Must-visit: Auckland's Geeks on Sainsbury cafe

Must-visit: Auckland’s Geeks on Sainsbury cafe

The revenge of the nerds is an awesome experience at this specialty coffee destination in Auckland

Rachel Dobbs

Brother-in-law baristas Tom Hong and Johnny Jeoung are intensely passionate about coffee. There’s a word for people with that sort of obsessive enthusiasm and expertise: geeks. So, when the time came to realise their dream of opening a cafe together (Tom as owner and Johnny as manager), geeks it was: Geeks on Sainsbury.

With the name sorted, the search for the perfect coffee bean came next. The two took a day trip to Wellington, tasting espressos at 14 cafes. Stop eight on the reccy mission was the boutique roastery Red Rabbit, whose blends were not yet available in Auckland. From that first slow sip, Tom and Johnny knew they’d found something different and special to bring to their city’s world-class caffeine scene.

Unlike the dark roasts favoured in Auckland cafes, Red Rabbit beans are lightly roasted. Light roasting allows more of the natural flavour notes and characteristics of the coffee bean to shine through. And ‘light’ doesn’t mean less punch,either – a skilled roaster can get a robust, full-bodied coffee (with the same or more caffeine) without having to roast too dark.

Back in Auckland, they sought out fellow food loving geeks for the kitchen team and people passionate about exceptional service for front of house. Tom and Johnny learned the art of hospitality in beloved Auckland cafés Little King and Dear Jervois, under the generous wing of David Lee, and now at Geeks on Sainsbury’s light-filled corner site in Sandringham, they’re inviting you to enjoy the result of their collective geekdom.

The all-day menu delivers a plentiful selection of both breakfast and lunch options. Eggs benedict is a Geeks fave, served three ways and in two sizes, with the traditional English muffin subbed out for layered Agria potato that’s simply heavenly with hollandaise. There’s also a variety of stacked bagels (of the Best Ugly kind), waffles, and cabinet goodies baked fresh each morning. A stand-out among the lunch offerings is the pork salad, with its juicy, herb-infused pork patty encased in a sunflower seed crust, served with rocket, bursts of shredded apple sweetness and seasonal roast veges.