Many years ago, I had the privilege of visiting Pah Homestead in Monte Cecilia Park for a wedding. The classy 1870’s Hillsborough heritage property struck me with its handsome charm. Overlooking Monte Cecilia Park at the top of the slight slope, there’s a stable peace about the place.
Now going back to Homestead cafe for food, the simple charm was still there. But the food, the food! The menu boasts half a page of all day breakfast including granola, shaksuka with poached eggs and slow cooked mushroom – all under which were the famous Homestead crumpet options. For lunch though, we opted for a little fancy and it didn’t take long to settle on braised oxtail with savoy cabbage, cauliflower puree and salsa verde. The first mouthful was an instant wow. The meat fell effortlessly off the bone and as cliche as it sounds, melted in my mouth. It got rich pretty fast though and towards the end, I slightly regretted ordering a crumpet to share.
We ordered a lemon curd crumpet with lemon curd, labneh and fresh coconut to tickle our sweet tooth fancy, all washed down with Flight coffee. Definitely ambitious after the oxtail but I felt like I couldn’t leave Homestead without sticking my fork in their crumpets.
I would describe the food as fancy home-made food. They’re those comforting classic dishes you may find at a planned dinner party, elevated to another level by chef Sam Mannering – food writer and cookbook author. This cafe is highly raved for a reason!
The Pah Homestead
72 Hillsborough Road
Hillsborough, Auckland
