Eating Some Food in Wellington, a review: Customs Brew Bar

Part two of an infrequent series

In Part Two, I visit the Customs Brew Bar and have a rather nice sandwich.

via Selector, part of an article about the eco-cork flooring in the place. How about that!

Friday lunch I broke my "no meals out rule" for the first time in a week, and sought out a sandwich at the Customs Brew Bar. This wasn't the first time that I've visited Customs but it was the first time that I'd eaten there - my desire to do so was entirely because there was a woman eating a sandwich when I had a coffee there on Thursday and it looked really.freaking.good.

Anyways, on Friday I marched in and up to the counter and demanded of the wait dude what "the deal was with their sandwiches", a request that he interpreted pretty well given how opaque (rude?) it was. I had a toasted roast beef, horseradish and blue cheese foccacia and it was as delicious as the Thursday woman's sandwich had looked. The only possible complaint I could have would be that the horseradish was not as fiery as I would have liked. However: still crazy delicious! For drinks I went nuts, and instead of my regular soy flat white I had a little demitasse of cold drip coffee. CALL ME A CONVERT. I wanted to drink it until I bounced off the walls.

I can't fault the service - I'd forgotten my wallet and didn't realise until after I'd ordered my lunch, but they were 100% happy for me to eat first, enjoy my lunch, and come back and pay later. Nice one! Everyone was super friendly as well which is always welcome. However, in the past I've been sitting there while a friend of one of the wait staff came in and had a very loud half hour conversation about fixed gear bicycles - shouting at one another across the cafe. Bah! Too loud! I am totally pro baristas having lives and friends and talking to their friends about their lives, but it is a bit irritating when you're sitting there alone and can't concentrate on your ridiculously wordy novel.

In conclusion: awesome cold drip coffee, the espresso is more than acceptable, I'm not sold on those new/old fangled analogue drip coffees yet but I'm willing to be convinced. Roast beef sandwich = for the win, and when friends aren't around the service is great! Treat yourself to a nice lunch there and make sure you try the cold drip coffee.

Fun fact: Customs was nominated for both best coffee and best service at the Wellingtonista TAWAs last year, which drove me onwards to explore the place, proper-like.