Miss Fortune’s

★★★★★ ★★★★★ ★★★★★

105 Hutt Park Rd, Gracefield, Lower Hutt.

We’d heard . . . The Seashore Cabaret and The Maranui had a baby!

The vibe . . . Is breezy, cute, welcoming, vaguely Vietnamese, with a little courtyard that’s smoke-free and to die for.

We ordered . . . It might be a little unfair to review a new cafe on its first day, but Miss Fortune’s is the latest venture from the folks behind The Maranui and the Seashore Cabaret, so I just couldn’t wait.

Like the cafe equivalent of a lotus flower popping up in the sea of grim, grey industrial buildings, Miss Fortune is eye-catching because it’s so unexpected. In an area that is more Mr Bun than Little Miss Perfect, I didn’t know who its target customers were, but there were Lower Huttians of all stripes tucking in – including a local MP.

While the pie cabinet had already been cleared out, and the selection of salads on offer looked good, I opted for the roast vege and gouda toastie – two whole toasties, in fact, at $9.50. The vegetables were delicious, crunchy and burnished with a bit of balsamic, which played well with the creamy cheese. I added a latte ($4.50), which was just as good as I’ve come to expect from the local Good Fortune Coffee.

I followed that with a seriously good lamington ($4.50) and a chocolate milkshake ($7). The Seashore is famous in the Hutt Valley for its milkshakes, for the sake of science I had to compare Miss Fortune’s – full marks.

Ifyougo... Give yourself plenty of time to relax in the courtyard.