Small Mercies

Though by definition kkwabaegi are doughnuts, calling Small Mercies a doughnut shop is too reductive. This is a gorgeous pocket-size cafe serving specialised coffee, matcha and even chocolate based drinks alongside kkwabaegi, a twisted Korean-style doughnut, and other unusual and delicious treats.

A visit to Small Mercies will lift anyone’s mood, whether it is the bright yellow painted walls and artfully coloured splotches that adorn the cafe’s frontage or the superbly crafted specialty drinks and cabinet treats. We ordered the berry matcha, a seasonal specialty beverage of the house, riffing on the popularity of strawberry matcha but at the same time putting their own twist on it. The vibrantly green coconut and matcha espuma-esque foam on top is beautifully creamy and holds the two flavours beautiful. Below it is a fragrant  strawberry-infused syrup. This is a refreshing up date on the strawberry matcha combo that I hope Small Mercies keeps around. 

The danger of visiting Small Mercies is that doughnuts, a sometimes food, will likely become an every time food every time you visit. The chive cream cheese kkwabaegi we ordered was super light with a clean, bready taste (not a hint of oil in greasiness or in flavour) that paired well with the tangy cream cheese and slightly garlicky chives. There are two Sweet Sting hot honey options that are drizzled on top, and next time I’m not going to shy away from the super hot version. The original version is fragrant with chilli without being hot with it.  It’s safe for the heat averse, but too safe for the chilli fiends among us. The long, twisted kkwabaegi come with a cute pair of scissors, scabbard and all, to chop your doughnut into manageable, shareable chunks, if you want to share that is. If you didn’t, I would understand. 

Kkwabaegi are not the only things on offer at Small Mercies, there’s korokke, part sandwich, part doughnut, part curry-pan but hold the curry. The outside is ridged and flecked with panko crumbs and houses an ever changing line-up of fillings, most recently a potato and egg salad. There’s plenty of sweet kkwabaegi options, and a rotating roster of slices they affectionately refer to as butter bars. 

Small Mercies is a tiny cafe experience worth crossing town for. Their Korean-style doughnuts and inventive sweet treats are unbelievably scrumptious as are their unique drinks that will inevitably spark joy in all who dare visit. 

Small Mercies
7 Mt Eden Rd
Grafton
Auckland 1023
@smallmercies_nz