Apple Liu and her partner David Guo have been running the very popular 25ml Café on
Hobsonville Point Road for nearly three years now. David is the chef who provides mouth-
watering counter food as well as delicious sit-down breakfast and lunch options from
around the world, with plenty of vegetarian and gluten-free options.
The name? It’s all about the coffee. 25ml is the size of a standard shot. They roast their own
beans sourced from Flight Coffee in Wellington, which is ethically produced by a bunch of
crazy coffee-obsessed dudes who now have their very own coffee farm in Colombia.
Try 25ml’s vegetarian green omelette with three cheeses and homemade onion jam for
breakfast, or the slow-cooked pork belly and apple slaw on a black brioche bun with waffle
fries for lunch. “Our ‘Huge Breakfast’ is still the favourite though,” says Apple. No wonder:
along with classic bacon and eggs any style, it also includes Italian sausage, slow-roasted
tomatoes, gourmet roast potatoes with homemade pesto and thyme mushrooms.
David has kindly given us a delicious, spicy recipe from 25ml’s brand new winter menu to try
at home.
Spanish Pil-Pil Prawns (serves 2)
Ingredients
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp smoked paprika
5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium fresh red chilli, finely sliced
8-10 cherry tomatoes (optional)
12 raw shelled prawns (medium size, tail on)
Half a lemon
Fresh coriander or parsley and crusty bread to serve
Method
Place the oil into a small deep pan on medium heat. When hot, add the smoked paprika,
garlic and chilli and cook for about a minute. Add prawns and optional tomatoes and cook
for another two minutes. Finish with a squeeze of lemon and some finely chopped herbs
and serve with warm crusty bread (ciabatta or sourdough) to mop up the delicious,
flavoursome oil.
