New Year’s food detox: Where to eat healthy with Sydney Eat Street
Well, that’s that then. Christmas and the New Year have come and gone but the “joy” may still be lingering for many of us — around the waist. Sydney Eat Street this week looks at the restaurants that might offset some of the excess or kickstart a healthier New Year’s resolution.
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ALIBI BAR & KITCHEN
Rejoice! You don’t need to go Dry January to get your year on track because up-market vegan restaurant Alibi has provided a solid, well, alibi, with their eight-course tasting menu and alcohol pairing.
Get right among squash blossoms with Brut Rose from the Adelaide Hills, smoked baba ghanoush with a Margaret River Chardonnay, onion socca with French chenin blanc Vouvray and a mushroom wellington with a Gundagai Shiraz.
Alibi has also made a name for itself with its beautiful desserts, a highlight of their vegan high tea.
Start off with a glass of sparkling rosé (and free-flowing tea from Rabbit Hole) then tuck into such treats as chocolate “cream” with mango passionfruit; black sesame “cream” with raspberry rose as well as savoury bites of cashew cheese and sauteed spinach filo.
— Ovolo Woolloomooloo, 6 Cowper Wharf Rd, Woolloomooloo; alibibar.com.au
BODHI RESTAURANT
The menu at Bodhi is a resolute read for all of those who want to start the ‘roaring 20s’ as healthy as possible: Chilled silken tofu with soy glaze and mushroom floss; crispy vegan “chicken” skewers with sweet chilli, Kaffir lime leaf and lemongrass; Japanese konyaku noodles with water chestnuts, edamame, broad bean, snap pea, and snow peas with a wasabi soy dressing; and braised tofu served with shiitake & enoki mushrooms, broccolini and sauteed spinach puree.
You’ll find Bodhi underneath towering fig trees, nestled in the park behind St Mary’s Cathedral, a tranquil spot that third generation-owner Heaven Leigh has held for 20 years.
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In the kitchen, chef Brooke Ng is at the helm of this award-winning vegan restaurant, producing plant-based Yum Cha and Pan-Asian cuisine and unless you were tipped off that Bodhi was meat-free, with a menu filled with mouth-watering dishes, you’d be none the wiser.
Opening its initial outlet in Chinatown in 1988, Bodhi was a pioneer of clean cuisine with market-fresh ingredients and cleverly prepared faux-meat dishes.
Together, Heaven and Brooke have maintained that approach using recipes passed down through generations, with a number of them being from Brooke’s grandmother, and though those recipes were never written down, she could vividly recall all the flavours and kept trying until she emulated them.
Lucky for us!
— Bodhi Restaurant Bar, 2-4 College Street, Sydney; bodhirestaurant.com.au
CUP & COOK
You have the power … the Power Veg Bowl that is. A standout on this “clean eating” menu, this $20 veggie-laden dish includes sweet potato, roast beetroot, wilted greens, avocado smash, lentil and tri quinoa salad, turmeric roasted cauliflower, edamame and pepitas.
Add some extra punch with a poached egg or grilled chicken breast. Or look to the sea for your New Year’s detox, with a flaked, oven-baked Atlantic salmon salad with whipped chipotle and cashew, coriander, cumin roast sweet potato, currants, cucumber, savoy cabbage and sweet corn.
The popular cafe reflects the philosophy of its four owners — Matt and Jansci Oxenham; and Bianca and Charles Di Marco — of “home is where the heart is” and together with their tight-knit team, have turned a former antique store into their own humble abode, throwing open the glass-paned French doors to the whole neighbourhood.
While the cafe has been in Kyle Bay for three years, the two couples have known one another for quite some time, as before Cup & Cook, Charles spent six years working as head chef for Matt and Jansci at their Sans Souci cafe, Foodies.
Already having a great working relationship they took the next step and went into business together.
“It felt right for everyone, hence that is how ‘Cup’ (Matt) and ‘Cook’ (Charles) came to be.”
There’s also a great “clean-eating” kids’ menu in which each dish is served with a fruit popper.
— 5/25-31 Kyle Pde, Kyle Bay; cupandcook.com.au
THE WELL
Well, it’s literally a one-stop-shop for being and getting healthy. And if you aren’t ready to work out on full display, The Well is a more discreet option with its gym, classes, nutritionist, physio and a wonderfully sun-drenched cafe featuring delicious and nutritious foods.
Great food and exercise are a wholesome welcome to the 20s.
The menu is a blend of fruits, veg and plenty of protein – proof positive that healthy eating can also be tasty.
Decide for yourself though with the delicious sweet potato pancakes topped with fresh fruit or go straight for the protein with some salad and New Zealand salmon.
Round that off with a mango banana smoothie, smooth coffee or if the mood strikes, a glass of wine and 20 push-ups.
There’s no membership necessary to dine in the cafe but should your New Year’s resolution be about total wellness, causal visits to the gym and classes are also available.
— 78 Campbell Parade, Bondi Beach; thewellbondi.com.au
NOURISHED WHOLEFOOD CAFE
It’s never too early to eat well and Nourished is ready and waiting for the early risers in Avalon, a picturesque beachside suburb north of the city.
Throwing its doors open at 6am every day, Nourished specialises in superfoods, gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan, vegetarian and raw foods – perfect for that post-surf feed.
Fear not carnivores, there’s plenty for you too with hearty bacon and egg rolls topped with caramelised onion and paleo bacon ‘jam’.
The team at Nourished take pride in making all their dishes on-site and that every effort is made with every element of their food – be it the cashew and coconut cream in the raw raspberry choc slice or the haloumi and eggplant – be sustainable and locally-sourced.
The fact that it’s all so yummy is a major bonus.
— 17 Avalon Pde, Avalon; nourishedwholefoodcafe.com.au
BAD HOMBRES
Ay, caramba! Yes, it’s true, there is much more to Mexican food than calorie-laden burritos and cheese-covered nachos and in fact, much of it is quite healthy.
“If you think about it, much of Mexican food – salsa, beans and rice – are already plant-based,” notes restaurant manager Jose Artidiello.
For those testing the vegan waters or already in the know, try chef Juan Carlos Miranda’s Chilli “non” Carne made with ground shiitake mushrooms and sunflower seeds.
And if you’re still after nachos, they’ve got you covered with their house-made tortilla chips topped a cashew cream “cheddar cheese.
— 40 Reservoir Rd, Surry Hills; badhombres.com.au
MAPO NEWTOWN
Save for those with a chemistry degree, deciphering the ingredients listed on an ice-cream container can be downright frustrating so if your resolution this year is to be a bit more informed about your food, here’s a great (and scrumptious) MAPO is an ideal place to start.
At this Newtown gelato shop, owner Matteo Pochintesta, is all about transparency – from preparing the gelato right on site to listing the smattering of raw ingredients of each flavour.
“We don’t hide anything,” says Matteo who also endeavours to include products from local suppliers such as coffee from Newtown’s Brewtown and peanut butter from Northern suburbs’ Chunky Dave’s Peanut Butter.
— 123 King St, Newtown; maponewtown.com
COOH
To the tell the truth, the philosophy behind this popular Alexandria cafe – “honest food, full of flavour” – has become self-evident with breakfast fans queuing up for their famous buckwheat coconut and berry pancake.
Topped with seasonal fruit, it’s become an insta-success. An equally impressive lunch and dinner menu is available along with cocktails, wine and beer.
— 90-96 Bourke Rd, Alexandria; cooh.com.au
CORNERSMITH
Waste not, want not. What started as a passion for seasonal foods and sustainable living morphed into an inner-west institution that offers a hearty breakfast and lunch menu complemented by good coffee.
Alongside that, co-owner Alex Elliott-Howery has championed a war on food waste (and good gut health) by pickling and preserving surplus produce, a skill and ethos she teaches in sold-out workshops at their Marrickville retail location where you can also purchase pickling supplies, ingredient and cookbooks.
“It’s just about being resourceful and keeping things from getting thrown out.”
— Cornersmith Cafe, 88 View St, Annandale and Cornersmith Picklery and Cooking School, 441 Illawarra Rd, Marrickville; cornersmith.com.au
DAILY GREENS
If ever you needed a reminder to eat your greens, the thick tree bursting through the wooden floor and out through the ceiling smack dab in the middle of this bright cafe would probably do the trick.
A relatively new addition to the nutritious and delicious food scene, founder of Finn Poké, Jem Jacinto along with executive chef, Charles Olalia (formerly of Los Angeles’ Mar’sel, Patina, Ricebar and Ma’am Sir restaurants) have developed a menu that builds on the Hawaiian classic and focuses on local and sustainable foods.
Think light and airy scrambled eggs with roasted mushrooms, smashed avo with nori seaweed or for lunch, the Fun Guy, Funghi with shredded cabbage, coriander, corn chips, warm quinoa, lemon kale slaw, chilli glazed peanuts, tomatillo and a lime coriander vinaigrette.
— 6 Glenmore Rd, Paddington