A new all-day eatery has opened in Devonport, and it’s already making waves across the harbour. Officially having opened yesterday, Dulcie, from owner Scott Kennedy, hopes to bring a touch of Melbourne sophistication to Auckland’s brunch scene.
Kennedy, who moved back to Auckland from Melbourne a few years ago with his partner Tamsyn Capper and child in tow, noticed a gap in the market for daytime eateries that offer what he describes as ‘more than just your average eggs on toast’. He’d spent 15 years in the City working across various bars, restaurants and cafes alongside one of Melbourne’s most-loved coffee roasters. He explains that this was the kind of culture the Australian city was built upon, and it’s necessary to have a touch of that here in Auckland, outside the bounds of the CBD, too.
“I wanted to bring what Melbourne is known for in terms of its daytime brunch scene,” he says. “I wanted to offer more restaurant-style products in a daytime eatery and elevate everything you see day-to-day in New Zealand.”
And while the food is something to note, Dulcie’s setting is undeniably one of its selling points. The restaurant is located in a beautiful 1920s building overlooking the water, one well-known among locals, just 15 meters from the sand. It’s tough to go wrong with an outlook like this.
This translates inside, too, where the restaurant’s interior is equally impressive. The space has been renovated to reflect Kennedy’s ethos of sophistication and refinement, and his attention to detail even trickles down to the tabletops made of recycled rimu, which have been hand-sanded and re-cut by the owner himself.
As Kennedy envisaged, the menu at Dulcie is designed to be enjoyed all day long. Classic dishes are done well, like Eggs Benedict (served on a cacio e pepe hash brown with a burnt butter hollandaise) and Pancakes (which come topped with blueberry compote, elderflower and lemon syrup, coconut whip and pistachio). But there’s room for seasonal innovation too, like the Truffle Scrambled Eggs (with lashings of crème fraiche), and there’s even talk of a Lobster Benedict to come in the future too.
To wash it all down, the coffee at Dulcie is roasted by Atomic Coffee Roasters (where Kennedy worked as the Operations Manager when he first returned home from Melbourne), while the beer list features local crafty favourites from Urbanaut and Garage Project. The wine list comprises entirely New Zealand varietals — except Champagne, which hails from France, as it should. And it’s these little, considered touches that elevate Dulcie from an everyday eatery to something more special.
“I wanted to create a beautiful celebration venue,” says Kennedy. “Once you see the venue and the view, it all makes sense.”
We agree wholeheartedly. Dulcie is something new for the Auckland dining scene, somewhere where brunch becomes more celebratory rather than just a habitual affair. And it’s the kind of destination that Devonport’s waterfront truly deserves (even if we have to drive over the bridge to get there).
Opening Hours:
Monday — Friday, 7am until 3pm
Saturday & Sunday, 8am until 3pm
