The Jungle Cup

Instead of continuing north along Fitzgerald Avenue at the Kilmore St intersection I turned left toward the quiet, ghostliness of the central city. I was on my way from Sumner to Merivale and had heard of a little coffee stop on Madras St.
A right turn at Madras and, Voila! I was parked outside one of the city’s newest micro-cafes, The Jungle Cup on the corner of Salisbury and Madras.
The owners and operators of this portacom, plastic & paint pop-up are clearly looking ahead to the time when the builders and labourers will be grafting away in the immediate vicinity, hammering and banging, sawing and stapling their way from clock-on to morning tea, desperate for a cold drink, a coffee, a pie, sausage roll or even a salad and chips!
Let’s be perfectly honest with ourselves and concede that Christchurch is about to become the country’s biggest and busiest building site, with utes, trucks, vans and trailers cruising the streets, cranes criss-crossing the skyline and power tools of all shapes, sizes and kinds cutting through the tranquillity that now doth prevail. And so it must be if we are ever to move forward.....despite the efforts of EQC and many insurance companies to move slower than the pace of steam engines on their last legs.....
The Jungle Cup is perfectly placed to take advantage of the thirsty, hungry rush when it comes.
A smoked salmon bagel with a striking burst of bright orange carrot, glistening red tomato and a generous layering of luscious green was accompanied by a 4 bean salad, its slightly chilled self a delight on such a warm day. I sipped an Earl Grey tea in a paper cup underneath a green umbrella, contemplated the abstract artwork on the corrugated iron wall in front of me and nibbled at my daily bread. This seemed such a meditative space to be in, so unlike the city of old, so peaceful and uncomplicated - the simple, everyday fare altogether appropriate for the situation.
This little pit-stop might just be your cup of tea if you like gourmet sausage rolls (Moroccan Lamb for example), salads and/or interesting coffee-break cakes and slices. The venue is surely fascinating creativity on a tight budget but like everything in our ever-changing urban landscape, worth looking at on your way past.....