Brunch @ Yaza

This morning, in addition to a number of errands in town, my mother and I visited Yaza for brunch. It fronts out onto the famous Nelson Saturday market and by 10am is always packed - luckily we got there early enough to find a good table!

Yaza is a bit of a Nelson institution - they are famous for their cheese scones, which are consistently warm, cheesy, and totally addictive. In addition, they are served with a over-sized wedge of butter - what better way of indulging? We have been coming here for years.

The venue is decorated with retro 1970s furniture - from the chrome legged tables, to the flower finished couches, the orange, yellow, and black chairs, to wacky wall decorations. You can either sit inside and read the paper or outside and people watch.

The staff are always friendly and there are a lot of little touches that give this place character - the monthly philosophy discussion sessions, the toilet wallpapered in adverts for everything considered cool four decades ago, the solid and polished wood serving counters, and the lime green and red walls. Finally the napkins always contain a quotation - today mine was “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”.

I opted for the Big T. for brunch - I seemed to remember that the T used to stand for Tahunanui, but this has long been lost in the mist of history. It consists of two crisp slabs of focaccia with the prerequisite wedges of butter, two poached eggs, blanched spinach, fried tomato, hashed potatoes, mushrooms, a chickpea croquette, tomato salsa, caramelised onion chutney, homemade mayonnaise, and freshly cracked pepper. You know, the works! I love this kind of breakfast - lots of little bits and pieces to try and taste together. It was all really well cooked and distinctly delicious.

My mother, one for tradition, opted for her standard bowl of latte and a cheese scone.

If you find yourself in Nelson, I recommend you give this place a visit. In addition to their excellent coffee and brunch fare, they also have a wide selection of cabinet food - great pizza, pasta, pies.

I don’t really have anything bad to say about them. The prices are pretty reasonable as well. They also do excellent freshly squeezed juices and smoothies. If you find yourself in Nelson, let me know what you think!

Location: Yaza Cafe, Montgomery Sq., Nelson