Thread: Columbus Coffee - Lincoln Rd - Auckland, New Zealand - Hollandaise Sauce has Lemon!

We just went to this café for brunch.. it was a tad disappointing.

Here's an email I just sent them.

Hello,

My partner and I were in your Lincoln Rd café today, she ordered an Eggs Benedict with ham, no spinach.

When it arrived, it looked really good. Lots of what appeared to be a Hollandaise sauce all over it, hot, good.

Then, wondering how the sauce tasted, I tried some. It .. had no real flavour. It was rich but very bland.

When we enquired as to what it was, we were told it was Hollandaise. When we said it didn’t taste like it had any Lemon in it, we were told “that’s how she makes it”.

When we advised we had eaten real Hollandaise at the same café before, we were told “no, that’s how she always makes it.” We were refused a lemon to add to it ourselves.

For reference, here are a couple of results from the Web. Note, there is ALWAYS an acid in this sauce, it is usually Lemon, but Vinegar can be used. What your people are serving is NOT Hollandaise sauce, so should not be advertised as such.

Hollandaise sauce - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of butter and lemon juice or vinegar using egg yolks as the emulsifying agent, usually seasoned with salt and a little white pepper or cayenne pepper.
Hollandaise requires some skill and knowledge to prepare; care must also be taken to store it properly after preparation. Properly made, the sauce should be smooth and creamy. The flavor should be rich and buttery, with a mild tang added by the lemon juice and seasonings.

How To Make Hollandaise Sauce: Step-By-Step Tutorial With Photos - Hollandaise Sauce Recipe -

Here's what you'll need for this Hollandaise sauce recipe:

• 1 cup clarified butter (about 2½ sticks before clarifying). The butter should be warm but not hot.
• 4 egg yolks (see tutorial on how to separate eggs).
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (the juice from 1 small lemon)
• 1 Tbsp cold water
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Cayenne pepper (or a dash of Tabasco sauce), to taste

Hope you take this on board, Hollandaise sauce is an integral part of the Eggs Benedict recipe, and this experience left us wondering if we will ever eat there again.

Regards,
Ace Shattock
New Zealand Foodies Community - The Front Page

As a follow-up, I received a response from a representative of Columbus Coffee, thanking me for the feedback, and advising that it would be passed on directly to the franchisee of the store concerned.

That's given me reason enough to give their Hollandaise another chance.